THE BIBLICAL CALENDAR OF HISTORY

by Harold Camping

A Chronological Record of Events

According to the Holy Bible

FAMILY STATIONS, INC.

290 Hegenberger Road

Oakland, California 94621

TABLE OF CONTENTS

<0> Introduction

<1> The Clue Phrase "Called His Name'

<2> An Ancient Calendar

<3> Calendar Confirmation from Egypt

<4> Aaron's was the Fourth Generation

<5> The First Civilization

<6> The Confusion of Tongues

<7> Egypt Becomes a Great Civilization

<8> Writing and the Tower of Babel

<9> Conclusion

<10> A Calendar of Events in Biblical History

. Events

. The Chronological Sequence During the Egyptian Sojourn

. Historical Timetable of Pharaohs and Dynasties

. Chronology of the Judges

. Israel Chronology

. Note on Oppression by Heathen Power

. Chronological Table of the Kings of the Divided Kingdom

<11> References

 

 

 

Introduction

Chapters 5 and 11 of the book of Genesis have long been a

seemingly insurmountable obstacle to students of the Bible.

Inasmuch as they begin with Adam and end with Abraham, they have

their roots in creation and their outreach into the era of the

great civilizations of Babylon and Egypt, which flourished during

Abraham's day. They therefore tantalize the scholar who is trying

to reconstruct past history. Unfortunately, because a solution to

an understanding of these chapters has not been forthcoming, the

events embraced within their scope -- creation, the fall of man,

the Noachian flood -- are likewise often looked upon as accounts

impervious to clear understanding.

Bishop Ussher's attempt to understand these chronological

notices has only worsened matters. His conclusions that Adam's

date was 4004 B.C., the flood date was 2349 B.C. and that the

Israelites spent 215 years in Egypt, agree neither with the

Biblical nor the secular evidence.

But these chapters of Genesis are a part of the Word of God,

and therefore they must be true and dependable. The question is,

can they be rightly understood? I would be so presumptuous as to

suggest a solution to these chronologies. This solution will be

compared with some of the pertinent archaeological evidence.

 

 

The Clue Phrase "Called His Name"

In Genesis 4 and 5 we read of the birth of Enoch to Seth. Why

did God use different language in describing this event in Genesis

4 than in Genesis 5? In Genesis 4 "Seth called his name Enoch"

(Gen. 4:26). But in Chapter 5 the Bible says," Seth begat Enoch"

(Gen.5:6). Why did God use the phrase "called his name" (ASV) in

connection with Enoch's birth in Genesis 4 when He did not in

Genesis 5? It is obvious that the phrase "Seth begat Enoch, " or

"Methuselah begat Lamech," did not insure that Enoch was the

immediate son of Seth or Lamech or Methuselah. Many instances can

be found where a father-son relationship appears to be indicated

and yet other Scriptural evidence points to more distant ancestry.

Matthew 1:1,, where Jesus is referred to as the son David, and

David, the son Abraham, is illustrative.

A more careful examination of the Scriptures reveals why the

phrase "called his name" which is the Hebrew qara', was used. In

every place where this phrase is employed, there can be no doubt

of the existing relationship: invariably it is indicative of

parent and child. Thus the Bible says, for example, "Abraham

called the name of his son...Isaac" (Gen. 21:3), "...so they

called his name Esau" (Gen. 25:25), "a virgin shall conceive and

shall call his name Immanuel" (Isa. 7:14). In every instance where

this "clue" phrase appears one may be certain that an immediate

son is being described and not a more remote descendant.

God's use of this "clue" phrase thus assures one that Seth was

the immediate son of Adam (Gen. 4:24), Enoch of Seth (Gen. 4:26),

and Noah of his father, Lamech (Gen. 5:29).

