164 LT.-COL. G. MACKINLAY ON BIBLICAL ASTRONOMY. 



told that "there was no day like that before it or after it, that the 

 Lord hearkened unto the voice of a man " (Josh, x, 14 R.V.) These 

 words leave no doubt on my mind that a miracle is recorded. The 

 reference to the book of Jasher seems to me to indicate that the 

 event was well known. Exactly what happened to the sun or 

 to the earth, or whether the miracle was due to refraction, I 

 cannot tell, nor, I maintain, can anyone do so, but we have the 

 appearance and the practical result plainly described ; we have seen 

 how even a modern astronomer frequently describes only appear- 

 ances, and he does not always go out of his way to state exactly 

 what has happened. 



I thank Dr. Heyward Smith for his correction about the name 

 •of the ancient Hebrews whom I had called Jews, and I have carried 

 it out in the revision of the proof. 



I am glad Canon Girdlestone draws attention to the fact that the 

 sun and moon are described as the two lights in Gen. i, and that 

 the stars are only mentioned incidentally. With our present know- 

 ledge of their magnitudes the few words devoted to them, " he 

 made the stars also," Gen. i, 16, attain a tremendous climax in 

 asserting the creative power of Jehovah. 



The Canon raises an interesting question in connection with a 

 ship entering the Red Sea from the south ; but countries generally 

 receive geographical names with reference to other lands which 

 adjoin them; thus Somaliland means "the north land," and it 

 has a long coast line facing the north. The fact that Yemen, " the 

 south land," lies to the north of Somaliland, " the north land," is 

 not an extraordinary state of affairs, as we have similar instances 

 nearer home ; for instance, Southend in Essex is to the north of the 

 department of Nord in France. 



In accordance with Professor Sayce's suggestion I have added a 

 little to the short explanation about the precession of the equinoxes 

 in the Appendix. 



I am glad this subject has been found to be full of interest. I 

 trust that more general attention and study may be directed to it 

 in the future. 



