The history of the world

§. VI. That the naming of ABRAHAM first of the three brethren, Gen. 11. v. 26. doth not proue that hee was the eldest: together with diuers reasons proouing that ABRAHAM was not the eldest sonne of TERAH.

TO the maine obiection which I answere last, because it seemeth of most strength, by which, those that striue to shorten the times, ende∣uour to proue that Abraham was the eldest sonne of Terah, and borne [unspec 20] in the 70. yeere of Terahs life: grounding themselues first and chiefly on this place of the Scripture, And TERAH liued 70. yeeres and begat ABRAHAM, NAHOR, and HARAN: To this I say, that although Abraham in this* 1.1 verse be first named, yet the same is no proofe at all that he was the eldest & first born sonne of Terah. For it is no necessary consequence, that the first named in Scrip∣tures was therefore eldest in bloud and birth, neither doth it appeare, that it plea∣sed God to make especiall choice of the first sonnes in nature and time: for Seth was not the first borne of Adam; nor Isaac of Abraham; nor Iacob of Isaac; nor Iuda and Ioseph of Iacob: nor Dauid the eldest of Iesse; nor Salomon of Dauid: as is formerly re∣membred. [unspec 30]

But it is written of NOAH; NOAH was 500. yeres old, and NOAH begat SHEM, HAM, and IAPHET: shewing that at the 500. yeere of his age he began to beget the first of those three sonnes. For according to S. Augustine, speaking generally, Nec 〈◊〉〈◊〉* 1.2 est in his ordo natiuitatis, sed significatio futurae dignitatis: in qua excelluit ABRAHAM. The order of natiuitie is not here to be respected, but the signification of the future dignitie: in which ABRAHAM was preferred. And therefore, as in the order of the sonnes of Noah: so is it here; where it is said, that TERAH liued 70. yeeres, and begat ABRAHAM, NAHOR, and HARAN: For it was late ere Terah began to beget Sonnes, him∣selfe being begotten by his Father Nachor at 29. as other his Ancestors were at 30. The like also happened to Noah: for whereas Adam begat Seth at 130; Enosh [unspec 40] Kenan at 90; Kenan Mahalaleel at 70; Mahalaleel Iered at 60: Noah was yet 500. yeeres old when he began to beget the first of his three sonnes, as aforesaid. And S. Augu∣stine in the place before cited, rather inclineth to the opinion that Abraham was the yongest of Terahs sonnes, then otherwise: though for his excellencie he was wor∣thily named first. His owne words are these: Fieri enim potuit vt posterior sit gene∣ratus ABRAHAM: sed merito excellentiae, qua in Scriptur is valdè commendatur, prior fu∣erit nominatus. It might be, saith he, that ABRAHAM was begotten later: but was first na∣med in regard of his excellencie, for which in Scripture he is much commended. So as the naming first or last proueth nothing who was first or last borne: either in those is∣sues of Noah, or in these of Terah: Neither hath God any respect of the eldest in na∣ture, [unspec 50] as touching his election or spirituall blessing, for Moses nameth first the chil∣dren of the promise, and the eldest and first in Gods fauour. Pietas ergò vel ipsa po∣tiùs electio diuina, quae 〈◊〉〈◊〉 secum trahit pietatem, & Dei timorem, prim as partes dat SEMO in liberis NOA, & ABRAHAMO in liber is Thare. Pietie, saith he, or rather diuine

election, which doth euermore draw with it or after it pietie and the feare of God, gaue place and precedencie to SEM among the children of NOAH, and to ABRAHAM among those of Thare.

For the rest it is manifest, that Abraham entred Canaan in the 75. yeere of his age. And it was in Canaan that Hagar bare him Ismael, when Abraham had liued 86. yeeres.* 1.3 It was at Gerar (the South border of Canaan) that Sarah bare Isaac, when Abraham* 1.4 had consumed 100. yeeres. It was from the valley of Mamre in Canaan that Abra∣ham rose out, when he rescued Lot and ouerthrew Amraphel: and he had then but the age of 83. yeeres: and it is as manifest that he parted from Haran after his Father* 1.5 Terah was dead. But if Terah begat Abraham at 70. yeere old, then must Abraham [unspec 10] haue beene 135. yeeres when hee first set his foote in Canaan: seeing Terah must bee dead ere he parted, and so 70. added to 135. made 205, the true age of Terah, which is contrary to all those places of Scripture before remembred. For hee entred at 75: hee rescued Lot at 83: hee had Ismael at 86: hee had Isaac at 100. proued by the former places.

