andithasbeenfollowedinlatertimesbythevariouseffortswhichhavebeenmadetotwisttheearlierchaptersofthebookofGenesisintoAPPARENTagreementwiththelastresultsofgeology——representingdaysnottobedays，morningandeveningnottobemorningandevening，theDelugenottobetheDeluge，andthearknottobetheark。”
　　Afterastatementlikethiswemayfitlyask，WhichisthemorelikelytostrengthenChristianityforitsworkinthetwentiethcenturywhichwearenowabouttoenter——alarge，manly，honest，fearlessutterancelikethisofArthurStanley，orhair-splittingsophistries，bearingintheireverylinethegermsoffailure，likethoseattemptedbyMr。Gladstone？
　　TheworldisfindingthatthescientificrevelationofcreationisevermoreandmoreinaccordancewithworthyconceptionsofthatgreatPowerworkinginandthroughtheuniverse。Moreandmoreitisseenthatinspirationhasneverceased，andthatitsprophetsandpriestsarenotthosewhoworktofittheletterofitsolderliteraturetotheneedsofdogmasandsects，butthose，aboveallothers，whopatiently，fearlessly，andreverentlydevotethemselvestothesearchfortruthastruth，inthefaiththatthereisaPowerintheuniversewiseenoughtomaketruth-seekingsafeandgoodenoughtomaketruth-tellinguseful。[181]
　　[181]FortheHuxley-Gladstonecontroversy，seeTheNineteenthCenturyfor1885-’86。ForCanonDriver，seehisarticle，TheCosmogonyofGenesis，inTheExpositorforJanuary，1886……
　　Inthegreatrangesofinvestigationwhichbearmostdirectlyupontheoriginofman，therearetwoinwhichSciencewithinthelastfewyearshasgainedfinalvictories。Thesignificanceoftheseinchanging，andultimatelyinreversing，oneofthegreatestcurrentsoftheologicalthought，canhardlybeoverestimated；noteventhetidesetinmotionbyCusa，Copernicus，andGalileowasmorepowerfultobringinanewepochofbelief。
　　Thefirstoftheseconquestsrelatestotheantiquityofmanontheearth。
　　ThefathersoftheearlyChristianChurch，receivingallpartsofoursacredbooksasequallyinspired，laidlittle，ifany，lessstressonthemyths，legends，genealogies，andtribal，family，andpersonaltraditionscontainedintheOldandtheNewTestaments，thanuponthemostpowerfulappeals，themostinstructiveapologues，andthemostloftypoemsofprophets，psalmists，andapostles。Astotheageofourplanetandthelifeofmanuponit，theyfoundintheBibleacarefullyrecordedseriesofperiods，extendingfromAdamtothebuildingoftheTempleatJerusalem，thelengthofeachperiodbeingexplicitlygiven。
　　Thustheyhadabiblicalchronology——full，consecutive，anddefinite——extendingfromthefirstmancreatedtoaneventofknowndatewellwithinascertainedprofanehistory；asaresult，theearlyChristiancommentatorsarrivedatconclusionsvaryingsomewhat，butinthemainagreeing。Some，likeOrigen，Eusebius，Lactantius，ClementofAlexandria，andthegreatfathersgenerallyofthefirstthreecenturies，dwellingespeciallyupontheSeptuagintversionoftheScriptures，thoughtthatman’screationtookplaceaboutsixthousandyearsbeforetheChristianera。Strongconfirmationofthisviewwasfoundinasimplepieceofpurelytheologicalreasoning：for，justasthesevencandlesticksoftheApocalypsewerelongheldtoprovetheexistenceofsevenheavenlybodiesrevolvingabouttheearth，soitwasfeltthatthesixdaysofcreationprefiguredsixthousandyearsduringwhichtheearthinitsfirstformwastoendure；
　　andthat，asthefirstAdamcameonthesixthday，Christ，thesecondAdam，hadcomeatthesixthmillennialperiod。
　　Theophilus，BishopofAntioch，inthesecondcenturyclinchedthisargumentwiththetext，“OnedayiswiththeLordasathousandyears。”
　　Ontheotherhand，EusebiusandSt。Jerome，dwellingmoreespeciallyupontheHebrewtext，whichwearebroughtuptorevere，thoughtthatman’sorigintookplaceatasomewhatshorterperiodbeforetheChristianera；andSt。Jerome’soverwhelmingauthoritymadethisthedominantviewthroughoutwesternEuropeduringfifteencenturies。
　　ThesimplicityofthesegreatfathersasregardschronologyisespeciallyreflectedfromthetablesofEusebius。Inthese，Moses，Joshua，andBacchus，——Deborah，Orpheus，andtheAmazons，——Abimelech，theSphinx，andOedipus，appeartogetheraspersonagesequallyreal，andtheirpositionsinchronologyequallyascertained。
