Conflict of Adam and Eve with Satan

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III.] NOTES. 243 then prayed to God, who commanded us, said the Angel of the Face, to bind them for ever. But the Prince of the Spirits, Mastema, stood before the Lord, and prayed that He would leave him some spirits of his race whereby to deceive and harass the children of men. So the Lord granted him one-tenth part of his spirits ; and the rest he sent to the place of judgment. Then we taught Noah the use of remedies and the art of healing; and he gave all his writings to his sou Shem, whom he loved most. (Kufale, c. x, pp.41, 42.) But whereas Ham, Gush and Mits- raim, took possession of the land fallen to them by lot, Canaan took with violence possession of the land he coveted, along the sea-shore. His brothers remonstrated with him, and told him he would be accursed for having taken a lot that belonged to Shem and had not fallen to him. But he would not hearken to them ; and dwelt in the land from Hamath to Egypt. (Ibid. pp. 44, 45.) Bar. Hebr. Syr., p. 9, attributes this to all the sons of Ham. 27 Noah died nine hundred and fifty years old. According to the reckoning of the LXX, there are two thousand two hundred and forty-two years from the Creation to the Flood ; according to the Jews, sixteen hundred and six; and according to the Samaritans, thirteen hundred and seven, which reckoning is entirely wrong; in that it makes Noah to have lived two hundred and twenty- three years with Adam, whereof nothing is said, either by God or by His pro phets. According to the reckoning of Abinanus [Anianus ?] of Alexandria, however, from the creation of Adam and the night of the Friday on which the Flood began, there were two thou sand two hundred and twenty-six years, one month, twenty-three days, and four hours. (Abulpharaj, Dyn. Arab., p. 14.) 28 It is commonly reported, says Abulpharaj (Dyn, Arab., p. 15), that Noah just before his death gave Shem a commandment saying : " When I am dead, bring the coffin of our father Adam out of the ark, and take with thee of thy children, Melchizedec, for he is priest of the Most High God, and go with him and the coffin to the place, whither the angel of the Lord will lead you." Those two did according to this commandment ; and the angel brought them to the hill of Beth-el- Maqdes [or, Muqaddas] and Melchizedec laid the coffin on the hill, and settled there; but Shem went back to his people. Melchizedec, however, did not go back, but built there the city of Jerusalem, which means the City of Peace (whence himself is also called, Melek Salem, that is King of Peace); and he spent the rest of his days in devotion to the service of God ; he never drew near a woman ; never shed blood ; and his offering [qorban] was of bread and wine only. But as Holy Scripture, speaking of his exalted state, mentions neither his birth nor his death, the holy Apostle Paul says of him that he had " neither beginning of days, nor end of life." He was made a type of Christ in David's prophecy,, " Thou art a priest for ever, after the order of Melchizedec." On the very same hill on which our father Adam was buried, was Christ also crucified. Melchizedec is called Lamech, Noah's grandson, by Masudi, who adds that those who believe the Scripture, think Lamech is still living ; because God said to Shem that he to whom He should entrust the body of Adam, would live for ever. And Shem, after having laid Adam's body in the centre of the earth, left it in charge of Lamech. (Masudi i, ch. iii, pp, 80,81.) 16*