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THE GEOLOGIST 



THE BIBLICAL DATE OF MAN'S CKEATION. 



g IE) — A correspondent's enquiry in your July number, as to the authority for 

 the date of man's creation on the earth being placed at about 4,000 years before 

 the Christian era, deserves, I humbly think, an answer rather clearer and more 

 to the point than is contained in Mr. L. Horner's somewhat lengthy discourse 

 on this subject. That gentleman does not seem to be aware that there have 

 been later commentators and critics on the chronology of the Bible than Arch- 

 bishop Usher : such as Ffynes- Clinton, Brown, and others, whose industry as 

 well as acumen on such subjects it is simply ridiculous to ignore. As these 

 authors plainly show, any one may, without much trouble, verify for himself the 

 period of 4,000 years, or thereabouts, from the dates and notices often supplied 

 in the Bible itself. I give Ffynes Clinton's conclusions ; but there are more 



modern works on the subject : — 



From the creation (of man) to the flood 1,656 years. 



From the flood to the call of Abraham 352 „ 



From this call and the Exodus from Egypt 430 „ 



In the Wilderness 40 „ 



Time of Joshua and Judges 457 (a.) „ 



Time of Samuel 32 (b.) „ 



Time of the Kings and the captivity in Babylon 491 



Duration of the captivity 70 „ 



Total 3,528 years. 



The return from this captivity took place soon after 

 the conquest of Babylon by Cyrus, King of Persia, 



which is fixed, from profane history, at B.c 536 „ 



Therefore, adding these together, we have, B.C. 4,064 years. 



for the approximate date of the creation of man on the earth ; I say approximate, 

 because there are two slight gaps in the chronology, (marked a. and b. above), 

 which cannot be filled up with absolute accuracy ; but from internal evidence 

 these could not have been much more than 40 years in duration ; they may have 

 been even less ; I have here allowed that period for them. I may add that the 

 first two periods in the above list are obtained by adding together the ages of the 

 patriarchs before and after the flood, when the eldest son of each was born. 

 The other dates are supplied, more or less, directly from the Bible itself. 



It is also to be observed that some of the other ancient manuscripts of the 

 Scriptures give somewhat different periods from these : such e.g., as the Septua- 

 gint version, which adds 600 years more before the flood, and 600 more after it j 

 making therefore altogether between 5,200 and 5,300 years from the creation of 

 man and the birth of Christ ; and rather over 7,000 years to the present time ; 

 and other manuscripts give, I believe, even a more extended term that this ; but 

 the difference between them all is not very great, as compared, at least, with 

 geological computations and estimates of time ; and the question would turn on 

 the comparative authority of the several manuscripts. 



I do not see, therefore, that any one has a right to treat the received period of 

 4,000 years, or thereabouts, as a mere figment or imagining of Usher, or any 

 one else. As far as the authority of the Bible goes, (which is, at any rate, the most 

 ancient written history in the world), 4,000 or 5,000 years (or on the largest 

 computation not much more), seems clearly fixed as the period which elapsed 

 bel ween man's first appearance on the earth, and the beginning of the Christian 

 era. 



I am, Sir, yours obediently, 



An old Subscriber. 



