Page:The Deluge in Other Literatures and History.djvu/10

 sentence, every new story throughout the Books of the Pentateuch. Nay more, the same which characterizes every story in the Books of Samuel and Kings.

What now is the purpose which was intended by the priest ? The priestly writer has told us (1) of the orderly and systematic origin of the earth and sky, created in six days, a creation including as its crowning feature the covenant with Adam by which all things created were made subject to him, and also the institution of the sabbath, the greatest of all divine institutions; (2) of the symmetrical progress of the world's history from Adam to Noah — ten patriarchs living so many years, begetting each a son living so many more years, begetting sons and daughters and dying — chronological, statistical, minute, accurate, definite, stereotyped, characterized by a single idea; (3) he now makes a note, repetitious and redundant, of man's wickedness and of God's determination to destroy; (4) then follows a description, equally as repetitious and minute, strangely statistical and definite, of the deluge through which the destruction is to be wrought. The exact size of the ark, the exact statement of its contents, the 600th year, 15 cubits above the highest mountain the waters prevail; exactly 150 days the waters increase. In the 601st year, first month, first day, the water subsides, the deluge has lasted just 365 days. These numbers are ideal. No man knew the duration. There were scores of opinions and traditions. To one of mathematical frame of mind, what could seem better than to represent it as a year ? The creation had been put in the form of a week; the deluge is given the form of a year. The creation stories led up to the institution of the Sabbath; the deluge story leads up to the institution, the command respecting the shedding of blood. The creation included a covenant with Adam; the deluge story includes a covenant with Noah in largely the same language, appointing or reappointing him lord over all the earth and authorizing him to eat flesh. The covenant assures him that there shall not be another deluge. This covenant is the goal, the purpose of the priest. He has reached the second of the three preliminary stages of his work preparatory to the recording of the legislation as given to Moses