CHAPTER II.—EXTENT OF THE SECOND AGE OF THE WORLD.

1. Discrepancies of the three texts—Unfounded hypothesis of Usher—Agreement of Josephus with the Septuagint—Authority of this Version in the Church—Its chronology confirmed by the most authentic Chinese annals—Reasons why the Jews altered the Hebrew text 28

2. Tables of the Discrepancies of the three texts with regard to the Postdiluvian Patriarchs: Table IV. In their Antepaidogonian ages—Table V. In their Postpaidogonian ages—Table VI. In their whole lives 31

3. Authenticity of the _Second Cainan_—Dilemma of the Venerable Bede—Mistake of Mr. Clinton and Mr. Horne—Usher’s Dissertation—Inconsistency of authorized translations of the Bible—Rashness of Beza—The Second Cainan in the most ancient Codices—Mistake of Bede, Hales, and other chronographers 34

4. Internal evidence afforded by the Tables in favour of the computation of the Septuagint—Omissions in the Hebrew and Septuagint retained in the Samaritan—Accordance of the Septuagint with nature and providence—Mr. Cuninghame’s argument from analogy—The alterations of Origen in the text of the Septuagint 41

5. Mistake of Usher, adopted by Hales and Clinton, as to the Antepaidogonian age of Terah—Mr. Cuninghame’s arguments unanswerable—His proof of the chronology of the Seventy from the discovery of its Cyclical character—Testimony of Eusebius to the true date of Abraham’s birth—Table VII. Extent of the _first two ages_ of the world 45