CONTENTS.

CHAPTER I.

THE inspired character of the Bible asserted;-Its consequent

authority:-The position maintained, that they who deny its in-

spiration ought nevertheless, upon their own principles, to admit

its historical authority.-Importance of the Bible simply in its

historical character.—The error of allowing heathen authorities

to stand upon an equality with the Bible as records of authentic

history, and to bias the interpretation of the Sacred Volume:—

This error exemplified in the Geography of Sacred History :-

Origin and progress of the prevailing erroneous system of that

Geography;-Its rise among the Jews consequent upon perver-

sions derived from heathen sources;-Examples of these perver-

sions in the positions assigned by them to Babel, Padan Aram,

and Mitzraim (the Egypt of the Translations) :—'
:-This erroneous

system introduced into the Christian world by the Septuagint

translation of the Old Testament;-Its consequences in the pre-

sent day. The system of Geography proposed by the author

founded upon the evidence of Scripture alone:-Its results as

connected with the Geography of Profane History, and with the

consideration of the Primeval History of mankind

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CHAPTER II.

The consideration of the antediluvian world and of the Flood un-

necessary to the subject of the present Work.-Situation of the

mountains of Ararat ;-References in Scripture to the position of

the country of Ararat;-Correctly placed in Armenia.-Critical

examination of the expression from the east'.-The objection to

the situation of Ararat on account of the supposed position of

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Babel considered:-Present state of the neighbourhood of Baby-

lon;-Country formed by the alluvium of the Euphrates and

Tigris;-The Persian Gulf formerly extended further northward;

-Rapid advance of the land;-Proofs from Herodotus, Nearchus,

and Pliny:-Conclusion that Babylon and Babel are not identi-

cal. The sites of the Babel of Nimrod and of the Tower of Babel

also different.-Application of the name of Shinar at different pe-

riods.—Particular locality of the mountains of Ararat considered:

-Objections to Agridagh :-Presumed conduct of Noah after the

Flood;-Opinion expressed as to the interference of the Almighty;

-Conclusion that Noah would act like others under similar cir-

cumstances, and would follow the course of a river:-Armenia

composed of two plains of inclination, those of the Euphrates and

the Araxes;—Ararat necessarily in the former ;-Conclusion as

to the real situation of the mountains of Ararat

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CHAPTER III.

General opinion of antiquity as to the primitive state of man:-

The golden age a poetical fable.-The notion of the progressive

civilization of mankind adopted in the present day;-Views of

Cuvier, Malte Brun, Heeren, Keightley, and Archbishop Whately;

-These views erroneous.-The first state of man after the De-

luge that of a member of a previous social state. The amount

of culture possessed by Noah considered;-Probably equal to that

of the Egyptians and other nations of antiquity:-Instances of

the early advanced state of society from the Book of Job:-De-

ficiency of scientific knowledge among the ancient nations;-This

deficiency the cause of our ignorance of the actual state of their

knowledge in general.-Theory of the gradual declension of civi-

lization

CHAPTER IV.

Journey from the east to the land of Shinar:-Noah and 'the

'whole earth' settled there;-Situation of the land of Shinar.-

The Tower of Babel :-Period and cause of its erection;-Its

erection a violation only of the implied command of God;—Did

not occur during Noah's life.—The Dispersion:-Situation of the

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CONTENTS.

land of Shinar peculiarly adapted for it;-Natural tripartite di-

vision of the earth.—Theory of the distribution of mankind;—

Principles governing it

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CHAPTER V.

Shem, and not Japheth, shown to have been the eldest son of Noah.

-Situation of the possessions of Shem.-His descendants.-Elam.

-Asshur:-Nineveh founded by Asshur, and not by Nimrod.-

The south and east of Asia peopled by the descendants of Elam

and Asshur, with part of those of Arphaxad :—Genius and dispo-

sition of the aboriginal inhabitants;-Invasion by the Japhthitish

Hindoos;-Distinction between the two principal races in southern

and eastern Asia.—Shemitish nations and languages:-The He-

brew and Arabic languages not of that class.—Inhabitants of

China and the Indo-Chinese countries.-Indian Archipelago :-

Papuans;-Theory of the original peopling of the Indian Archi-

pelago. Corresponding state of degradation of the Papuans of

Asia, the Hottentots of Africa, and the Esquimaux of the Arctic

Circle.-Process of degradation in the human race.—Black Asi-

atics with straight hair.-Successive arrival of different Japh-

thitish and Hamitish races in the Peninsulas and Islands of India.

-Peopling of the South Sea Islands and of America.-Remarks

on the Shemitish languages

CHAPTER VI.