But what about the rest of the names appearing in these

genealogies under discussion? Two are decipherable. Other

Biblical evidence shows clearly that Shem was the immediate son of

Noah, even though the phrase "called his name" is not used.(1) The

Bible shows, too, by other information that when Terah was 130 he

became the father of Abram.(2) But in the case of all of the other

names listed in these chapters there is no Biblical evidence of

any kind that points to an immediate father-son relationship. In

fact, there is internal evidence within these accounts that points

to other than immediate father-son relationships.(3)

An Ancient Calendar

In further reflection upon this situation, two Biblical

notices should be examined. The first is that of Genesis 7 and 8,

where the dates of the flood events are referenced to the age of

Noah. Thus Gen. 8:13 records, "in the six hundred and first year,

in the first month, the first day of the month, the waters....,"

etc. Gen. 7:6 indicates to us that the six hundred years was the

age of Noah when the flood came. Could the calendars of ancient

peoples have been tied to the life spans of certain individuals?

The second notice is that of the New Testament where Christ

declared "this generation will not pass away until all these

things take place" (Matt. 24:34). In this reference Christ is

speaking of events that would take place just before His return.

He is therefore insisting "this generation" would continue at

least for almost two thousand years, for this much time has now

elapsed, and all of the events of which he was prophesying in

Matthew 24 have not yet happened. As a matter of fact, this is

the generation of Jesus Christ. This is 1981 A.D. -- the year of

our Lord. The events of today are dated exactly as they were in

Noah's day, by reference to the birth day of a person.

Since this method of dating events was practiced in Noah's

day, was suggested by Jesus Himself, and is actually the practice

use today, could not this have been the method described in

Genesis 5 and 11? Isn't it possible that these accounts are a

calendar giving the name of the patriarch whose life span was the

reference point at his period or generation in history? This

would make abundant sense, for this would provide for continuity

and clarity in historical reckoning.

 

 

Calendar Confirmation from Egypt

God gives additional evidence to support this reasoning. In

Exodus 6 God gives genealogical information concerning some of the

descendants of Jacob. The information given does not appear very

meaningful to our present day and age. But hidden amongst these

verses are three numbers. The first is found in verse 16 where it

is stated that Levi's three sons were Gershon, Kohath and Merari,

and the years of Levi's life were 137. The second is in the next

verse, where it says Kohath's four sons were Amram, Ighar, Hebron

and Uzziel, and the years of Kohath's life were 133. The third is

in verse 20, where it says Amram was married to Jochebed and she

bore him Moses and Aaron, and the years of Amram's life were 137.

At first reading, it appears that Levi was the great grandfather,

Kohath the grandfather, Amram the father, and Moses and Aaron the

sons. But is this so? There is no other Biblical evidence that

indicates this is the case, and there is no use anywhere in the

Bible of the phrase "called his name" in reference to these men

which would point to a immediate father-son relationship. But why

would God give the life spans of only three individuals amongst so

many?

To solve this puzzle, let us assume God is giving us the

calendar for the Israelitish sojourn in Egypt. One might recall

that Jacob came to Egypt with his sons including Levi, and that

the Israelites went out of Egypt under the leadership of Moses and

Aaron. Both Levi and Aaron are mentioned in Exodus 6 and the age

of Aaron at the time of Israel's departure from Egypt is given as

83 (Exodus 7:7). It can be shown from the Biblical references that

when Levi entered Egypt he was 60+3 years of age, with the burden

of the evidence pointing to 60 years. Since he died at the age of

137, he lived 77 years in Egypt. If this is a calendar giving the

names of the reference patriarchs or generations, we would expect

that Kohath was a descendant of Levi and was born the year of

Levi's death: that Amram was a descendant of Kohath, and that he

was born the year of Kohath's death. Aaron in turn was born the

year of Amram's death, and was descended from Amram. Let us add

these time spans together:

Levi 77 years in Egypt

Kohath 137 years in Egypt

Amram 133 years in Egypt

Aaron 83 years in Egypt

430 years -- Total Time

Turning now to the Biblical record, we discover the following

interesting information. "Now the time that the children of

Israel dwelt in Egypt was four hundred and thirty years. And it

came to pass at the end of four hundred and thirty years, even the

selfsame day it came to pass, that all the hosts of Jehovah went

out from the land of Egypt" (Ex. 12:40,41).