　　Attimesgreatbitternesswasarousedbetweenthoseholdingthelongerandthoseholdingtheshorterchronology，butafterallthedifferencebetweenthem，aswenowsee，wastrivial；anditmaybebroadlystatedthatintheearlyChurch，“always，everywhere，andbyall。”itwasheldascertain，upontheabsolutewarrantofScripture，thatmanwascreatedfromfourtosixthousandyearsbeforetheChristianera。
　　Todoubtthis，andevenmuchlessthanthis，wastoriskdamnation。St。Augustineinsistedthatbeliefintheantipodesandinthelongerdurationoftheearththansixthousandyearsweredeadlyheresies，equallyhostiletoScripture。Philastrius，thefriendofSt。AmbroseandSt。Augustine，whosefearfulcatalogueofheresiesservedasaguidetointolerancethroughouttheMiddleAges，condemnedwiththesameholyhorrorthosewhoexpresseddoubtastotheorthodoxnumberofyearssincethebeginningoftheworld，andthosewhodoubtedanearthquaketobetheliteralvoiceofanangryGod，orwhoquestionedthepluralityoftheheavens，orwhogainsaidthestatementthatGodbringsoutthestarsfromhistreasuresandhangsthemupinthesolidfirmamentabovetheeartheverynight。
　　AboutthebeginningoftheseventhcenturyIsidoreofSeville，thegreattheologianofhistime，tookupthesubject。HeacceptedthedominantviewnotonlyofHebrewbutofallotherchronologies，withoutanythinglikerealcriticism。Thechildlikefaithofhissystemmaybeimaginedfromhissummarieswhichfollow。Hetellsus：
　　“Josephlivedonehundredandfiveyears。Greecebegantocultivategrain。”
　　“TheJewswereinslaveryinEgyptonehundredandforty-fouryears。Atlasdiscoveredastrology。”
　　“Joshuaruledfortwenty-sevenyears。Ericthoniusyokedhorsestogether。”
　　“Othniel，fortyyears。CadmusintroducedlettersintoGreece。”
　　“Deborah，fortyyears。Apollodiscoveredtheartofmedicineandinventedthecithara。”
　　“Gideon，fortyyears。MercuryinventedthelyreandgaveittoOrpheus。”
　　Reasoninginthisgeneralway，Isidorekeptwellunderthelongerdate；and，thegreattheologicalauthorityofsouthernEuropehavingthusspoken，thequestionwasvirtuallyatrestthroughoutChristendomfornearlyahundredyears。
　　EarlyintheeighthcenturytheVenerableBedetookuptheproblem。DwellingespeciallyuponthereceivedHebrewtextoftheOldTestament，hesoonentangledhimselfinveryseriousdifficulties；but，inspiteofthegreatfathersofthefirstthreecenturies，hereducedtheantiquityofmanontheearthbynearlyathousandyears，and，inspiteofmutteringsagainsthimascomingdangerouslynearalimitwhichmadethetheologicalargumentfromthesixdaysofcreationtothesixagesoftheworldlookdoubtful，hisauthorityhadgreatweight，anddidmuchtofixwesternEuropeinitsallegiancetothegeneralsystemlaiddownbyEusebiusandJerome。
　　Inthetwelfthcenturythisbeliefwasre-enforcedbyatideofthoughtfromaverydifferentquarter。RabbiMosesMaimonidesandotherJewishscholars，bycarefulstudyoftheHebrewtext，arrivedatconclusionsdiminishingtheantiquityofmanstillfurther，andthusgavestrengththroughouttheMiddleAgestotheshorterchronology：itwasincorporatedintothesacredscienceofChristianity；andVincentofBeauvais，inhisgreatSpeculumHistoriale，formingpartofthatstillmoreenormousworkintendedtosumupalltheknowledgepossessedbytheagesoffaith，placedthecreationofmanataboutfourthousandyearsbeforeourera。[182]
　　[182]Foratablesumminguptheperiods，fromAdamtothebuildingoftheTemple，explicitlygivenintheScriptures，seetheadmirablepaperonThePopeandtheBible，inTheContemporaryReviewforApril，1893。Forthedateofman’screationasgivenbyleadingchronologistsinvariousbranchesoftheChurch，seeL’ArtdeVerifierlesDates，Paris，1819，vol。i，pp。27etseq。Inthiseditiontherearesundrytypographicalerrors；comparewithWallace，TrueAgeoftheWorld，London，1844。AstopreferenceforthelongercomputationbythefathersoftheChurch，seeClinton，FastiHellenici，vol。ii，p。291。
