The Irish Ecclesiastical Record, Volume 1, August 1865

by Unknown

We shall presently see that these examples are by no means what Dr. Colenso would represent them to be, and that so far from proving his theory to be true, they prove it to be false. But first we would direct attention to the character of the argument, which seems to us, from its very nature, unsound. According to the Mosaic narrative, there were about 2,000,000 of Israelites at the time of the exodus. If we allow ten to each family, there must have been about 100,000 families. Here, then, is the argument:—In eleven families out of 100,000, there were just four generations during the sojourn in Egypt; therefore there must have been four generations, neither more nor less, in the remaining 99,989 families. Our author would have us suppose that during a period of 215 years, there must have been exactly the same number of generations in every family. He does not explicitly say this; much less does he attempt to prove it; he silently assumes it.

Now it is scarcely necessary to observe that such a supposition is in the highest degree improbable. It cannot be true, unless the members of each family married at the same age as the members of every other family, and unless this uniformity was continued from generation to generation for upwards of two centuries. This, however, would be contrary to what we know of the family of Abraham before the sojourn in Egypt; it would be contrary to what we know of the people of Israel after the sojourn in Egypt; it would be contrary to the testimony of all genealogical record; it would be contrary to what we see every day with our own eyes. One man has children born to him at the age of twenty; another, at the age of forty; another, at the age of sixty. The children of the last might easily be contemporaries with the grand-children of the second, and with the great-grand-children of the first. Thus, in the short period of sixty years, there might be, in one family, three descents from father to son, in another two, in another only one. This is, perhaps, an extreme case; but it shows at least how far the disparity may be extended, without exceeding the bounds of possibility. The present Emperor of the French had reached the age of forty-eight, when the Prince Imperial was born: whereas her Majesty Queen Victoria became a grandmother at forty-one. Thus, in the royal family of England we find two descents in forty-one years; in the imperial line of France only one descent in forty-eight years. It is, therefore, quite preposterous to take for granted that, in all the families of a whole nation, the number of descents were exactly the same during a period of 215 years.

But this assumption is especially inadmissible, when we consider the peculiar circumstances of the case before us. The first generation, according to Dr. Colenso, was composed of the fifty-one grandsons of Jacob. They were already grown up, and some of them even had children when they came into Egypt. Therefore the whole of the first generation was already in existence, and the second had begun to be born some years, let us say three, before the descent. If we add the 215 years of sojourn in Egypt, we shall have 218 years from the beginning of the second generation to the Exodus. Now, according to Dr. Colenso, all those who were twenty years of age at the Exodus, belonged to the fourth generation. Therefore the fourth generation was not complete until twenty years before that time, or 198 years after the second had begun. Consequently, only three generations, the second, third, and fourth, came into existence during a period of 198 years. In other words, the length of each generation, according to Dr. Colenso's calculation, was sixty-six years. Hence it follows, that we cannot accept his argument, unless we are prepared to take for granted that all the males in all the Hebrew families were without issue until they had reached the age of sixty-six.

Let us now look into the examples of Dr. Colenso in detail. It is important to ascertain what generation is to be reckoned as the first. In his argument he allows but fifty-one males to the first generation; "supposing now the fifty-one males of the first generation" (p. 105). Since Jacob had fifty-one grandsons living at the time of the descent into Egypt, it follows that the first generation, according to the argument, was composed of the grandsons of Jacob, and of them alone. That this is the position assumed by Dr. Colenso, is also evident from another passage, where, replying to his opponents, he asserts: "The Scripture states that there were 600,000 warriors in the fourth generation from Jacob's sons" (p. 119). It is true that, when proving his theory of "the Exodus in the fourth generation", Dr. Colenso counts indifferently from "the sons or adult grandsons of Jacob, who went down with him into Egypt" (p. 96), just as it suits his purpose. But, when he employs this conclusion to demonstrate that the number of the population at the time of the Exodus was impossible, he assumes that there were only four generations from the sons of Jacob.

If we now turn to the examples adduced by the same author, we shall find that seven are counted from the sons of Jacob; namely, from Levi and Reuben; three from the grandsons of Jacob; namely, from Zarah[12] and Pharez; and lastly one, Bezaleel, in order to be brought back to the fourth generation, must be counted from Hezron, the great grandson of Jacob; consequently, upon the bishop's own showing, out of his eleven examples only seven prove for the fourth generation, three prove for the fifth, and one proves for the sixth. What must we think, then, when he afterwards quietly assures us, "the scripture states that there were 600,000 warriors in the fourth generation from Jacob's sons"? We are at least justified in saying that the examples adduced, not only fail to prove that his assertion is true, but demonstrate that it is false.

There is another point on which these examples fail. It is plain that to ascertain the number of generations between the Descent and the Exodus, we must not only commence to reckon from the first, but we must end with the last. The last generation must include all those who had reached the age of 20 at the time of the Exodus. And it is necessary for Dr. Colenso to prove that this last generation is counted in the examples he lays before us. On this point, however, he is silent. When he comes to the fourth generation he stops short, and leaves his readers to infer that it must be the last in point of fact, because it is the last on his list. Let us see if this assumption derives any probability from scriptural facts. At the time of the exodus Moses was 80, Aaron, 83. Mishael, Elzaphan, and Korah were their first cousins. It is, therefore, not improbable that they were as old, or even older. These are the first five names we find on the list of Dr. Colenso; and they belonged to the third generation. Their grand-children, therefore, would belong to the fifth. Is it improbable that among five men of 80, some had grand-children who had attained the age of 20?