God thus shows us clearly that the calendar used to record the

passage of time during the Egyptian sojourn was based on the lives

of Levi and his descendants, Kohath, Amram and Aaron. This

explains too the prophecy given to Abraham in Gen. 15:13-16, where

he is told his descendants would be oppressed 400 years in a land

that was not theirs, and that they would return to their own land

in the fourth generation.

 

 

The Confusion of Tongues

The next bit of history that should be interesting to

investigate is the event of the tower of Babel. Is there any

secular evidence that relates to the account of this confusion of

tongues as set forth in Genesis 11? There is, indeed.

It might first of all be noted that the account of Genesis 11

indicates that prior to this time in history all men spoke one

language. Moreover, the leading civilization was that of these

people who dwelt in the plains of Shinar or Sumer. Their desire

to be the one great civilization of the world prompted the

building of this great tower, which in turn brought on God's

interference with their plans so that they were forced to separate

into various nations.

As has already been shown, the first great civilization of the

world as revealed by secular evidence was that which sprang forth

in the Mesopotamia Valley. The time of the beginning of the

second important civilization of antiquity could be of real

significance. Presumably, it would have begun very shortly after

the tower of Babel. The event of the tower of Babel can be known

to have occurred during the generation of Peleg, for in his days

the earth was divided (Gen.10:25). Peleg's generation was dated

3153 B.C. to 2914 B.C. Therefore one would expect no important

civilizations other than Babylonia to have an antiquity greater

than about 3150 B.C.

 

 

Egypt Becomes A Great Civilization

All archaeological evidence points to Egypt as the second

great civilization to appear. While there was a primitive culture

in Egypt prior to the First Dynasty, the uniting of all of Egypt

under Pharaoh Menes to form the First Dynasty was the signal for a

major burst in the arts of civilization. Albright writes:(13)

It is now certain that the level of Egyptian

culture remained considerably below that of

Mesopotamia until the First Dynasty, when under

strong indirect influence from the Euphrates

Valley, it forged ahead of the latter in a

breathtaking spurt.

Interestingly, the new civilization of Egypt beginning with

the First Dynasty was patterned after the Babylonia (Mesopotamia)

culture. Albright continues:(14)

The close of the predynastic Age and the beginning

of the Thinite (period of first two centuries)

period witnessed a sudden burst in the arts of

civilization. This seems to have been connected in

some way with an increase of cultural influence

from Asia, since there are numerous exact parallels

between Mesopotamia and Egyptian culture at this

time, the former being demonstrably older and more

original in nearly every instance.

The date of the beginning of the First Dynasty under Menes is

calculated to be somewhere between 2800 B.C. and 3100 B.C. The

early archaeologists such as Breasted dated his reign at about

3400 B.C. As new archaeological evidence was uncovered this date

was moved forward to about 3000 B.C. Albright believes 2850 B.C.

is a good estimate.(15) William C. Hayes suggest 3100 B.C. is the

best date presently available.(16)

Considering the above information, one is struck by the fact

that prior to about 3100 B.C. to 2850 B.C. only one civilization

of consequence existed in the world. That was the nation of

Babylonia on the plains of Shinar. Then at that time, in a sudden

burst of progress, Egypt grew to become a second great

civilization, a civilization patterned after the first. And these

dates are in almost exact agreement with the Biblical date for the

Tower of Babel. Surely the confusion of tongues as recorded in

Genesis 11 sent thousands of people skilled in all the arts and

crafts of Mesopotamia to Egypt and elsewhere. Thus accord can be

seen between the sacred and the secular records by this indirect

evidence of the timetable of the civilizations of antiquity.

 

 

Writing and the Tower of Babel

It might be noted too that writing had its beginning in

Mesopotamia and may be related to the confusion of tongues. Sir

Leonard Wooley writes:(17) "All the archaeological evidence seems

to prove that true writing was first developed in southern

Mesopotamia." The timing for this event is given as 3500 to 3000

B.C. Gelb concludes:(18) "the date of the earliest Sumerian

writing should be set tentatively at about 3100 B.C."

