LIGHT, LUMINARIES AND LIFE. 207 
attention to a historic interpretation of the expression “sons of 
God,” as found in Gen. vi, 2. As is well known, in Codex A of the 
Septuagint, the rendering is “angels of God,” which is in agreement 
with the meaning accorded to 0’né-ha-Elohim (and b’né-Elohim), as 
found in Job i, 6; ii, 1; xxxviii, 7, and elsewhere, and also to the 
cognate Aramaic bar-Elahin in Dan. iii, 25. In other words, “sons 
of God” is a periphrasis for “angels,” as is abundantly borne out 
in subsequent Jewish literature. The statement that there were 
Nephilim in those days (Gen. vi, 4), rendered, after the Septuagint, 
“ giants”—has led to much speculation, and suggested that the 
passage as a whole speaks of an illicit commerce such as recalls 
familiar points in heathen mythology, as, indeed, a host of exegetes, 
ancient and modern, have maintained (see 2 Pet. ii, 4; and 
Jude vi). 
Henry Proctor, Esq., F.R.S.L., M.R.A.S., writes :—I have been 
deeply interested in Dr. Irving’s splendid paper on “ Light, Lumi- 
naries and Life,” and desire to add to my former remarks on Genesis 
to which he refers therein as interesting and suggestive. I have 
for a long time held that the Book of Genesis everywhere assumes 
the existence of Pre-Adamic Man, and that it actually mentions 
them as the “ Nephilim,” which the Septuagint renders “ qiyav7es,” 
and speaks of their race as “men of renown which were from 
everlasting.”* We may note also that the signification of ycyavtes 
from its root meanings (y) and yev®) would be “ earth-born-ones,” 
indicating antiquity as much as stature. 
In regard to the Noachic flood the Biblical evidence is generally 
supposed to be on the side of its universality,t but this is only in 
appearance, for the word translated “earth,” no less than nine 
times in regard to the flood, is “adamah” in Hebrew, not 
“ erets.” { 
Now “adamah” implies a locality, and particularly that district 
where Adam lived, as proved by Cain’s words, ‘thou hast driven me 
to-day from the face of the adamah . . . and I shall bea 
fugitive and a wanderer in the ‘erets’” 
Again God is said to have set a mark or sign upon Cain, “lest any- 
one finding him should kill him.”§ Of what use would such a mark 
* LXX an’ aiwnos, of avOpwmot oi dvopacra, Gen. vi, 14. 
+ Gen. vi, 7, 20. t Gen. viii, 8, 13, 21. 
§ Gen. iv, 15; vii, 4, 8, 23; ix, 2. 
