|
If any reader
has their own “pet theory” about some aspect of this subject, please note
that I do not feel under obligation either to promote, defend, or discuss the
method used here. I am merely reporting one of the simpler ways of using the
information contained in the Bible, to provide an approximate
historical perspective. However, many other different answers are possible.
Some of these vary by hundreds of years. There does not seem to be any way
for laymen to resolve some of the difficulties debated by the “Scholars”.
To perform this
calculation, we will use data from the genealogies and history of the KJV Old
Testament. Where information is lacking, we will use other information from secular
historians.
TABLE 1 - FROM CREATION TO CANAAN
|
Event
|
Father's
Age At Birth
|
Age
of
the Earth
|
Bible Reference
|
|
In the
beginning
|
|
0
|
Genesis 1:1-31
|
|
Seth born when
Adam
|
130
|
130
|
Genesis 5:3
|
|
Enos born when
Seth
|
105
|
235
|
Genesis 5:6
|
|
Cainan born
when Enosh
|
90
|
325
|
Genesis 5:9
|
|
Mahalaleel born
Cainan
|
70
|
395
|
Genesis 5:12
|
|
Jared born when
Mahalaleel
|
65
|
460
|
Genesis 5:15
|
|
Enoch born when
Jared
|
162
|
622
|
Genesis 5:18
|
|
Methuselah born
when Enoch
|
65
|
687
|
Genesis 5:21
|
|
Lamech born
when Methuselah
|
187
|
874
|
Genesis 5:25
|
|
Noah born when
Lamech
|
182?
|
1056
|
Genesis 5:28
|
|
Shem born when
Noah(1)
|
502
|
1558
|
Genesis 5:32
|
|
Arphaxad born
when Shem
|
100
|
1658
|
Genesis 11:10
|
|
Salah born when
Arphaxad
|
35
|
1693
|
Genesis 11:12
|
|
Eber born when Salah
|
30
|
1723
|
Genesis 11:14
|
|
Peleg born when
Eber
|
34
|
1757
|
Genesis 11:16
|
|
Reu born when
Peleg
|
30
|
1787
|
Genesis 11:18
|
|
Serug born when
Reu
|
32
|
1819
|
Genesis 11:20
|
|
Nahor born when
Serug
|
30
|
1849
|
Genesis 11:22
|
|
Terah born when
Nahor
|
29
|
1878
|
Genesis 11:24
|
|
Abraham born
when Terah(2)
|
130
|
2008
|
Genesis 11:26
|
|
Abraham
receives promises,
leaves Haran, enters Canaan
|
age 75
|
2083
|
Genesis 12:4 & Acts
7:4
|
TABLE 2 -
THE KINGS OF JUDAH
The
United Kingdom
|
King's name
|
Age at Start
|
Years Reigned
|
Bible Reference
|
|
Saul(4)
|
?
|
40?
|
1
Samuel 13:1, Acts 13:21
|
|
David
|
30
|
40
|
2
Samuel 5:4, 1 Kings 2:11
|
|
Solomon
|
?
|
40
|
1
Kings 11:42
|
The Divided Kingdom
|
King's name
|
Age at Start
|
Years Reigned
|
Bible Reference
|
|
Rehoboam
|
41
|
17
|
1
Kings 14:21
|
|
Abija
|
?
|
3
|
1
Kings 15:2
|
|
Asa
|
?
|
41
|
1
Kings 15:10
|
|
Jehoshaphat
|
35
|
25
|
1
Kings 22:42
|
|
Joram
|
32
|
8
|
2
Kings 8:17
|
|
Ahaziah
|
22
|
1
|
2
Kings 8:26
|
|
QUEEN
Athaliah
|
|
6
|
2
Kings 11:3
|
|
Joash
|
?
|
40
|
2
Kings 12:1
|
|
Amaziah
|
25
|
29
|
2
Kings 14:2
|
|
Azariah
(Uzziah)
|
16
|
52
|
2
Kings 15:2
|
|
Jotham
|
25
|
16
|
2
Kings 15:33
|
|
Ahaz
|
20
|
16
|
2
Kings 16:2
|
|
Hezekiah
|
25
|
29
|
2
Kings 18:2
|
|
Manasseh
|
12
|
55
|
2 Kings
21:1
|
|
Amon
|
22
|
2
|
2
Kings 21:19
|
|
Josiah
|
8
|
31
|
2
Kings 22:1
|
|
Jehoahaz
|
23
|
3
months
|
2
Kings 23:31
|
|
Jehoiakim
|
25
|
11
|
2
Kings 23:36
|
|
Jehoiachin
|
18
|
3
months
|
2
Kings 24:8
|
|
Zedekiah
|
21
|
11
|
2
Kings 24:18
|
Total Duration of United and Divided Kingdoms 393 ½ years
ARRIVING AT THE
AGE OF THE EARTH
From here we will
use the data in a simplistic way, without attempting to answer any of the awkward
questions about which the scholars disagree. (Some of these are mentioned in the
notes below).
All we need now
is a little simple arithmetic. This is how it is done:
|
From Creation to Canaan
|
|
2083
|
|
|
From the time when Abraham left Haran to go to Canaan until
the Exodus and the giving of the Law of Moses
|
430 years
|
2513
|
Genesis 12:4
Exodus 12:40
Galatians 3:17
|
|
From the Exodus to the commencement of building Solomon's
Temple, in the second month of the 480th year from the Exodus years
|
479 years
|
2992
|
1 Kings 6:1
|
|
From the start of building the Temple to the division of
the Kingdom under Rehoboam
|
37 years
|
3029
|
1 Kings 11:42,
2 Chronicles 3:2
|
|
Division of the Kingdom to destruction of Jerusalem
|
394 years
|
3423
|
Ezekiel 4:4-6
|
According to
secular history, the Kingdom of Judah fell to Babylon in 586 BC.