The confusion of tongues in Sumer some time in the period

between 3150-2900 B.C. could well have been the catalyst that

produced writing. Before this dramatic civilization-splitting

event all was secure. Only one language was spoken in all the

world. Verbal communication was adequate and dependable. But

then came this fearful event that shook the very foundations of

this great civilization. Men could no longer understand each

other. There must be a better way. The application of the spoken

word to clay tablets would provide insurance that this kind of a

happening would never totally destroy a culture again. The clay

tablets would always prove to be the reference point. One surely

can see the possibility if not the probability of this connection

between writing and the Tower of Babel.

 

Conclusion

We thus see that the chronology of history established by

Biblical reckoning agrees rather satisfactorily with the

archaeological evidence of the earliest civilizations. The

Biblical timetable is of course the most reliable, for it is God's

Word. If we have properly interpreted it, it should make possible

a far more definitive analysis of the secular evidence than ever

before. It should also provide a dependable framework in which to

understand dating evidence such as that offered by radiometric

isotopes like carbon 14.

Hopefully, a perspective of history has been set forth that

shows that answers are potentially forthcoming when we begin with

the Biblical framework. The concept of a 13,000 year old world,

which began to be repopulated again after the flood some 7,000

years ago, and which 1,500 years later had grown to a point which

allowed the spawning of the first great cities, surely makes much

more sense than that of mankind being around for hundreds or even

thousands of millenniums, and then becoming a cohesive city

civilization only in the last 5,500 years. Furthermore, the

apparent possibility of the end of the age occurring in our time

also accords far better with the shorter timetable.

Admittedly, the first purpose of the Bible is not to be a

textbook of science or history. It is fundamentally a

presentation of God's grace revealed through Jesus Christ. But

when the Bible does speak in any field of learning, it does so

with great care, accuracy and authority. Three reasons might be

advanced for this: l. These subjects are often an integral part of

the plan of salvation; 2. they are part of God's message to man;

and 3. by reason of His very nature God is accurate when He

speaks. Therefore, it possibly has much more to offer than many

have supposed. I hope that others will be encouraged to build

upon the suggestions offered in this presentation.

 

 

A CALENDAR OF EVENTS IN BIBLICAL HISTORY

Events B.C.

