VI LIGHTS OF THE CHURCH AND SCIENCE 221 



the earth according to the ideas of modern geographers, but, at 

 most, according to the conceptions of the Biblical author. This 

 very simple conclusion, however, is never drawn by too many 

 readers of the Bible. But one need only cast one's eyes over 

 the tenth chapter of Genesis in order to become acquainted with 

 the geographical horizon of the Jews. In the north it was 

 bounded by the Black Sea and the mountains of Armenia ; 

 extended towards the east very little beyond the Tigris ; hardly 

 reached the apex of the Persian Gulf ; passed, then, through the 

 middle of Arabia and the Red Sea ; went southward through 

 Abyssinia, and then turned westward by the frontiers of Egypt, 

 and inclosed the easternmost islands of the Mediterranean (p 11). 



The justice of this observation must be ad- 

 mitted, no less than the further remark that, in 

 still earlier times, the pastoral Hebrews very 

 probably had yet more restricted notions of what 

 constituted the " whole earth." Moreover, I, for 

 one, fully agree with Professor Diestel that the 

 motive, or generative incident, of the whole story 

 is to be sought in the occasionally excessive and 

 desolating floods of the Euphrates and the Tigris. 



Let us, provisionally, accept the theory of a 

 partial deluge, and try to form a clear mental 

 picture of the occurrence. Let us suppose that, 

 for forty days and forty nights, such a vast 

 quantity of water was poured upon the ground 

 that the whole surface of Mesopotamia was covered 

 by water to a depth certainly greater, probably 

 much greater, than fifteen cubits, or twenty feet 

 (Gen. vii. 20). The inundation prevails upon the 

 earth for one hundred and fifty days ; and then 

 the flood gradually decreases, until, on the seven- 