Again, Nahshon was in the fifth generation, counting from the sons of Jacob: Judah, Pharez, Hezron, Ram, Amminadab, Nahshon (Ruth, iv. 18-20.) His sister was the wife of Aaron. Since his brother-in-law was therefore 83, it is not unreasonable to suppose that he himself may have been at least 60; if so, his sons might surely have been numbered among the 600,000 men of 20 years old and upward. This would give us six generations in the family of Nahshon. And yet, strange to tell, this very family is adduced by our author to prove his theory of "the Exodus in the fourth generation." Lastly, we would invite attention to the family of Joseph. He saw the children of his son Ephraim to the third generation (Gen., l. 23). Therefore, the fourth generation in that line had commenced before Joseph's death. But this is an event of which we can fix the date with accuracy. When Jacob settled in Egypt, Joseph was about 39, and he lived to the age of 110. His death, therefore, must have occurred about 71 years after the Descent. Consequently, at that time the posterity of Joseph had already reached the fourth generation. One hundred and forty-four years yet remained before the Exodus. Surely during that period there was abundance of time for at least four generations more of the same average length.

It was our intention to analyze the argument of Dr. Colenso more fully by a critical examination of the genealogies from which his examples are derived. But we fear that we have already overtaxed the patience of our readers, and we are sure they will pardon us if we forbear to enter into the complicated details which such an inquiry would involve. We cannot, however, dismiss the subject without one general observation. It is assumed by Dr. Colenso that there are exactly the same number of descents in each family as there are links in the genealogy of that family as it is recorded in the pages of Scripture. This would indeed be true if he could prove that every link in the chain of descent is preserved in the Scriptural genealogies. But it is well known to all Biblical scholars that such was not the usage among the Hebrew people. Every one is familiar with the genealogy of our Lord in the first chapter of St. Matthew's gospel. Three links are manifestly omitted in the eighth verse, between Joram and Ozias—namely, Ochozias, Joaz, and Amasias. We cannot suppose that St. Matthew, himself a Jew, could have been in error about the genealogy of the house of David. Much less can we suppose that he would have attempted, on this point, to deceive the Jews, for whom he wrote his gospel. Above all, it is plain, that if he had fallen into such an error; it would have been at once discovered and have been proclaimed to the world by the enemies of the Christian religion. We must infer, therefore, that it was perfectly conformable to the usage of the Jewish nation to say, "Joram begot Ozias", although in point of fact three generations had intervened between them. Now, Dr. Colenso must admit that his examples will prove absolutely nothing, if omissions of this kind were made in the genealogies from which they are taken. We do not assert that such was the case; but we challenge him to prove that it was not.

Take, for example, the text: "And the sons of Pallu, Eliab" (Num., xxvi. 8). Can he show that no intervening links are omitted between these two names? He will find, on a close examination of the Pentateuch, from which he professes to derive his data, that Pallu must have been over 110 years of age when Eliab was born. It is, therefore, most likely that there were two or perhaps three links omitted in this genealogy between Pallu and Eliab. If so, we should add two or three generations in the examples which Dr. Colenso has adduced from the family of Pallu. He cannot argue that Pallu was the immediate father of Eliab, because it is said that Eliab was the son of Pallu: for do we not also read: "The Book of the generation of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham"? (Matth., i. 1).

II. Dr. Colenso next assumes that the 600,000 men of the exodus were all descendants of Jacob. We contend, as a far more probable opinion, that amongst them were counted, not only the descendants of Jacob himself, but also the descendants of his servants. If we take up the book of Genesis, and glance through the brief history of the Patriarchs, we shall find abundant reason to believe that, when Jacob was invited by Joseph to come down into Egypt, he must have had a goodly retinue of servants. His grandfather, Abraham, had been able to lead forth an army of 318 servants "born in his house" (Gen., xiv. 14). It is not unreasonable to suppose that, according to the custom of those times, he had other servants not born in his house, but "bought with money".[13] At all events the number was considerably increased by a present from Abimeleck, who "took sheep, and oxen, and men-servants, and women-servants, and gave them unto Abraham" (Gen., xx. 14). Upon his death this immense household passed into the possession of his Son Isaac; for "Abraham gave all that he had to Isaac" (Gen., xxv. 5). Isaac, too, we are told, "increased, and went on increasing, until he became very great; and he had possessions of flocks, and possessions of herds, and a numerous household; and the Philistines envied him" (Gen., xxvi. 13, 14). As to Jacob himself, he was sent by Isaac to Padan-Aram, where he served his father-in-law Laban for twenty years. While there, it is said, he "increased exceedingly, and had many flocks, and women-servants, and men-servants, and camels, and asses" (Gen., xxx. 43). All these he took with him when he set out from Padan-Aram to return to Canaan (Gen., xxxi. 18; xxiii. 5, 7). In addition to this large retinue, Jacob must also have inherited, in virtue of his birthright, a double portion (Deut., xxi. 17) of the household which his father had accumulated. Thus, it seems clear that, within ten years[14] of the Descent into Egypt, the number of servants who looked up to Jacob as their head and master, must have been very large indeed.