Zerubbabel’s Temple, we have to choose among 19 biblical chronologers, whose maximum is
e . o. 741, and minimum 479—if, for a Jewish event of scarcely 2400 years ago, we cannot
through Judaic books get nearer the truth, aocording to “ chronological” arithmetic, than
262 years, up or down— how much nearer are we likely to get to another Jewish event
(itself fraught with preternatural dilemmas), supposed to have happened somewhere about
2853 years ago, when the epoch of the building of the first Temple depends upon what
computation we may elect to adopt out of 19 different orthodox authorities for the age
of the second?
Thus much for the sake of furnishing our colleagues with practical means of rendering
ecclesiastical opposers of “ Types of Mankind,” if not less supercilious, at least more malleable;
whenever these maybe pleased to obtrude Jewish “ chronography ” — or, as it ig
fashionably termed, “ the received>chronology”—into the rugged amphitheatre of Egyptian
time-measurement.
Archseologically speaking (not “ chronologically”), there is no material objection to such
assumption as Solomon’s Temple at (circa) B. o. 1000; a few years more or less. Under
this historical view, apart from episodic circumstances (to be discussed hereafter), archaeology
may rationally concede that Hebrew tradition* through alphabetic facilities developed
not much less than three centuries posterior, does really contain chronological elements
back to about 2853 years ago — say to b . c. 1000.
We continue with Lepsius —
“ The question is now whether we must give up, for lost, the number,480 (to which we
cannot attach greater importance than to the numerous simple “ Arbamht,” or forties [40s],
in the same parts of Israelitish history); and with it, also, every chronological helm for
events anterior to the Exode ? But such is not the case, because we find, in the [so-called]
Mosaic writings themselves, a true chronological standard, by which we can compute [the
chronological weight of] the views hitherto held, and confirm anew the truthfulness of
Egyptian record. Such a standard I conceive to be the Registers of generations"
Allusion has been made, in other parts of this volume, to the Nos. 7, 12, 70 or 72, as
mystic in original association; and how the latter always, the former two frequently, are
unhistorical wherever found. To these numbers (of cabalistic employment since the days
of Jeremiah), we may now add, as equally vague in Hebrew chronography, all the “arbainhl”
or “ forties.” By opening Cruden’s Concordance the reader can see a list of above 50, out
of many more instances, where the presence of “ forty” renders the narrative, in this
respect at least, unsafe. Here is a schedule of some that are positively apocryphal;
•especially when, through a conventional No. 40, an event, in itself preternatural, is rendered
still more impossible by the numerals that accompany it.
Apocryphal Fobties.
Old Testament.
14. Nehem. v. 15....... . “ 40 shekels.”
15. Job xlii. 16 ......... “ hundred and 40 years.”
16. Psalms xcv. 10....» “ 40 years.”
17. EzeTc. iv. 6............ “ 40 days”
18. Amos ii. 10 -.».v.'... “ 40 years.”
19. Jon. ii. 4 “ 40 days.”
1. Gen. vii. 4............. “ 40 days and 40 nights.”
2. Mcod. xxiv.18..:... “ 40 days and 40 nights.”
3. Numb. Aiii. 25......“ 40 days.”
4. Rent. ix. 25 ......... “ 40 days.”
5. Josh. v. 0 ........W “ 40 years.”
6. Jvd. iii. 11............ “ 40 years.”
New Testament.
7. 1 Sam. iv. 18......... “ 40 years.”
20. Matt. iv. 2 ............ “ 40 days and 40 nights.”
8. 2 Sam. v. 4 .......... “ 40 years.”
21. Mark i. 13...........“;40 days.”
9. 1 Kings xix. 8.... “ 40 days and 40 nights.”
22. John ii. 80 “ 40 six years.”
10. 2 Kings xii. 1......... “ 40 years.”
23. Acts i. 3.............. “ 40 days.”
11. 1 Ghron. xxvi. 31.. “ 40th year.”
24. Heb. iii. 9......... “ 40 years.”
12. 2 Ghron. xxiy. 1... “ 40 years.”
25. 2?eu.vii.4, xiv.1,3 “ hundred and 40 /our
13. Ksra ii. 24...........,. “ 40 and two.”
thousand.”
“ It is evident from the narratives in the Pentateuch, as well as in other books of the
Holy Scriptures, that in ancient times the number 40 was considered not merely as_a round
number, but even as one totally vague and undetermined, designating an uncertain gsw
tity. The Israelites remained in the desert during 40 years; the J“dges, A * “1®1’ ._
(Septuag.), Debora and Gideon, governed each 40 years. The same did Eli, after the Phi
lisfines had ravaeed the country during 40 years. The 40 days of the increasing and tho
40 days of deceasing of the waters of the Deluge are well known. But one of the most
striking instances of this use of the number 40 is 2 Sam. xv. 7, where, during the 40 years
of David’s reign it is said: ‘ And after 40 years it happened that Absalom went to the king
and said, Let me go to Hebron, that I may fulfil the vow which I have made to Jehovah.’
