day, and that he and the whole host
with him thought that the sun moved round the earth every day, and that
on that particular occasion it stood still for a time, thus causing the
light to remain longer; and I would say that they did not conjecture
that, from the amount of snow in the air (see Josh. x. 11), the
refraction may have been greater than usual, or that there may have been
some other cause which we will not now inquire into.

So also the sign of the shadow going back was revealed to Isaiah
according to his understanding; that is, as proceeding from a going
backwards of the sun; for he, too, thought that the sun moves and that
the earth is still; of parhelia he perhaps never even dreamed. We may
arrive at this conclusion without any scruple, for the sign could really
have come to pass, and have been predicted by Isaiah to the king,
without the prophet being aware of the real cause.

With regard to the building of the Temple by Solomon, if it was really
dictated by God we must maintain the same doctrine: namely, that all the
measurements were revealed according to the opinions and understanding
of the king; for as we are not bound to believe that Solomon was a
mathematician, we may affirm that he was ignorant of the true ratio
between the circumference and the diameter of a circle, and that, like
the generality of workmen, he thought that it was as three to one. But
if it is allowable to declare that we do not understand the passage, in
good sooth I know nothing in the Bible that we can understand; for the
process of building is there narrated simply and as a mere matter of
history. If, again, it is permitted to pretend that the passage has
another meaning, and was written as it is from some reason unknown to
us, this is no less than a complete subversal of the Bible; for every
absurd and evil invention of human perversity could thus, without
detriment to Scriptural authority, be defended and fostered. Our
conclusion is in no wise impious, for though Solomon, Isaiah, Joshua,
etc., were prophets, they were none the less men, and as such not exempt
from human shortcomings.

According to the understanding of Noah it was revealed to him that God
was about to destroy the whole human race, for Noah thought that beyond
the limits of Palestine the world was not inhabited.

Not only in matters of this kind, but in others more important, the
prophets could be, and in fact were, ignorant; for they taught nothing
specia