By these words is noted the time at which Noah's flood began to occur, just as below is marked the time at which it ended — so that, its beginning and end being noted, how great was its duration, and how long Noah's stay in the Ark, might be clearly known.

But why was Noah commanded by God, seven days before the beginning of the flood (as Moses teaches in chapter 7), to enter the ark? Here the Hebrews trifle, after their manner, [saying] that those seven days were spent by Noah in mourning for the death of his grandfather Methuselah — who, although it is agreed that he died in the very year of the flood, yet whether he departed only seven days, or many more days or even months, before the flood, is uncertain. This indeed may be credible: that Noah, during those seven days — before the Ark should be tossed and shaken by the storms of the flood — arranged and ordered all the things that were in the Ark, placing each fitly in its own place, so that all things might be most suitably adapted to the habitation and use of men and animals, as the need would be.¹

There is also that probable cause which St. Ambrose touched on: that Noah, shut up in the ark during those seven days, awaited the flood, in order that the rest — seeing that Noah had shut himself in the ark from fear of the imminent flood — might at least at that last time be moved by dread of the impending destruction and be converted to doing penance; for not even, if they had wished, would they have been unable, in that space of a few days, both to do penance duly and to appease the wrath of God. “It is not idle,” says Ambrose, “that neither more nor fewer than seven days were interposed — as many, that is, as there were in the constitution of the world. For in six days the world was made, and on the seventh day God rested from his works: by which token he declared that he himself is the author both of the world and of the flood. The world he founded on account of his goodness; the flood he made by the desert of our offenses. Men were therefore admonished, even by the number of days in which the world was created, that they ought to have reconciled their Creator not by tears and prayer alone, but by the correction of their morals.”²

“Therefore the Lord gave a space for penance, wishing rather to pardon than to punish, that he might compel those held in suspense by the terror of the imminent flood to beg for pardon — whereby, while they dread the peril of coming death, they might renounce impiety and injustice.” So Ambrose. But this raises a question in this place: whether, when the flood began, Noah had completed the six hundredth year of his life, or had only entered it?³

When it is said that the flood began in the six hundredth year of Noah's life, it is asked whether one ought to understand that six hundredth year to have been completed, or only begun. For it can be understood in either way. And that it ought to be understood not completed but begun, there are many authors — Lyra, Tostatus, Cajetan, Oleaster, and others — when in their Commentaries they interpret this passage of Moses. This interpretation is indeed helped by the customary manner of reckoning, both formerly and today. For such is the custom of reckoning the years of Princes, that, if they do anything at the beginning of the third or fourth year of their reign, it is commonly said that they did it in the third or fourth year of their reign, and is recorded in the public monuments or records.⁴

But to me, indeed, it seems the contrary should be thought: for I judge that that six hundredth year was not only begun, but plainly completed, with forty-seven days of the six hundred and first year besides being elapsed. And this interpretation and opinion of mine I can establish by three arguments. First, if that six hundredth year had been begun only by one month and a little more than half, then the Ark would have been built in one and a half months — since Noah is said to have been five hundred years old before he received the command from God about building the Ark. But neither is it credible that so great a work could have been completed in so brief a time; and most doctors object, by whom it has been reported that about a hundred years were spent in building the Ark. This, moreover, follows: that between the announcement of the flood and its coming less than two months intervened — since the announcement of the flood was made by God after Noah's five hundredth year, as Moses narrated above; and yet God, after the announcement of the flood until its coming, granted to mortals the time of a hundred and twenty years for doing penance.⁵

But these [authors] would meet this argument: that, since it was said above that Noah was five hundred years old, it ought similarly to be understood of the five hundredth year only begun, not completed; wherefore from the announcement of the flood and God's command about building the Ark up to the flood itself a hundred years passed. But St. Augustine opposes them, affirming that Noah, when God commanded him about building the Ark, was four hundred and eighty years old. Next, if, when the flood began, only the six hundredth year of Noah was begun and not completed, then from the beginning of the world up to the flood there would not have flowed one thousand six hundred and fifty-six years (for so many are reckoned by all the best Chronographers), but, according to these [authors], it would be necessary to count one fewer.⁶

Finally, this very thing evidently demonstrates it: that below, in the ninth chapter, it is written that Noah lived three hundred and fifty years after the flood, and that all the days of Noah's life were nine hundred and fifty years. But if, as these [authors] say, Noah, when the flood began, had begun the six hundredth year only by two months, it could not be that, if he lived three hundred and fifty years after the flood, he was nine hundred and fifty years old when he died — but it would necessarily be that he was [fewer]. [The arithmetic of the third argument is corrupt in the OCR; Pererius's point is that the figures only reconcile if the 600th year was complete.]⁷