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discussion of the subject; remorselessly rejects the

universality doctrine。 Even that staunch opponent of scientific

rationalismmay I say rationality?Zockler flinches from a

distinct defence of the thesis; any opposition to which; well

within my recollection; was howled down by the orthodox as mere

〃infidelity。〃 All that; in his sore straits; Dr。 Zockler is able

to do; is to pronounce a faint commendation upon a particularly

absurd attempt at reconciliation; which would make out the

Noachian Deluge to be a catastrophe which occurred at the end of

the Glacial Epoch。 This hypothesis involves only the trifle of a

physical revolution of which geology knows nothing; and which;

if it secured the accuracy of the Pentateuchal writer about the

fact of the Deluge; would leave the details of his account as

irreconcilable with the truths of elementary physical science as

ever。 Thus I may be permitted to spare myself and my readers the

weariness of a recapitulation of the overwhelming arguments

against the universality of the Deluge; which they will now find

for themselves stated; as fully and forcibly as could be wished;

by Anglican and other theologians; whose orthodoxy and

conservative tendencies have; hitherto; been above suspicion。

Yet many fully admit (and; indeed; nothing can be plainer) that;

as a matter of fact; the whole earth known to him was inundated;

nor is it less obvious that unless all mankind; with the

exception of Noah and his family; were actually destroyed; the

references to the Flood in the New Testament are unintelligible。



But I am quite aware that the strength of the demonstration that

no universal Deluge ever took place has produced a change of

front in the army of apologetic writers。 They have imagined that

the substitution of the adjective 〃partial〃 for 〃universal;〃

will save the credit of the Pentateuch; and permit them; after

all; without too many blushes; to declare that the progress of

modern science only strengthens the authority of Moses。

Nowhere have I found the case of the advocates of this method of

escaping from the difficulties of the actual position better put

than in the lecture of Professor Diestel to which I have

referred。 After frankly admitting that the old doctrine of

universality involves physical impossibilities; he continues:





All these difficulties fall away as soon as we give up the

universality of the Deluge; and imagine a partial

flooding of the earth; say in western Asia。 But have we a right

to do so? The narrative speaks of 〃the whole earth。〃 But what is

the meaning of this expression? Surely not the whole surface of

the earth according to the ideas of modern geographers;

but; at most; according to the conceptions of the Biblical

author。 This very simple conclusion; however; is never drawn by

too many readers of the Bible。 But one need only cast one's eyes

over the tenth chapter of Genesis in order to become acquainted

with the geographical horizon of the Jews。 In the north it was

bounded by the Black Sea and the mountains of Armenia;

extended towards the east very little beyond the Tigris;

hardly reached the apex of the Persian Gulf; passed; then;

through the middle of Arabia and the Red Sea; went southward

through Abyssinia; and then turned westward by the frontiers of

Egypt; and inclosed the easternmost islands of the

Mediterranean (p。 11)。





The justice of this observation must be admitted; no less than

the further remark that; in still earlier times; the pastoral

Hebrews very probably had yet more restricted notions of what

constituted the 〃whole earth。〃 Moreover; I; for one; fully agree

with Professor Diestel that the motive; or generative incident;

of the whole story is to be sought in the occasionally excessive

and desolating floods of the Euphrates and the Tigris。



Let us; provisionally; accept the theory of a partial deluge;

and try to form a clear mental picture of the occurrence。 Let us

suppose that; for forty days and forty nights; such a vast

quantity of water was poured upon the ground that the whole

surface of Mesopotamia was covered by water to a depth certainly

greater; probably much greater; than fifteen cubits; or twenty

feet (Gen。 vii。 20)。 The inundation prevails upon the earth for

one hundred and fifty days and then the flood gradually

decreases; until; on the seventeenth day of the seventh month;

the ark; which had previously floated on its surface; grounds

upon the 〃mountains of Ararat〃 (Gen。 viii。 34)。 Then; as

Diestel has acutely pointed out (〃Sintflut;〃 p。 13); we are to

imagine the further subsidence of the flood to take place so

gradually that it was not until nearly two months and a half

after this time (that is to say; on the first day of the tenth

month) that the 〃tops of the mountains〃 became visible。 Hence it

follows that; if the ark drew even as much as twenty feet of

water; the level of the inundation fell very slowlyat a rate

of only a few inches a dayuntil the top of the mountain on

which it rested became visible。 This is an amount of movement

which; if it took place in the sea; would be overlooked by

ordinary people on the shore。 But the Mesopotamian plain slopes

gently; from an elevation of 500 or 600 feet at its northern

end; to the sea; at its southern end; with hardly so much as a

notable ridge to break its uniform flatness; for 300 to 400

miles。 These being the conditions of the case; the following

inquiry naturally presents itself: not; be it observed; as a

recondite problem; generated by modern speculation; but as a

plain suggestion flowing out of that very ordinary and archaic

piece of knowledge that water cannot be piled up like in a heap;

like sand; or that it seeks the lowest level。 When; after 150

days; 〃the fountains also of the deep and the windows of heaven

were stopped; and the rain from heaven was restrained〃 (Gen。

viii。2); what prevented the mass of water; several; possibly

very many; fathoms deep; which covered; say; the present site of

Bagdad; from sweeping seaward in a furious torrent; and; in a

very few hours; leaving; not only the 〃tops of the mountains;〃

but the whole plain; save any minor depressions; bare? How could

its subsistence; by any possibility; be an affair of weeks

and months?



And if this difficulty is not enough; let any one try to imagine

how a mass of water several perhaps very many; fathoms deep;

could be accumulated on a flat surface of land rising well above

the sea; and separated from it by no sort of barrier。

Most people know Lord's Cricket…ground。 Would it not be an

absurd contradiction to our common knowledge of the properties

of water to imagine that; if all the mains of all the waterworks

of London were turned on to it; they could maintain a heap of

water twenty feet deep over its level surface? Is it not obvious

that the water; whatever momentary accumulation might take place

at first; would not stop there; but that it would dash; like a

mighty mill…race; southwards down the gentle slope which ends in

the Thames? And is it not further obvious; that whatever depth

of water might be maintained over the cricket…ground so long as

all the mains poured on to it; anything which floated there

would be speedily whirled away by the current; like a cork in a

gutter when the rain pours? But if this is so; then it is no

less certain that Noah's deeply laden; sailless; oarless; and

rudderless craft; if by good fortune it escaped capsizing in

whirlpools; or having its bottom knocked into holes by snags

(like those which prove fatal even to well…built steamers on the

Mississippi in our day); would have speedily found itself a good

way down the Persian Gulf; and not long after in the Indian

Ocean; somewhere between Arabia and Hindostan。 Even if;

eventually; the ark might have gone ashore; with other jetsam

and flotsam; on the coasts of Arabia; or of Hindostan; or of the

Maldives; or of Madagascar; its return to the 〃mountains of

Ararat〃 would have been a miracle more stupendous than all

the rest。



Thus; the last state of the would…be reconcilers of the story of

the Deluge with fact is worse than the first。 All that they have

done is to transfer the contradictions to established truth from

the region of science proper to that of common information and

common sense。 For; really; the assertion that the surface of a

body of deep water; to which no addition was made; and which

there was nothing to stop from running into the sea; sank at the

rate of only a few inches or even feet a day; simply outrages

the most ordinary and familiar teachings of every man's daily

experience。 A child may see the folly of it。



In addition; I may remark that the necessary assumption of the

〃partial Deluge〃 hypothesis (if it is confined to Mesopotamia)

that the Hebrew writer must have meant low hills when he said

〃high mountains;〃 is quite untenable。 On the east

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