J. Bible Chronology

A.  Homepage----------------Mí página principal A.  English A.  Español B.  More About---------------Más sobre B.  English B.  Español C.  My Articles----------------Mis artículos C.  English C.  Español D.  My Photos-----------------Mis fotos E.  List--------------------------La lista F.  Guest Book----------------Los Visitantes G.  Reviews-------------------Las críticas G.  English G.  Español H.  Links------------------------Las ligas I.  ModernChronology-----CronologíaModerna I.  English I.  Español J.  Detailed Studies---------Estudios detallados J.  English J.  Español -0  Primordial Gap----------Brecha primordial -0  English -0  Español -1  The 6 Days----------------Los 6 días -1  English -1  Español -2  The Flood------------------El diluvio -2  English -2  Español -3 - 4 Abram & 430----------Abram y 430 -3 - 4 English -3 - 4 Español -5a  The 480 years------------Los 480 años -5a  English -5a  Español -5b  Acts 13:17-22------------Hechos 13.17-22 -5b  English -5b  Español -5c  The 300 years------------Los 300 años -5c  English -5c  Español -6  Divided Kingdom--------Reinos divididos -6  English -6  Español -7  Kings Names-------------Nombres de reyes -7  English -7  Español -8  Interregnum--------------El interregno -8  English -8  Español -9  Ussher's overlap-------La superposición -9  English -9  Español -10  Ussher's gap-------------Brecha de Ussher -10  English -10  Español -11  The 70 sevens-----------Los 70 sietes -11  English -11  Español -12  Life of Christ--------------La vida de Cristo -12  English -12  Español -13  The Crucifixion----------La crucifixión -13  English -13  Español K.  Comparisons------------Comparaciones K.  English K.  Español L.  OT Calendars------------Calendarios del AT L.  English L.  Español M.  Measuring time----------Tiempo medido M.  English M.  Español N.  Final Summary----------Resumen final N.  English N.  Español O.  Business Card----------Tarjeta d. presenta. P.  Acknowledgments-----Agradecimientos



J.  English

Introduction to detailed studies
Chronological Problems

a.  There are 10 problems with the subject of Bible chronology:


My comments with regard to James Ussher, Annals of the World, 1659

1.  Terah’s age when Abram was born:  Terah 70, or 130?

a.  Was Terah 70 years old (Genesis 11:26) or 130 years old (Genesis 11:32 and 12:4) when Abram was born?  (i.e., 60 years difference are involved here)


2.  The 430-year sojourn:  Did it begin when Abram 75, or Jacob 130?

a.  Are the 430 years sojourn to be counted from when Abram was 75 years old (Genesis 12:4, Genesis 12:10, Galatians 3:16-18) or when Jacob was 130 years old (Genesis 47:9 and 28, Exodus 12:40-41)?  (i.e. 215 years difference are involved here)


3.  The overall length of the kingdom of Judah:  387, or 394?

a.  Are the kings of Judah to be counted as a linear sequence of 393½ years or are there overlaps, which give an ultimate total of 387 years?  (about 7 years difference are involved here)  2 Chronicles 1-36—see Bible timeline,

http://creation.com/images/pdfs/other/timeline_of_the_bible.pdf 

for specific references—and 21:19-20, chapter 22, and 26:21.


4.  The start of the Babylonian Captivity:  In series, or overlapping by 20 years?

a.  Did the Babylonian Captivity begin in the 3rd or 4th year of Jehoiakim when Daniel was taken captive (2 Chronicles 36:5-10, Jeremiah 25:1, Daniel 1:1-2) which was about 20 years before the burning of the Temple, or did the Captivity begin when the Temple was burned in the 11th year of Zedekiah (2 Chronicles 36:19-21, Jeremiah 1:3, Jeremiah 25:1-12)?


5.  Ussher’s 83-gap:  Cyrus, or Artaxerxes?

a.  Did the 70 x 7 of Daniel 9:24-27 (the 490 years) begin in the first year of Cyrus when Cyrus issued his decree (Isaiah 44:28, 2 Chronicles 36:22-23, Ezra 1:1-4, Ezra 6:1-5) or did the beginning of the 70 x 7 begin in the 20th year of Artaxerxes (Nehemiah 2:1-6)?  (82-83 years difference are involved here)


My problems with Martin Anstey, The Romance of Bible Chronology, 1913

6.  The ruin-reconstruction gap theory:  Yes, or no?

a.  Anstey believes in the ruin-reconstruction gap theory (the Enlightenment idea of Thomas Chalmers) that is used to reconcile the Bible with “science so-called.”  Anstey defends this idea in Volume I, The Romance of Bible Chronology, Chapters Two, Three: The Ante-Diluvian Patriarchs--From Adam to Noah, Period One:The Patriarchs--Genesis.  See

http://www.preteristarchive.com/Books/1913_anstey_romance.html


7.  Daniel’s 70th seven:  Future, or fulfilled?

a.  Anstey believes that the 70th seven of Daniel is yet future. See Volume I, Chapter 27, Conclusion, The Romance of Bible Chronology.  See, again,