CREATION. (about 13,000 years ago)...........................11013

CREATION OF ADAM.............................................11013

BIRTH OF SETH. Adam was 130 when Seth was born

(Gen. 5:6)...................................................10883

BIRTH OF ENOCH. Seth was 105 when Enoch was born

(Gen.5:6)....................................................10778

END OF ENOCH'S PERIOD 905 years after his birth

(Gen. 5:11) which is the year Kenan was born and

which began his period........................................9873

END OF KENAN'S PERIOD 910 years after his birth

(Gen. 5:14). This is the year Mahalaleel was born

and beginning of his period...................................8963

END OF MAHALALEEL'S PERIOD 895 years after his

birth (Gen.5:17). This is the year Jared was born

and beginning of his period...................................8068

END OF JARED'S PERIOD 962 years after his birth

(Gen.5:20). This is the year Enoch was born and

beginning of his period.......................................7106

END OF ENOCH'S PERIOD 365 years after his birth

(Gen. 5:23). This is the year Methuselah was born

and beginning of his period...................................6741

END OF METHUSELAH'S PERIOD 969 years after his

birth (Gen. 5:27). This is the year Lamech was

born and beginning of his period..............................5772

BIRTH OF NOAH. Lamech was 182 when Noah was

born (Gen. 5:28,29)...........................................5590

THE FLOOD (about 7,000 years ago). Noah was 600

when the flood came (Gen. 7:6)................................4990

DEATH OF SHEM 502 years after the flood

(Gen. 11:10,11). This is the year Arpachshad

was born and beginning of his period..........................4488

END OF ARPACHSHAD'S PERIOD 438 years after his

birth (Gen. 11:12,13). This is the year Shelah

was born and beginning of his period..........................4050

END OF SHELAH'S PERIOD 433 years after his birth

(Gen. 11:14,15). This is the year Eber was born

and beginning of his period...................................3617

END OF EBER'S PERIOD 464 years after his birth

(Gen. 11:16,17). This is the year Peleg was born

and beginning of his period...................................3153

TOWER OF BABEL

During Peleg's patriarchal period the division of

the continents occurred. The Tower of Babel must

have occurred between these dates (Gen. 10:25)...........3153-2914

END OF PELEG'S PERIOD 239 years after his birth

(Gen. 11:18,19). This is the year Reu was born

and beginning of his period...................................2914

END OF REU'S PERIOD 239 years after his birth

(Gen. 11:20,21). This is the year Serug was

born and beginning of his period..............................2675

END OF SERUG'S PERIOD 230 years after his

birth (Gen. 11:22,23). This is the year Nahor

was born and beginning of his period..........................2445

END OF NAHOR'S PERIOD 148 years after his

birth (Gen. 11:24,25). This is the year Terah

was born and beginning of his period..........................2297

BIRTH OF ABRAM TO TERAH. Terah was 130 years

old at birth of Abram.........................................2167

ABRAM ENTERED CANAAN..........................................2092

CIRCUMCISION OF ABRAHAM when he was 99

years of age..................................................2068

BIRTH OF ISAAC. Abraham was 100 years old at

birth of Isaac (Gen. 21:5)....................................2067

BIRTH OF JACOB. Isaac was 60 years old at birth

of Jacob (Gen. 25:26).........................................2007

1. Jacob arrives in Haran at the age of...........60

2. He works seven years for Rachel and is

then married to Rachel and Leah. He is then...67

3. Reuben is born to Leah the following year

when Jacob is..................................68

4. Simeon is born next to Leah when Jacob is......69

5. Levi is born next to Leah when Jacob is........70

6. Jacob finishes his second seven year

contract for Rachel when he is.................74

7. He works for wages for 20 years. In the

17th year of this period Joseph is born.

Jacob is.......................................91

8. At end of the 20 year period Joseph is

weaned and Jacob wishes to leave Haran. He is..94

9. He works six years longer for his flocks

and leaves Haran at age.......................100

JACOB'S FAMILY ARRIVES IN EGYPT when Jacob

is 130 (Gen. 47:9) 1877

 

The Chronological Sequence During the Egyptian Sojourn

Remembering that the death year of one patriarch coincides with

the birth year of the next, the result must look like this:

Levi's Time in Egypt (137 minus 60).......................77 Years

Kohath's Period of Patriarchal Leadership................133 Years

Amram's Period of Patriarchal Leadership.................137 Years

Aaron's Age at the Time of the Exodus (Exod. 7:7).........83 Years

Total....................................................430 Years

 

Historical Timetable of Pharaohs and Dynasties

1888 B.C. - Sesostris III became Pharaoh. He was part of the

Middle Kingdom or 12th Dynasty of Egypt. His father, Sesostris II,

probably had reigned during the previous 19 years and possibly

came to an untimely death.

1886 B.C. - Joseph became Prime Minister or Grand Vizier of Egypt

under Sesostris III.

1877 B.C. - The family of Joseph came to Egypt and took up

residence in the land of Goshen. The city of Avaris (Zoan in the

Bible), which later was called Tanis or Qantir, was their capital.

1850 B.C. - Sesostris III died after an exceedingly successful

reign of 38 years. He was succeeded by another great 12th Dynasty

Pharaoh named Amenemhet III. Under his reign Joseph continued as

Prime Minister. A canal bearing Joseph's name was constructed at

this time.

1806 B.C. - Joseph died.

1802 B.C. - Amenemhet III died after a 48 year reign. During his

reign Egypt was prosperous, tranquil and productive. He was

succeeded by Amenemhet IV who reigned for the brief period of 9

years. During his reign there was much internal strife for royal

supremacy.

1791 B.C. - Amenemhet IV died and was succeeded by the last

Pharaoh of the 12th Dynasty, Sebeknefrure.

1787 B.C. - Sebeknefrure's brief reign of 4 years ended and with

it ended the 12th Dynasty. The 13th Dynasty began. The reigns of

succeeding Pharaohs were short and the empire began to dissolve.

