the Nativity in the close of the year 2015, in the 4th year of the 194th Olympiad. The Eusebian years commence in October; and as 1240 contained the beginning of Ol. 1. 1 July B. C. 776, it commenced in October B. C. 777. Ol. 194. 4 was the 776th Olympic year, commencing in July B. C. 1. But, as the Eusebian year 1240 was still current when the first Olympic year began, then 1240+775-2015, and the 2015th year was still current when the 776th began. And as the year 1240 commenced in October preceding, or Oct. B. C. 777, so the year 2015 commenced in October preceding, or Oct. B. C. 2. These two epochs determine the position of the other years. Hieronymus throws back the year 1241 which in the mind of Eusebius began at October B. C. 776 and contained the last nine months of the first Olympic year, to July preceding, and reckons it to commence with that Olympic year in July B. C. 776. This Table exhibits thus far of the Chronology which belongs to the present volume, and gives the Eusebian years from the year 2001 to the end, with the continuation of Hieronymus and Prosper. Eus. Oct. A.D. Eus. Oct.A.D. Eus. Oct. A.D. Eus. Oct. A.D. Eus. Oct.A.D. Eus. Oct. A.D. Eus. Oct. A.D. Eus. Oct. A.D. Eus. Oct. A.D. Eus. Oct. A.D. 185 2249 234 2298 282 235 2299 283 236 2300 284 285 188 2252 189 2253 237 2301 142 2206 190 2254 238 2302 286 191 2255 239 2303 287 240 2304 288 289 290 192 2256 2101 85 2149 133 2197 181 2245 229 2293 277 2102 86 2150 134 2198 182 2246 230 2294 278 2103 87 2151 135 2199 183 2247 231 2295 279 2104 88 2152 136 2200 184 2248 232 2296 280 2105 89 2153 137 2201 233 2297 281 2106 90 2154 138 2202 2107 91 2155 139 2203 2108 92 2156 140 2204 2109 93 2157 141 2205 2110 94 2158 2111 95 2159 143 2207 2112 96 2160 144 2208 2113 97 2161 145 2209 2114 98 2162 146 2210 2115 99 2163 147 2211 2116 100 2164 148 2212 2117 101 2165 149 2213 2118 102 2166 150 2214 2119 103 2167 151 2215 2120 104 2168 152 2216 2121 105 2169 153 2217 2122 106 2170 154 2218 2123 107 2171 155 2219 2124 108 2172 156 2220 2125 109 2173 157 2221 2126 110 2174 158 2222 2127 111 2175 159 2223 2128 112 2176 160 2224 2129 113 2177 161 2225 2130 114 2178 162 2226 2131 115 2179 163 2227 211 2275 2132 116 2180 164 2228 212 2276 196 2260 244 2308 292 197 2261 245 2309 293 294 295 296 297 252 2316 Eus. Oct. A.D. Eus. Oct.A.D. Eus. Oct.A.D. Eus. Oct A.D. Eus. Oct.A.D. 383|2423 402 2442 426 379 2419 403 2443 427 380 2420 404 2444 428 381 2421 405 2445 429 382 2422 406 2446 430 407 2447 431 408 2448 432 409 2449 433 2341 325 2365 349 2389 373 2413 397 2437 421 364 2404 414 2454 438 441 394 2434 § 5. SCRIPTURE CHRONOLOGY. Before we proceed to the Gospel Chronology, it will be convenient to survey the whole subject of Scripture Chronology, as it is set forth in the first volume of the Fasti Hellenici. It is there shewn that the Hebrew notation gives 1656 years from Adam to the Flood, and 352 from the Flood to the birth of Abraham; that 505 years are marked in Scripture from the birth of Abraham to the Exode; that ! from the Exode to the Temple were 612 years. Then followed the last 37 years of Solomon, and 389 from the death of Solomon to the destruction of the Temple, which happened in the 587th year before the Christian era. Reckoning upwards from this point, we obtain from these collected numbers B. C. 2130 for the birth of Abraham, B. C. 2482 for the Flood, and B. C. 4138 for the creation of Adam. Q ૧ 202 Mr. Cuninghame has preferred for the time which precedes the birth of Abraham the longer generations of the Septuagint, and places Adam at B. C. 5478, and the Flood at B. C. 3217. His dates have been adopted by Professor Wallace, who also accepts the longer computation of the Greek version, and rejects the numbers of the Hebrew text. He has fully treated this subject in his dissertation on the True Age of the World. I propose briefly to examine his arguments. He observes p. 50: "The argument that the shorter gene"rations are repugnant