elated and united.

21. Josephus has wonderful things to tell about the mountains of
Armenia, and he records that during his time remains of the ark were
discovered there. But I suppose nobody will judge me to be a heretic
if I occasionally doubt the reliability of his statements.

V. 5. _And the waters decreased continually until the tenth month: in
the tenth month, on the first day of the month, were the tops of the
mountains seen._

22. Moses said before that by the seventh month the waters had fallen
so far that the ark rested upon Ararat. In the third month thereafter,
the tops of the lower mountains began to appear, so that Noah, looking
down from the mountains of Ararat as if from a watchtower, saw also
the peaks of the other mountains, of the Taurus in Asia, the Lebanon
in Syria, and the like. All these were signs of God's remembrance.

Vs. 6-7. _And it came to pass at the end of forty days, that Noah
opened the window of the ark which he had made: and he sent forth a
raven, and it went forth to and fro, until the waters were dried up
from off the earth._

23. So far the history; the allegorical significance we shall discuss
at its proper place. The carelessness of a translator has caused a
dispute upon this part of the story. The Hebrew text does not say that
the raven did not return, as Jerome translated; hence there was no
need to invent a reason why he did not return--because he found dead
bodies lying about everywhere. They claim that abundance of food
prevented him.

24. On the contrary, Moses says that the raven which had been sent
forth, returned; although he did not permit himself to be again
imprisoned in the ark as the dove did. Moses implies that Noah sent
forth the raven to find out whether animals could, by that time find
dry land and food. The raven, however, did not faithfully carry out
his mission, but rejoicing to be set free from his prison, he flew to
and fro, and paying no attention to Noah, he enjoyed the free sky. The
swinish Jews, however, show the impurity of their minds everywhere.
For they suppose that the raven had fears concerning his mate, and
that he even suspected Noah concerning her. Shame upon those impure
minds!

Vs. 8-9. _And he sent forth a dove from him, to see if the waters were
abated from off the face of the ground; but the dove found no rest for
the sole of her foot, and she returned unto him to the ark; for the
waters were on the face of the whole earth: and he