Page:Historical Works of Venerable Bede vol. 2.djvu/294

 222 their place, and the dry land was made to appear. On the fourth day he placed the stars in the firmament of heaven; and this day, as far as we can conjecture by the Equinox, is now called the twenty-first of March. On the fifth day he made those animals which swim and fly. On the sixth day he made the land-animals and the man Adam, from whose side, whilst he slept, he produced Eve, the mother of all living; and that day, as seems March 23. probable to me, is now called the twenty-third of March. Wherefore it is justly thought, if no more probable conjecture can be made, that Christ was crucified on the same twenty-third of March, as has been written by the blessed Theophilus, in the disputation which he held about Easter, with many other bishops, not only of Palestine, but of other countries also. For thus it would seem fitting, that on the same day, not only of the week, but also of the month, the Second Adam, to redeem the human race, should die that he might rise again, and by the heavenly Sacraments which he produced out of his own side, sanctify to himself his bride, the church; for on this same day he had himself created the first Adam, the parent of the human race, and taking a rib out of his side formed a woman, to assist in propagating the human race.

Adam was 180 years old when he begat Seth, after whose birth he lived 800 years. But the Septuagint translators make it 280 years before Seth's birth, and 500 Seth, means aftcrwards. Seth means resurrection, and typifies the rising of Christ from the dead, whose death at the hands of the Jews is pointed out by Abel; i. e. sorrow, who was slain by his brother Cain.

Seth, at the age of 105 years, begat Enos, and lived afterwards 807 years. The Septuagint makes it 205