to the course of nature is neither placed in a clear light, nor fairly answered by Mr. Clinton "F. H. Vol. I p. 292." I have affirmed that from Jacob to Moses the average of life was from 150 to 120 years, and I have shewn from Scripture that in this period Benjamin had 10 sons before he had attained 30 years; that in the line of Judah two generations were of 15 years each; that in the line of Joshua 9 generations were of 20 years each. From which facts it was no unfair but a necessary conclusion that the age of puberty was the same in that time as at present. Mr. Wallace p. 55: "Mr. Clinton sees nothing wonderful "in the fact that idolatry should have sprung up during the "lives of Noah and Shem, and accounts for it from the prin 66 ciple of the fecundity of mankind and their dispersion. It "is very strange however that Terah, who is mentioned in "Joshua xxiv. 2 as the only idolater among the postdiluvian "patriarchs, should have dared to follow the practice of the "heathen while all his pious ancestors were yet alive!" The epithet only is added by Mr. Wallace himself. No such expression appears in the original text, which is thus rendered: Thus saith the Lord God of Israel, Your fathers dwelt on the other side of the flood in old time, even Terah the father of Abraham and the father of Nachor, and they served other godsa. It is observed at p. 57: "The shorter computation is "inconsistent with the credible accounts of profane history "and the existence of so many populous kingdoms and em a The Septuagint has πέραν τοῦ που ταμοῦ παρῴκησαν οἱ πατέρες ὑμῶν καὶ ἐλάτρευσαν θεοῖς ἑτέροις. Dathe: Trans Euphratem habitarunt majores vestri aliosque Deos coluerunt. 66 66 "pires in the days of Abraham.-The history of the battle "of the four kings against five in Gen. XIV implies a very 'great degree of populousness and civilisation in a single region, and more than can be admitted on the shorter computation. Nor can Sir Isaac Newton's answer be consi"dered decisive, that the numbers of the allied armies must “have been small because they were overcome by Abraham "with a very small force; for it is the province of the Most "High to save by many or by few. The account of Egypt "at the descent of Abraham indicates that it was then an ancient, populous, and long established kingdom, and the profane records of its history-reach to a period far be"yond that assigned by the Hebrew text. In an excellent "article entitled Annotations Géologiques à la Genèse-it appears that the epoch B. C. 2900 may in fact be consi"dered as that of the foundation of the kingdom of Egypt." We are not to be misled by the pompous appellations kings and kingdoms into the belief of the existence of populous states and empires. In the language of that early time the chief of every petty township was a king. Joshua conquered 31 kings within the narrow space of Canaan. The territories of all the five kings, the allies of Abraham, lay within a region perhaps 17 miles in length. It is well remarked by an ingenious traveller that the kings of those days resembled the Sheiks of modern times. With respect to the kingdom of Egypt, the years assigned to the Egyptian dynasties are not sufficiently authentic to justify us in placing that kingdom at B. C. 2900. Josephus places Menes more than 1300 years before the reign of Solomon; that is, about B. C. 2320. Jackson after a careful investigation places Menes at B. C. 2219 or 2220. Hales at B. C. 2231, although he calls this date rather too low. Mr. Wallace at p. 59 remarks: "Mr. Clinton has proved "that an army of Medes occupied Babylon about B. C. 2233 -according to his own computation about 250 years after "the Flood-when, as he says p. 296, the population of the "earth would amount to many millions. And yet in the same page he remarks, It is not likely that 101 years "after that event the population would exceed 50,000 per 66 66 6 sons, and this number they would certainly have reached ૨ ૧ 2 |