Particular history of the descendants of Shem continued.-Ar-

phaxad, his possessions and descendants :-Land of the Casdim

or Chaldees;-Ur;-Consideration of the Call of Abraham.-

Joktan and his descendants :-Land of Ophir and Havilah at

the head of the Persian Gulf.—The opinion advanced that the

Book of Genesis was written anterior to the time of Moses :-

Grounds of this opinion;-The character of Genesis as an in-

spired work not affected by the conclusion ;-Its consequences.—

Descendants of Shem resumed.-Lud.-Aram:-Padan Aram,

or Aram Naharaim, erroneously supposed to be Mesopotamia;

-Meaning of the expression 'Naharaim';-Proofs that Padan

Aram was not beyond the Euphrates;-Its general locality deter-

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mined :-Eliezer of Damascus ;—Jacob's flight from Padan Aram

to Gilead;-Examination of the expression 'a seven days' jour-

'ney';-The situation of Padan Aram probably in the neighbour-

hood of Damascus :-Suggestion also that El Ledja may be Padan

Aram:-The country of Balaam and Chushan-rishathaim.-The

river crossed by Jacob not the Euphrates, but the Jordan ;—This

river formed of two streams, the Mandhour, and the Jordan of the

present day;―The Mandhour the Jordan which was crossed by

Jacob.-Possessions of the descendants of Aram :-Uz...... Page 105

CHAPTER VII.

Consideration of the Book of Job:-Reasons urged to show that

Moses cannot have been its author.-Position of the land of Uz

considered:-Reference to the persons of the name of Uz men-

tioned in Scripture ;-The country of Job not that of Uz the

Horite ;-The country of Uz the son of Nahor identical with that

of Uz the son of Aram;-Consideration of the situations of the

several countries of the sons of Nahor;-Result:-That the 'land

' of Uz' was in Padan Aram.-Conclusion that the Book of Job

was written after the time of Abraham ;-That it became known

to Jacob during his residence in Haran;—And that it was brought

by him into Canaan on his return from Padan Aram:—The opi-

nion advanced that it was originally written in the Aramitish lan-

guage, and thence translated into Hebrew:-Its character as a

memorial of the pure patriarchal religion, or that of the Noachic

dispensation.-Concluding remarks
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CHAPTER VIII.

Ham:-His possessions and descendants.-Cush the progenitor of

the Arabians and Ethiopians;-Also of the Negro nations of

Africa: The Egyptians derived from Ethiopia;-Proofs from

Herodotus;-The primitive Ethiopians a civilized nation;―The

aboriginal Arabians still more cultivated;-Hypothesis proposed

respecting them:-The South of Arabia the source of the poly-

theistic idolatry of Egypt and India. The position advanced,

that Egypt is not the Mitzraim of Scripture:-Ancient physical

state of Lower Egypt;-Proofs from Herodotus that the Delta

and adjacent country were formerly covered with water;- Mo-

CONTENTS.

dern confirmation of this opinion;—Diminution of the Delta ;—

The former extent northward of the Gulf of Suez greater than at

the present time :-The Gulf of Suez not the Red Sea which was

crossed by the Israelites ;-Direct proofs from the words of Scrip-

ture;-Conclusion thence that the Gulf of Akaba is the Red Sea

of Scripture;-The same conclusion arrived at from the consi-

deration of the action of the 'strong east wind.'-Results of the

foregoing conclusion :-Neither Mount Sinai nor the Midian of

Jethro within the Peninsula of Mount Tor;-The country of

Midian identical with that of the Ishmaelites ;--Its position;-

The passage of the Red Sea not attributable to the alleged scien-

tific knowledge of Moses;-The true situations of Horeb and of

Mount Sinai approximately determined;-The opinion asserted

that the forty years' wanderings of the Israelites were in 'the

'Desert' of Arabia

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CHAPTER IX.

Descendants of Ham, continued.-Mitzraim :-Situation of his pos-

sessions:-His descendants.-The Lubim, Anamim, Lehabim

and Naphtuhim, the progenitors of the present race of Arabs.—

The Ishmaelites a Mitzritish people, notwithstanding their pa-

ternal descent from Abraham ;-Consideration of the prophecies

respecting Ishmael.-The Ethiopians, or Abyssinians, likewise of

Mitzritish extraction.-The Pathrusim the inhabitants of the

'land of Mitzraim' of Scripture, or Mitzraim Proper.-The Cas-

luhim, Philistim, and Caphtorim.-The aborigines of the North

of Africa descendants of Mitzraim.-General sketch of the origin

of the various African nations.-Phut:-The progenitor of the

nations in the neighbourhood of the land of Canaan who were

extirpated prior to the Exodus of the Israelites.-Canaan :-His

possessions and descendants.--Concluding remarks.

CHAPTER X.

The Hamitish languages:―Their classification :-Cushitish family

of these languages;-Constituted of those of Egypt, Nubia, and

the Centre and South of Africa.-Mitzritish family;-Consists of

what philologists have hitherto called the 'Semitic' languages:—

Reasons for this change of nomenclature.-Consideration of the

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