Methuselah’sage was a favourite problem with the early Church. See Aug. de Civ. Dei, xv. 13, and de pecc. orig. ii. 23, where it is said to be one of those points on which a Christian can afford to be ignorant. According to the Septuagint, Methuselah lived for fourteen years after the deluge, so that more than ‘eight souls’ survived, and 1 Pet. iii. 20, appeared to be incorrect. According to the Hebrew and Vulgate there is no difficulty, as Methuselah is represented as dying before the deluge.