http://www.preteristarchive.com/Books/1913_anstey_romance.html 

b.  The idea of a future 70th seven is not only a hindrance to historic premillenielism and, therefore, needs to be refuted, because it breeds many unverifiable speculations about eschatology.  I am amazed that an otherwise mostly competent chronolger like Martin Anstey could so misunderstand elementary math as to deceive himself into thinking that (69 x 7) + X + (1 x 7) = 490 + X.  This formula reduces itself to a totally meaningless X = X.  It has to work out even if it is wrong.  There is nothing to this idea, and people who believe that it is sound are merely soundly deceived because there is no idea that 70 x 7 can somehow contain a gap within itself to equal anything except a continuous and gapless sum of 490 years.  The only real value that X could have is zero.  It is another groundless gap theory.

 
8.  The Interregnum in Judah: Yes, or no?

a.  Anstey believes that there is an 11-year Interregnum in the kings of Judah between Amaziah and Uzziah.  Ussher believes that there was no Interregnum in Judah and handles this problem by saying that Jeroboam II (of the Northern Kingdom) was a viceroy for 11 years during the 16-year reign of Jehoash.  Then Jeroboam II became sole king for 41 years.


9.  From the Exodus to the 4th year of Solomon’s reign:  480 years, or 594 years?

a.  Anstey has a unique view about the 480 years from the Exodus to the 4th year of Solomon’s reign.  His view involves an attempt to reconcile the 480 years of 1 Kings 6:1 with his own 594-year scenario of a linear line up that includes three groups:
 
     1) All the 6 oppressions and 1 usurpation + all the 11 judges less 1, i.e., because
         Samson is taken in parallel (and thus disappears from the overall count) with the
        40-year Philistine oppression, for a sub-total sum of 390 years,
     2) Eli (40) and Samuel (20) = a sub-total of 60 years,
     3) Saul (40), David (40) and Solomon (4) =  for a sub-total of 84 years, all of these
         three equaling 534 =  390 + 60 + 84.

b.  Add to this figure 40 years from the Exodus through the Wilderness to the entry into Canaan, and then 20 years from the entry into Canaan to the first oppression, and the sum is 534 + 40 + 20 = 594 years.

c.  In other words, according to Anstey, there are 594 linear years from the Exodus to the 4th year of Solomon’s reign.  This exceeds the 480 years of 1 Kings 6:1 by 114 years, which just so happens to be the amount of the 6 oppressions and 1 usurpation, since 594 – 114 = 480.  Anstey astonishes everyone by reckoning that this is how the mystery (that he created by himself in the first place) is to be reconciled, i.e., by not counting the 114 years as included in the 480 years of 1 Kings 6:1 which he calls theocratic years (where God was in control of Israel) vs. the literal years (594) wherein God was in control of Israel for the remaining 480 years.  In other words, God was not in control of Israel for 114 years!


10.  Concerning the date for the birth of Christ:  5 BC, 4 BC, 1 BC, or 1 AD?

a.  We do not know with certainly when  Jesus Christ was born because we do not know exactly when the edict of Caesar Augustus happened (Luke 2:1-2).  However, we do know from Luke 3:23 that “Jesus, when he began his ministry, was about thirty years of age…”  If He was “about thirty…” then this could refer to having completed His 29th anniversary (meaning that He had entered His thirtieth year).  Any time after having completed his 29th anniversary to the day before his 30th anniversary He could be said to have been “about 30 years of age…”  After that, he was no longer “about 30…” but would have completed His 30th anniversary and would have entered his 31st year.

b.  Knowing that his ministry was about 3½ years, we can say that He was crucified when He was 33½ years of age.  This would have been in the middle of the 70th seven, i.e., the middle of year 487 (486½) of Daniel’s 490 years, which is the end of Bible chronology because this accounts for the very last unit of Daniel’s 70 sevens, namely the 70th seven.


Summary

a.  The above 10 problems which were given in two groups are now illustrated in chronological order in the tables of the following pages:

  0  Primordial Gap
  1  The 6 days of Creation
  2  The Flood
  3  Birth of Abram
  4  The 430 years 
5a  The 480 years
5b  Acts 13:17-22
5c  The 300 years
  6  The Divided Kingdoms
  7  Names of the Kings
  8  Interregnum in Judah
  9  Ussher’s Overlap
10  Ussher’s gap
11  The 70 sevens
12  The Life of Christ
13  The Crucifixion


http://www.box.net/shared/03pt6lni9y
- 2010E--Paul's updated 3942 BC--English version--Rev.01--8.pdf

http://www.box.net/shared/bvvqoxmqb8
- 2006E--Paul's post-Ussher 3942 BC--English version--Rev01.pdf

http://www.box.net/shared/s4gvmfjk81
- 2005E--Ussher's 4004 BC--English version--Rev06--With Luke's List.pdf

http://www.box.net/shared/etkhpuubb9
- 1980E--Paul's original 4100 BC--English version--Rev07.pdf