mr. gladstone and genesis-第2章

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creepeth　upon　the　ground。〃



Mr。　Gladstone　speaks　of　the　author　of　the　first　chapter　of

Genesis　as　〃the　Mosaic　writer〃；　I　suppose；　therefore；　that　he

will　admit　that　it　is　equally　proper　to　speak　of　the　author　of

Leviticus　as　the　〃Mosaic　writer。〃　Whether　such　a　phrase　would　be

used　by　any　one　who　had　an　adequate　conception　of　the　assured

results　of　modern　Biblical　criticism　is　another　matter；　but；　at

any　rate；　it　cannot　be　denied　that　Leviticus　has　as　much　claim

to　Mosaic　authorship　as　Genesis。　Therefore；　if　one　wants　to　know

the　sense　of　a　phrase　used　in　Genesis；　it　will　be　well　to　see

what　Leviticus　has　to　say　on　the　matter。　Hence；　I　commend　the

following　extract　from　the　eleventh　chapter　of　Leviticus　to　Mr。

Gladstone's　serious　attention：





And　these　are　they　which　are　unclean　unto　you　among　the　creeping

things　that　creep　upon　the　earth：　the　weasel；　and　the　mouse；　and

the　great　lizard　after　its　kind；　and　the　gecko；　and　the　land

crocodile；　and　the　sand…lizard；　and　the　chameleon。　These　are

they　which　are　unclean　to　you　among　all　that　creep　（v。　29…3l）。





The　merest　Sunday…school　exegesis　therefore　suffices　to　prove

that　when　the　〃Mosaic　writer〃　in　Genesis　i。　24　speaks　of

〃creeping　things；〃　he　means　to　include　lizards　among　them。



This　being　so；　it　is　agreed；　on　all　hands；　that　terrestrial

lizards；　and　other　reptiles　allied　to　lizards；　occur　in　the

Permian　strata。　It　is　further　agreed　that　the　Triassic　strata

were　deposited　after　these。　Moreover；　it　is　well　known　that；

even　if　certain　footprints　are　to　be　taken　as　unquestionable

evidence　of　the　existence　of　birds；　they　are　not　known　to　occur

in　rocks　earlier　than　the　Trias；　while　indubitable　remains　of

birds　are　to　be　met　with　only　much　later。　Hence　it　follows　that

natural　science　does　not　〃affirm〃　the　statement　that　birds　were

made　on　the　fifth　day；　and　〃everything　that　creepeth　on　the

ground〃　on　the　sixth；　on　which　Mr。　Gladstone　rests　his　order；

for；　as　is　shown　by　Leviticus；　the　〃Mosaic　writer〃　includes

lizards　among　his　〃creeping　things。〃



Perhaps　I　have　given　myself　superfluous　trouble　in　the　preceding

argument；　for　I　find　that　Mr。　Gladstone　is　willing　to　assume　（he

does　not　say　to　admit）　that　the　statement　in　the　text　of　Genesis

as　to　reptiles　cannot　〃in　all　points　be　sustained〃　（p。　16）。　But

my　position　is　that　it　cannot　be　sustained　in　any　point；　so

that；　after　all；　it　has　perhaps　been　as　well　to　go　over　the

evidence　again。　And　then　Mr。　Gladstone　proceeds　as　if　nothing

had　happened　to　tell　us　that





There　remain　great　unshaken　facts　to　be　weighed。　First；　the　fact

that　such　a　record　should　have　been　made　at　all。





As　most　peoples　have　their　cosmogonies；　this　〃fact〃　does　not

strike　me　as　having　much　value。





Secondly；　the　fact　that；　instead　of　dwelling　in　generalities；　it

has　placed　itself　under　the　severe　conditions　of　a　chronological

order　reaching　from　the　first　nisus　of　chaotic　matter　to

the　consummated　production　of　a　fair　and　goodly；　a　furnished　and

a　peopled　world。





This　〃fact〃　can　be　regarded　as　of　value　only　by　ignoring　the

fact　demonstrated　in　my　previous　paper；　that　natural　science

does　not　confirm　the　order　asserted　so　far　as　living　things　are

concerned；　and　by　upsetting　a　fact　to　be　brought　to　light

presently；　to　wit；　that；　in　regard　to　the　rest　of　the

pentateuchal　cosmogony；　prudent　science　has　very　little　to　say

one　way　or　the　other。





Thirdly；　the　fact　that　its　cosmogony　seems；　in　the　light　of　the

nineteenth　century；　to　draw　more　and　more　of　countenance　from

the　best　natural　philosophy。





I　have　already　questioned　the　accuracy　of　this　statement；　and　I

do　not　observe　that　mere　repetition　adds　to　its　value。





And；　fourthly；　that　it　has　described　the　successive　origins　of

the　five　great　categories　of　present　life　with　which　human

experience　was　and　is　conversant；　in　that　order　which　geological