Then we
calculate the date of creation, simply by adding 586 + 3423
By this method we arrive at the
date for the creation of the earth as - 4009
BC
Notes:
- Genesis 5:32 says that Noah was 500 years old
when he begot Shem, Ham, and Japheth. Genesis 11:10 tells us that Shem was 100 years old, two years after the
flood. i.e. Shem was not the oldest son, and he was born when Noah was
502 years old.
- Genesis 11:26 says that Terah
begot Abraham, Nahor and Haran when he was 70 years old. However Genesis 12:4 says that Abraham was 75 when He left Haran. Acts 7:4 tells
us that this was after Terah died. This would mean that
Abraham was not the eldest son, and that he was born when Terah was 130
years old.
- Calculations based on the ages at
which children of the Patriarchs were born, could introduce cumulative
errors of several years. It is reasonable to assume that few sons were
born exactly on their father's birthday! In most cases they were
probably born several months afterwards. Since no information is
available, the calculations shown cannot make any allowance for this
factor.
- 1 Samuel 13:1 There is much
conjecture over this verse. The number is lacking in the Hebrew text;
also, the precise context of the ‘two years’ is uncertain. The Hebrew
text is obviously corrupt. The Septuagint, a third-century B.C.
translation into Greek, leaves the verse out entirely. Even at that
early date the translators could not make sense of it, so they simply
suppressed it. Some English translations do likewise.
- According to Table 2, the
Kingdom of Judah lasted for 393 1/2 years after the revolt of the ten
tribes. However, this almost certainly includes some cumulative errors
caused by the use of rounded whole numbers for the total reigns of
kings. It would be expected that the reigns of most kings would
terminate part way through their final year. The relatively minor
discrepancies which would be introduced, are not important here.
- Most secular historians seem to
date the destruction of Solomon's temple in 586 BC. However there are
others who say BC587, or even BC588. One writer last century,
manipulates the data to arrive at BC592.
- Ussher's Chronology - There have been many attempts to calculate the age of the
earth, and the date of creation. One of the best known of these is that
made by Archbishop James Ussher in 1650. Ussher boldly announced that he
had calculated the precise date of the first day of Creation as, Sunday,
23 October, 4004 BC!.
His
Chronology is contained in his book “The Annals of the World”. published in
Latin in 1650, and in English 1658, two years after his death.
Later
scholars, with more information available, tell us that Ussher's work
contains a number of now obvious inaccuracies. In spite of that Ussher's
chronology is still one of the best known and respected. The dates calculated
by Ussher, are published in the margins of many KJV Bibles.
One
problem is that Ussher's work may have commenced with a preconceived target
in view. It has been suggested that the data is made to fit his opinion that
Jesus was born exactly 4000 years after Creation. (In BC4)
- Other Chronologies - Using the same
data, other chronologists arrive at different dates for the Creation of
Adam. Some of these are:
|
Josephus - 70
AD
|
5555 BC
|
|
Hales - 1803
AD
|
5402 BC
|
|
Sayce - 1914
AD
|
5300 BC
|
|
The
Septuagint Greek OT - 200 BC
|
5270 BC
|
|
Anstey - 1913
AD
|
4124 BC
|
|
Mauro - 1961
AD
|
4046 BC
|
|
Kepler - 17th
century AD
|
3993 BC
|
|
Melancthon -
16th century AD
|
3964 BC
|
|
Luther - 16th
century AD
|
3961 BC
|
|
Lightfoot -
19th century AD
|
3960 BC
|
- The Jewish Chronology - Last but not
least, is the official Jewish calculation, which places creation in BC
3760.
- The End Of The Earth - Until a couple of years ago, it was popular to use Ussher's
chronology to predict the End of the Age at 6000 years, in 1996. Yes,
they got the maths wrong too! It should have been 1997! But it doesn't
matter now. 1996 and 1997 have both come and gone, and we are still
waiting.
DISCLAIMER
After doing some initial research on the subject of Bible
Chronology, I have been amazed at the variety of opinions on various points.
To say the least, this is not always a precise science!
I have come to the conclusion that to attempt to be
dogmatic about the precise date of some events, would require a great amount
of very presumptuous speculation. I am not a scholar of
History. Nor do I claim to be an expert in Biblical Chronology. I make no
pretension to have read in detail from all of the very large number of
sources, quoted by others. I don't have time for that. There are more
important priorities in God's timetable for my life. Consequently, I do not
presume to have resolved any of the difficult questions raised by some of the
“experts”. Instead, this paper has been written as an exercise in
“interesting information”. For this purpose, it seems much easier to be
content with a simplistic approach to the use of the information contained in
the Bible. What I have done here, as a layman, is to attempt to use that
information to reach an answer that places some significant events in Jewish
history, in approximate Biblical historical perspective. Only
the date of the Babylonian destruction of Solomon's Temple has been taken
from secular history.
I suspect that on many aspects of
the subject of Chronology, God has deliberately concealed some of the vital
information necessary to arrive at definite answers.
Why should that be? The final word must remain with Jesus.
“But of that day and that hour, no one knows,
not even the angels of heaven, but my Father only”.
(Matthew 24:36)
|