“ The Apocryphic books go still farther. According to them, Adam entered the Paradise
when he was 40 days old—’Eve 40 days later. Seth was carried away by angels at the
age of 40 years, and was not seen during the same number of days. Joseph was 40 years
old when Jacob came to Egypt; Moses had the same age when he went to Midian, where
he remained during 40 years.. The same use of this number is also made by the Phoenicians
and Arabs. [See Dissertaiio Bredovii de Georgii Syncelli Chronographia (second part
of the edition of Bonn) Syncellus, p. 33, seq.] We must not forget hereby the Arbaindt
(the forties) in Arabian literature; a sort of books which relate none but stories
of 40 years, or give a series of 40, or 4 times 40 traditions. They have a similar kind of
books, which they call Sebaydt (sevens). Their calendar has 40 rainy and 40 windy days.
Also in their laws the numbers of 4, 40, 44, occur very often. In Syria the graves of Seth,
Noah and Abel are still shown. They are built in the usual Arabian style. Their length
is recorded to be 40 ells, and thus I have found them by my own measuring. This may
also, account for the tradition that the antediluvian men were 40 ells high, that is, not
‘ about 40 ells,’ but l very tall.’ Only afterwards was this expression so naively misunderstood.
The Arabs give, in the conversational language, the same sense to siitln, 60, and
mieh, 100. I have already observed, in an earlier writing \_Zwei Sprachergldchende Ab-
handlungen (Two lectures upon the Analogy of Languages), Berlin, 1836, pp. 104, 139],
that of all the Semitic numerical words, arba, 4, is the sole one which has no connexion
whatever with the Indo-Germanic, and seems rather to be derived from rab} 31, ‘ much,’
rlJIN, * the locust.’ '-f This would account for its undetermined use.’(544)
The historical spuriousness of the numeral 40, in its application to human chronology,
may be illustrated by another example out of many. It is said, “ Israel walked 40 years in
the wilderness,” (545) after the Exode. On which Cahen: —■
“ it is probable that this itinerary contains but the principal stations: they are in
number 42. In the first year they count 14 stations; in the last, or 40th, they count 8
stations; thus the 20 other stations occupied 38 years (Jar’M, in the name of Moses the
preacher). According to the ingenious remark of St. Jerome, the number 40 seems to be
consecrated to tribulation: the Hebrew people sojourned in Egypt 10 times 40 years;
Moses, Elias, and Jesus, fasted 40 days; the Hebrew people remained 40 years in the
desert; the prophet Ezekiel lay for 40 days on his right side. This accordance shows us
that Goethe had some reasons for conjecturing that the 40 years in the desert might very
well possess no historical certitude.” (546)
Again— “ Thus, during these 40 years, notwithstanding the miserable life which
the Israelites had led in the desert, maugre the plagues, the maladies, and the wars, there
was but a diminution of 1820 Israelites and an augmentation of [ju st!] 1000 Levites.
Such results exist not within the domain of natural things, and consequently possess
nothing historical.” . . . “ Savage tribes sing of their petty quarrels, their conquests and
their disasters, upon the lofty tone of, and even loftier tone than, the greatest nations.
Thus the septs along the river Jordan had their poets, their national ballads; these songs,
there, as everywhere else, have preceded history. We have just read extracts from these
productions, perhaps the most ancient that have reached us. It is probable that to them
were afterwards added some events of a date much later than the political existence of
Moabites, Edomites, &c.” (547)
Finally, speaking of the “ 40 years ” in the Sinaic desert, Cahen observes: — -
“ One finds in the Pentateuch only those events that occurred during the first two and
the last or fortieth year. The history of the intermediary 37 years is totally unknown
to us.” (548)
All theological conjectures about this unhistoric interval are merely conjectures theological;
because the Jews used the expression “ forty,” as we do “ a hundred,” for a vague
number of anything uncounted. To Lepsius’s numerous illustrations of the utter impossibility
that uneducated nations or individuals can possess any clear ideas about dates for
circumstances that may have happened during their respective lifetimes, we might add two
parallels—the first (or Oriental) is that, in Egypt, if you ask an intelligent but illiterate
(544) Lepsius: Chrondlogie der JEgypter: i. pp. 15,16, note.
(546) Josh. v. 6.
(546) Ca h e n : iv. p. 158; note on Numb, xxiii. 1.
(547) Ca h e n : Op. cit.; p. 134; note on the two censuses'in the Desert: and p. 124, on B ilam and B a la k .
(548) Op. cit.; p. 96.