Moreouer, if Abraham were the eldest sonne of Terah, and borne in the 70. yeere of his age: then had Terah liued till Isaac had beene 35. yeeres old, and Ismael, 49. both which must then haue been borne in Mesopotamia, and therein fostered to that age: vnlesse we should either denie credit to S. Stephen, who saith that Abraham departed from Mesopotamia after his Fathers death: or else giue credit to the inter∣pretation [unspec 20] of Daniel Angelocrator, who in his Chronologia antoptica, saith it was about his Fathers death: because the Greeke word, 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, may bee transported by the Latine sub, aswell as by post: which though elsewhere it may bee, yet cannot it be so in this place. For it were most improperly spoken, to say that those things were done a∣bout Terahs death, which were 60. yeeres before. Wherefore supposing Abraham to haue beene borne in the 70. yeere of Terah; we must giue those times and places of birth to Abrahams children, which no authoritie will warrant; For Abraham had no children in Vr of Chaldea, nor in Haran: nor in 10. yeeres after his arriuall into Ca∣naan. For the yeere of Terahs death, in which Abraham left Haran, was the yeere of the World 2083. and the yeere of Ismaels birth was the Worlds yeere 2094: which [unspec 30] maketh 10. yeeres difference. And that Isaac was borne in Canaan, and was to bee offered vpon the mountaine Moriah therein, 39. miles from Berjabe, where Abraham then inhabited: and that three Angels first of all appeared to Abraham in the valley of Mamre, no man doubteth.

And therefore it cannot be that any of Abrahams sonnes were borne in Mesopota∣mia; nor while Terah liued; nor in lesse then 10. yeeres after Terahs death: and 〈◊〉〈◊〉 consequently was not Abraham the eldest sonne of Terah, nor borne in the 70. yeere of Terahs age.

Thirdly, whereas Abraham came into Canaan at 75: if Terah had 〈◊◊◊〉〈◊◊◊〉 70, then had Terah liued but 145. for 70. and 75. make 145. which must 〈◊◊〉〈◊◊〉* 1.6 [unspec 40] been the full age of Terah: but Terah liued 205. yeere: and therefore was not A∣braham borne in the 70. yeere of Terah.

Fourthly, the ages of Lot and Sarah make it manifest, that Haran was the elder, if not the eldest brother of Abraham; for Sarah or Iscah wanted but 10. yeeres of A∣brahams age: Isaac beeing borne when Abraham was 100. and Sarah 90. yeeres olde.

It followeth then, that if Abraham had beene the elder brother of Haran, Ha∣ran must haue begotten Sarah at 9. yeeres old: for granting that Haran was borne but one yeere after Abraham, and Sarah within 10. yeres as old as Abraham, then of necessitie must Haran beget her, when hee had liued but 9. yeeres; which were too [unspec 50] ridiculous to imagine.

And that Iscah was Sarah, Rab. Solomon affirmeth; both names, saith he, bearing the same signification; and names of principalitie. Againe, to what end was the word Iscah or 〈◊〉〈◊〉 inserted in this place, if Sarah were not meant thereby? for to

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speake of any thing superfluous it is not vsed in Gods Bookes: and if Iscah had not belonged to the story, it had been but an idle name to no purpose remembred.

Now if it had been true (as those of the contrary opinion affirme) that Moses had no respect of Nachor and Haran, who were not withstanding the parents of Bethuel and Rebecca, the mother of Israel, and of Christ: what regard then had Moses of Iscah in this place, were she not Sarah, but otherwise an idle name of whom there is nothing else first or last.

The age also of Lot disproueth the eldership of Abraham: for Lot was called an old man when Abraham was but 83. yeeres: And if Lot were of a greater age than Abraham, and 〈◊〉〈◊〉 were Father to Lot, Sarah, and Milcah, Abraham marrying one [unspec 10] of Harans daughters, and Nahor the other, Sarah also being within ten yeeres as old as 〈◊〉〈◊〉: it may appeare to euery reasonable man (not obstinate and preiudicate) that Haran was the eldest sonne of Terah, and not Abraham: who also died first and before his Father left Vr in Chaldaes. Also Lyra reasoneth against the opinion of A∣brahams eldership, vpon the same place of Genesis: drawing argument from the age of Sarah, who was but 10. yeeres yonger than Abraham himselfe. Lyra his wordes are these: Siigitur HARAN fuit iunior ipso ABRAHAM, sequitur quòd non habebat de∣cem annos quando genuit SARAM: 〈◊◊〉〈◊◊〉 octo, &c. and afterward, & idcò melius vi∣detur dicendum, quòd ABRAHAM fuit vltimò natus de tribus filijs THARE, tamen no∣minatur primò, propter 〈◊〉〈◊〉 dignitatem: & quia ponendus erat caput stirpis & generatio∣nis [unspec 20] sequentis: & quia primò facta est ei 〈◊〉〈◊〉 expressa de CHRISTO, sicut supra dictum est de SEM, &c. If therefore (saith Lyra) HARAN was yonger then ABRAHAM himselfe, it followeth that he was not ten yeeres old when he begat SARAH: And therefore it seemeth better to be said, that ABRAHAM was the last borne of the three sonnes of THARE, neuerthelesse he is named first for his dignitie, both because he was to be ordained head of the stocke and generation following, and because the promise of CHRIST was first made 〈◊〉〈◊〉 him, as before it is said of SEM.

Notes

• * 1.1

  Gen. 11. v 26.
• * 1.2

  Aug. quaest. super Gen. 25.
• * 1.3

  Gen. 12. 4.
• * 1.4

  Gen. 16. 16.
• * 1.5

  Act. 7. 4. & Gen. 14.
• * 1.6

  Gen. 12. 〈◊〉〈◊〉