Enciclopedia Cattolica Vol. VIII, 1952 Sacred Scripture Peoples and figures

Mathusala

MATHUSALA

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Also known as: Methushelach, Methushelah; Spanish: Matusalem; French: Mathusalem

MATHUSALA (Hebrew Mēthāšēlāh or Mēthūšēlāh). - Son of Enoch and father of Lamech; he is the eighth in the series of antediluvian patriarchs of the line of Seth. At the age of 187 he begot Lamech, who was the father of Noah, and he survived another 782 years, until he reached, after begetting numerous offspring, the age of 969 years: the greatest age recorded in the Bible (Gen. 5:21-27), which thus became proverbial.

He is not to be confused, as some modern critics claim, without any foundation, with Methusael, the fourth descendant of the Cainite line, who also had a son by the name of Lamech (ibid. 4:18), clearly distinct from the father of Noah. According to the figures of the Masoretic text, M. died in the same year in which the flood came (1656 from the creation of man): but it is arbitrary to infer from this, as some do

(p. ca., H. Holzinger, Genesis, Tübingen 1898, p. 63), that M. perished together with the wicked in the flood.

Gaetano Stano

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By Gaetano Stano

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Translated from the Enciclopedia Cattolica, vol. VIII (1952), coll. 396–397.

More by Gaetano Stano: Nachor (Hebrew: Nāhōr) · Manahem (Hebrew Mēnahēm) · Maasia · Maacha · Luzah (Hebrew Láz "Almond", Septuagint Ἀουζά)

Cite this article

Chicago

Stano, Gaetano. “Mathusala (Ebr. MĒThĀŠElĀH O MĒThĀŠElĀH).” In Enciclopedia Cattolica, vol. VIII, coll. 396–397. Città del Vaticano: Ente per l’Enciclopedia Cattolica e per il Libro Cattolico, 1952. https://azioneromana.com/article/mathusala-ebr-methaselah-o-methaselah.

MLA

Stano, Gaetano. “Mathusala (Ebr. MĒThĀŠElĀH O MĒThĀŠElĀH).” Enciclopedia Cattolica, vol. VIII, Ente per l’Enciclopedia Cattolica e per il Libro Cattolico, 1952, coll. 396–397. Azione Romana, https://azioneromana.com/article/mathusala-ebr-methaselah-o-methaselah.

BibTeX

@incollection{ec8_mathusala_ebr_methaselah_o_met,
  author    = {Stano, Gaetano},
  title     = {Mathusala (Ebr. MĒThĀŠElĀH O MĒThĀŠElĀH)},
  booktitle = {Enciclopedia Cattolica},
  volume    = {VIII},
  pages     = {396--397},
  note      = {Cited by column},
  publisher = {Ente per l’Enciclopedia Cattolica e per il Libro Cattolico},
  address   = {Città del Vaticano},
  year      = {1952},
  url       = {https://azioneromana.com/article/mathusala-ebr-methaselah-o-methaselah}
}

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