Central Asian plains. But surely, apart from any
consideration pertaining to the very emphatic language of the text,
rational men must perceive that the difficulty is not obviated by this
explanation, but rather increased. How could the waters ascend in one
place to the height of seventeen thousand feet (the height of Mount
Ararat) without overflowing the adjacent districts, and, indeed, the
whole earth, in conformity to the law of gravitation? Delitzch is bold
enough to assert that the flood of water was ejected with such force
from the fountains beneath that it assumed quite naturally a conical
shape. But then, even supposing that this explication were anything
but sheer silliness, which it is not, how would the learned commentator
account for the water retaining its conical shape for months after the
force of upheaval had expended itself? These explanations are entirely
fanciful and groundless. The language of the narrative is sufficiently
explicit "And _all_ flesh died that moved upon the earth;" "all in
whose nostrils was the breath of life;" "and every living substance
was destroyed which was upon the face of the ground;" and "Noah _only_
remained alive and they that were with him in the ark." Such are the
precise unmistakeable words of Scripture, which no sophistry can explain
away. But even if the contention for a partial deluge could be made
good, the fundamental difficulties would still remain. As Colenso
observes, the flood, "whether it be regarded as a _universal_ or a
_partial_ deluge, is equally incredible and impossible."

Geology absolutely contradicts the possibility of any such catastrophe
as the deluge within the historic period. According to Sir Charles
Lyell, no devastating flood could have passed over the forest zone of
AEtna during the last twelve thousand years; and the volcanic cones of
Auvergne, which enclose in their ashes the remains of extinct animals,
and present an outline as perfect as that of AEtna, are deemed older
still. Kalisch forcibly presents this aspect of the question: "Geology
teaches the impossibility of a universal deluge since the last six
thousand years, but does not exclude a partial destruction of the
earth's surface within that period. The Biblical text, on the other
hand, demands the supposition of a universal deluge, and absolutely
excludes a partial flood."

6. What became of all the fish? In such a deluge the rivers and seas
must have mingled their waters, and this,