　　Forthesacredsignificanceofthesixdaysofcreationinascertainingtheantiquityofman，seeespeciallyEichen，GeschichtedermittelalterlichenWeltanschauung；alsoWallace，TrueAgeoftheWorld，pp。2，3。FortheviewsofSt。Augustine，seeTopinard，Anthropologie，citingtheDeCiv。Dei。，lib。xvi，c。viii，c。x。FortheviewsofPhilastrius，seetheDeHoeresibus，c。102，112，etpassim，inMigne，tomexii。ForEusebius’ssimplecredulity，seethetablesinPalmer’sEgyptianChronicles，vol。ii，pp。828，829。ForBede，seeUsher’sChronologiaSacra，citedinWallace，TrueAgeoftheWorld，p。
　　35。ForIsidoreofSeville，seetheEtymologia，lib。v，c。39；
　　alsolib。iii，inMigne，tomelxxxii。
　　AttheReformationthisviewwasnotdisturbed。ThesamemannerofacceptingthesacredtextwhichledLuther，Melanchthon，andthegreatProtestantleadersgenerally，toopposetheCopernicantheory，fixedthemfirmlyinthisbiblicalchronology；thekeynotewassoundedforthembyLutherwhenhesaid，“Weknow，ontheauthorityofMoses，thatlongeragothansixthousandyearstheworlddidnotexist。”Melanchthon，moreexact，fixedthecreationofmanat3963B。C。
　　ButthegreatChristianscholarscontinuedtheoldendeavourtomakethetimeofman’soriginmoreprecise：thereseemstohavebeenasortoffascinationinthesubjectwhichdevelopedalongarrayofchronologists，allweighingtheminutestindicationsinoursacredbooks，untiltheProtestantdivineDeVignolles，whohadgivenfortyyearstothestudyofbiblicalchronology，declaredin1738thathehadgatherednolessthantwohundredcomputationsbaseduponScripture，andnotwoalike。
　　AstotheRomanChurch，about1580therewaspublished，byauthorityofPopeGregoryXIII，theRomanMartyrology，andthis，bothasoriginallypublishedandasrevisedin1640underPopeUrbanVIII，declaredthatthecreationofmantookplace5199
　　yearsbeforeChrist。
　　Butofallwhogavethemselvesuptothesechronologicalstudies，themanwhoexertedthemostpowerfulinfluenceuponthedominantnationsofChristendomwasArchbishopUsher。In1650hepublishedhisAnnalsoftheAncientandNewTestaments，anditatoncebecamethegreatestauthorityforallEnglish-speakingpeoples。Usherwasamanofdeepandwidetheologicallearning，powerfulincontroversy；andhiscarefulconclusion，afteryearsofthemostprofoundstudyoftheHebrewScriptures，wasthatmanwascreated4004yearsbeforetheChristianera。Hisverdictwaswidelyreceivedasfinal；hisdateswereinsertedinthemarginsoftheauthorizedversionoftheEnglishBible，andweresoonpracticallyregardedasequallyinspiredwiththesacredtextitself：toquestionthemseriouslywastoriskprefermentintheChurchandreputationintheworldatlarge。
　　ThesameadhesiontotheHebrewScriptureswhichhadinfluencedUsherbroughtleadingmenoftheolderChurchtothesameview：
　　menwhowouldhaveburnedeachotheratthestakefortheirdifferencesonotherpoints，agreedonthis：MelanchthonandTostatus，LightfootandJansen，SalmeronandScaliger，PetaviusandKepler，inquisitorsandreformers，JesuitsandJansenists，priestsandrabbis，stoodtogetherinthebeliefthatthecreationofmanwasprovedbyScripturetohavetakenplacebetween3900and4004yearsbeforeChrist。
　　Inspiteoftheseverepressureofthislineofauthorities，extendingfromSt。JeromeandEusebiustoUsherandPetavius，infavourofthisscripturalchronology，evendevotedChristianscholarshadsometimesfeltobligedtorevolt。ThefirstgreatsourceofdifficultywasincreasedknowledgeregardingtheEgyptianmonuments。AsfarbackasthelastyearsofthesixteenthcenturyJosephScaligerhaddonewhathecouldtolaythefoundationsofamorescientifictreatmentofchronology，insistingespeciallythatthehistoricalindicationsinPersia，inBabylon，andaboveallinEgypt，shouldbebroughttobearonthequestion。Morethanthat，hehadtheboldnesstourgethatthechronologicalindicationsoftheHebrewScripturesshouldbefullyandcriticallydiscussedinthelightofEgyptianandotherrecords，withoutanyunduebiasfromtheologicalconsiderations。
　　Hisideamaywellbecalledinspired；yetithadlittleeffectasregardsatrueviewoftheantiquityofman，evenuponhimself，forthetheologicalbiasprevailedaboveallhisreasonings，eveninhisownmind。Welldoesabrilliantmodernwriterdeclarethat，“amongthemultitudeofstrongmeninmoderntimesabdicatingtheirreasonatthecommandoftheirprejudices，JosephScaligerisperhapsthemoststrikingexample。”