468 Professor Ren wick on 



These two methods of computation are founded, the one on 

 the Masorete Hebrew text, the other on the version of the 

 Septuagint. The ancient controversy on their respective 

 authorities, so far as date is concerned, is well known ; which- 

 ever of them has been altered to suit the opinion of its guar- 

 dians has been changed with such skill, as to throw out of 

 use all the usual methods of critical emendation, by the aid of 

 the context. From this, however, may be accepted the name 

 of Cainan, which is found twice in the Septuagint, and but 

 once in the Hebrew, and who, not being found after the flood, 

 in any version but that of the Septuagint, may be rejected 

 from the list. 



To compare these two chronologies, the following list may 

 be made use of. The first name is placed opposite the number 

 of years his birth dates after the flood ; the remainder oppo- 

 site to the age of the father, at the time the person named 

 was born. 



HEBREW. LXX. 



Arphaxad . 2 . 2 



Salah ... 35 ... 135 



Heber ... 30 130 



Peleg . 34 . . 134 



Ren ... 30 130 



Serug- 32 132 



Nahor ... 30 130 



Terah 29 79 

 Nahor, elder brother of 



Abraham 70 . 70 



292 942 



The difference between these two computations is 650 years ; 

 and, if that of the Septuagint be received, the flood, which, 

 according to Usher, took place in 2358 B.C., is carried back 

 to 2998 B.C. 



This text is to be preferred for several reasons. The first 

 of these is almost obvious from mere inspection. It consists 

 in the fact, that the ages of the parents at which the children 

 are born, fall off, according to the Hebrew, suddenly after the 

 flood, and again increase in the case of Terah and Nahor ; 

 while, in the Septuagint, although lessened from what they 

 were before the flood, they still keep up the semblance of that 