The Israelites, who no doubt are the "Hyksos" of Archaeological

fame, took advantage of the internal struggles to acquire a strong

hand in the Egyptian government and indeed some of them may have

reigned as Pharaohs during this period.

1580 B.C. (approx.) - Several dynasties have ruled over Egypt

since 1787 B.C. At this time Ahmose I began to reign as the first

king of the 18th Dynasty. He forcibly began to remove the

Israelites (Hyksos) from political power. The most war-like

Israelites were driven from the land and the Israelitish nation

began to be severely oppressed. Either this Pharaoh or a closely

succeeding Pharaoh such as Thutmose I could well have been the

king who "did not know Joseph" (Exod. 1:8).

1560 B.C. (approx.) - Ahmose I was followed by his son Amenhotep I

who consolidated the gains of his father.

1540-1535 B.C. (approx.) - Thutmose I began to reign as king. He

too was a continuation of the 18th Dynasty. He continued and

probably intensified the oppressive measures against the

Israelites, for he was ruling when Moses was born. His animosity

toward the Israelites was probably heightened by his troubles with

Palestine and Syria. His reign was followed by that of his son

Thutmose II.

1527 B.C. - Moses was born at a time when a royal edict condemned

all the boy babies to be destroyed. Princess Hatshepsut, a

daughter of the king, found him in the bulrushes and raised him as

her son.

1501 B.C. - Thutmose III began to reign as the greatest king of

the 18th Dynasty. For approximately the first 25 years of his

reign he was co-regent with Princess Hatshepsut. She regarded

herself as a king and was the dominant ruler during this

co-regency.

1487 B.C. - Moses fled from Egypt. King Hatshepsut, who had

raised him to be her son, sought to kill him because of his

evident loyalty for the Israelites.

1481 B.C. (approx.) - King Hatshepsut died and Thutmose III con-

tinued to reign until the time of the exodus.

Israel went out of Egypt (Thutmose III)........1447 B.C.

Israel entered into Canaan.....................1407 B.C.

EXODUS FROM EGYPT 430 years later

(Exod. 12:40)..............................1447 B.C.

ENTRANCE INTO CANAAN 40 years later........1407 B.C.

 

Chronology of the Judges B.C. Israel Chronology Years

The Exodus 1447

Entrance into Canaan 1407

Initial 40 year Period in 1407-1367 Land had rest 40

Canaan. During this

period the conquest of Land had rest 80

Canaan occurred under

Joshua and Othniel de-

livered Israel.

Next 80 Year Period in 1367-1287

Canaan. During this

Period Ehud and Shamgar

deliver Israel Land had rest 40

Next 40 year Period in 1287-1247

Canaan. Deborah and Land had rest 40

Barak were deliverers Abimelech rules 3

during this period

Gideon judged 1247-1207 Tola judged 23

Abimelech rules 1207-1204 Jair judged 22

Tola judged 1204-1181

Jair judged 1181-1159

Jephthah judged 1159-1153 Jephthah judged 6

Ibzan judged 1153-1146 Ibzan judged 7

Elon judged 1146-1136 Elon judged 10

Abon judged 1136-1128 Abon judged 8

Samson judged 1128-1108 Samson judged 20

Eli judged 1108-1068 Eli judged 40

Ark in Philistines' Hands 1068-1067 Ark captured 1

Samuel judged 1067-1047 Final period of

Saul reigned as king 1047-1007 Samuel 20

David reigned 1007- 967 360

Solomon reigned 971- 931

Foundation of temple

laid in fourth year of

Solomon's reign 967

------------------------------------------------

Note on Oppression By Heathen Power

Israel served Cushanrishathaim 8 years Judges 3:8

3:11

Israel served Eglon 18 years 3:14

3:30

Israel oppressed by Jabin 20 years 4:3

5:31

Israel in hand of Midian 7 years 6:1

8:28

9:22

10:2

10:3

Philistines oppressed Israel 18 years 10:8

12:7

12:9

12:11

12:14

Israel in hand of Philistines 40 years 13:1

15:20

I Samuel 4:18

6:1

______________

111 years

-------------------------------------

Events Date

Saul king 1047 B.C. (about 3,000 years ago)

David 1007 B.C.