authority　confirms。





By　comparison　with　a　sentence　on　page　14；　in　which　a　fivefold

order　is　substituted　for　the　〃fourfold　order；〃　on　which　the

〃plea　for　revelation〃　was　originally　founded；　it　appears　that

these　five　categories　are　〃plants；　fishes；　birds；　mammals；　and

man；〃　which；　Mr。　Gladstone　affirms；　〃are　given　to　us　in　Genesis

in　the　order　of　succession　in　which　they　are　also　given　by　the

latest　geological　authorities。〃



I　must　venture　to　demur　to　this　statement。　I　showed；　in　my

previous　paper；　that　there　is　no　reason　to　doubt　that　the　term

〃great　sea　monster〃　（used　in　Gen。　i。　21）　includes　the　most

conspicuous　of　great　sea　animalsnamely；　whales；　dolphins；

porpoises；　manatees；　and　dugongs；　and；　as　these　are

indubitable　mammals；　it　is　impossible　to　affirm　that　mammals

come　after　birds；　which　are　said　to　have　been　created　on　the

same　day。　Moreover；　I　pointed　out　that　as　these　Cetacea　and

Sirenia　are　certainly　modified　land　animals；　their　existence

implies　the　antecedent　existence　of　land　mammals。



Furthermore；　I　have　to　remark　that　the　term　〃fishes；〃　as　used；

technically；　in　zoology；　by　no　means　covers　all　the　moving

creatures　that　have　life；　which　are　bidden　to　〃fill　the　waters

in　the　seas〃　（Gen。　i。　20…22。）　Marine　mollusks　and　crustacea；

echinoderms；　corals；　and　foraminifera　are　not　technically

fishes。　But　they　are　abundant　in　the　palaeozoic　rocks；　ages　upon

ages　older　than　those　in　which　the　first　evidences　of　true

fishes　appear。　And　if；　in　a　geological　book；　Mr。　Gladstone　finds

the　quite　true　statement　that　plants　appeared　before　fishes；　it

is　only　by　a　complete　misunderstanding　that　he　can　be　led　to

imagine　it　serves　his　purpose。　As　a　matter　of　fact；　at　the

present　moment；　it　is　a　question　whether；　on　the　bare　evidence

afforded　by　fossils；　the　marine　creeping　thing　or　the　marine

plant　has　the　seniority。　No　cautious　palaeontologist　would

express　a　decided　opinion　on　the　matter。　But；　if　we　are　to　read

the　pentateuchal　statement　as　a　scientific　document　（and；　in

spite　of　all　protests　to　the　contrary；　those　who　bring　it　into

comparison　with　science　do　seek　to　make　a　scientific　document　of

it）；　then；　as　it　is　quite　clear　that　only　terrestrial　plants　of

high　organisation　are　spoken　of　in　verses　11　and　12；　no

palaeontologist　would　hesitate　to　say　that；　at　present；　the

records　of　sea　animal　life　are　vastly　older　than　those　of　any

land　plant　describable　as　〃grass；　herb　yielding　seed　or

fruit　tree。〃



Thus；　although；　in　Mr。　Gladstone's　〃Defence；〃　the　〃old　order

passeth　into　new；〃　his　case　is　not　improved。　The　fivefold　order

is　no　more　〃affirmed　in　our　time　by　natural　science〃　to　be　〃a

demonstrated　conclusion　and　established　fact〃　than　the　fourfold

order　was。　Natural　science　appears　to　me　to　decline　to　have

anything　to　do　with　either；　they　are　as　wrong　in　detail　as　they

are　mistaken　in　principle。



There　is　another　change　of　position；　the　value　of　which　is　not

so　apparent　to　me；　as　it　may　well　seem　to　be　to　those　who　are

unfamiliar　with　the　subject　under　discussion。　Mr。　Gladstone

discards　his　three　groups　of　〃water…population；〃　〃air…

population；〃　and　〃land…population；〃　and　substitutes　for　them

（1）　fishes；　（2）　birds；　（3）　mammals；　（4）　man。　Moreover；　it　is

assumed；　in　a　note；　that　〃the　higher　or　ordinary　mammals〃　alone

were　known　to　the　〃Mosaic　writer〃　（p。　6）。　No　doubt　it　looks；　at

first；　as　if　something　were　gained　by　this　alteration；　for；　as　I

have　just　pointed　out；　the　word　〃fishes〃　can　be　used　in　two

senses；　one　of　which　has　a　deceptive　appearance　of　adjustability

to　the　〃Mosaic〃　account。　Then　the　inconvenient　reptiles　are

banished　out　of　sight；　and；　finally；　the　question　of　the　exact

meaning　of　〃higher〃　and　〃ordinary〃　in　the　case　of　mammals　opens

up　the　prospect　of　a　hopeful　logomachy。　But　what　is　the　good　of

it　all　in　the　face　of　Leviticus　on　the　one　hand　and　of

palaeontology　on　the　other？



As；　in　my　apprehension；　t