VI LIGHTS OF THE CHURCH AND SCIENCE 211 



" admitted reality " of Jonah's ejection, safe and 

 sound, on the shores of the Levant, after three 

 days- sea -journey in the stomach of a gigantic 

 marine animal, what possible pretext can there be 

 for even hinting a doubt as to the precise truth of 

 the longevity attributed to the Patriarchs ? Who 

 that has swallowed the camel of Jonah's journey 

 will be guilty of the affectation of straining at. 

 such a historical gnat nay, midge as the sup- 

 position that the mother of Moses was told the 

 story of the Flood by Jacob ; who had it straight 

 from Shem ; who was on friendly terms with 

 Methuselah ; who knew Adam quite well ? 



Yet, by the strange irony of things, the 

 illustrious brother of the divine who propounded 

 this remarkable theory, has been the guide and 

 foremost worker of that band of investigators of 

 the records of Assyria and of Babylonia, who have 

 opened to our view, not merely a new chapter, 

 but a new volume of primeval history, relating to 

 the very people who have the most numerous 

 points of contact with the life of the ancient 

 Hebrews. Now, whatever imperfections may yet 

 obscure the full value of the Mesopotamian 

 records, everything that has been clearly ascer- 

 tained tends to the conclusion that the assignment 

 of no more than 4000 years to the period between 

 the time of the origin of mankind and that of 

 Augustus Caesar, is wholly inadmissible. There- 

 fore the Biblical chronology, which Canon 