Solomon 971 B.C.

Temple Foundation laid 967 B.C.

Solomon's temple con- 967 B.C.

struction began 480

years after exodus

(I Ki. 6:1)

Division of kingdom at 931 B.C.

death of Solomon 36

years later

-------------------------------------

 

Chronological Table of the Kings of the Divided Kingdom

JUDAH (2 Tribes)

King Reign Character

1. Rehoboam 931-913 B.C. (17 yrs ) Bad

2. Abijah 913-911 ( 3 yrs.) Bad

3. Asa 911-870 (41 yrs.) Good

4. Jehoshaphat 873-848* (25 yrs.) Good

5. Jehoram 853-841* ( 8 yrs.) Bad

6. Ahaziah 841 ( 1 yr. ) Bad

7. Athaliah 841-835 ( 6 yrs.) Bad

8. Joash 835-796 (40 yrs.) Good

9. Amaziah 796-767 (29 yrs.) Good

10.Azariah 792-740* (52 yrs.) Good

(or Uzziah)

11.Jotham 750-732* (16 yrs.) Good

12.Ahaz 735-716 (16 yrs.) Bad

13.Hezekiah 716-687 (29 yrs.) Good

14.Manasseh 697-643 Bad

15. Amon 643-641 ( 2 yrs.) Bad

16.Josiah 641-609 (31 yrs.) Good

17.Jehoahaz 609 ( 3 mo. ) Bad

18.Jehoiakim 609-598 (11 yrs.) Bad

(or Eliakim)

19.Jehoiachin 608-597* Bad

(or Coniah,

Jeconiah)

20.Zedekiah 597-587 Bad

(or Mattaniah)

(Destruction of Jerusalem and captivity of Judah)

* Co-regency

 

ISRAEL (10 Tribes)

King Reign Character

1. Jeroboam I 931-910 B.C. (22 yrs.) Bad

2. Nadab 910-909 ( 2 yrs.) Bad

3. Baasha 909-886 (24 yrs.) Bad

4. Elah 886-885 ( 2 yrs.) Bad

5. Zimri 885 ( 7 days) Bad

6. Tibni 885-880

7. Omri 885-874* (12 yrs.) Bad

8. Ahab 874-853 (22 yrs.) Bad

9. Ahaziah 853-852 ( 2 yrs.) Bad

10.Joram 852-841 (12 yrs.) Bad

11.Jehu 841-814 (28 yrs.) Bad

12.Jehoahaz 814-798 (17 yrs.) Bad

13.Jehoash 798-782 (16 yrs.) Bad

14.Jeroboam II 793-753* (41 yrs.) Bad

15.Zechariah 753-752 ( 6 mo. ) Bad

16.Shallum 752 ( l mo. ) Bad

17.Menahem 752-742 (10 yrs.) Bad

18.Pekahiah 742-740 ( 2 yrs,) Bad

19.Pekah 752-732* (20 yrs.) Bad

20.Hoshea 732-722 ( 9 yrs.) Bad

(Capture of Samaria and captivity of Israel)

Remnants of these 10 tribes joined

with nation of Judah, which is then called Israel.

* Co-regency

-----------------------------

Israel (10 tribes) destroyed 722 B.C.

Israel (Judah augmented by remnants from

10 tribes) subdued by Egypt 609 B.C.

Israel taken in to Babylonian captivity

and temple destroyed 587 B.C.

Babylonia conquered by Cyrus, king of

Medes and Persians (under Cyrus

first contingent of Jews returns to

Jerusalem) 539 B.C.

Temple partially rebuilt and rededicated 515 B.C.

Ezra returned to Jerusalem to reestablish law 458 B.C.

Rebuilding of wall by Nehemiah 445 B.C.

SILENCE

Christ was born 7 B.C.

Christ was baptized 29 A.D.

Christ died on cross 33 A.D.

Jerusalem destroyed by Romans 70 A.D.

 

 

REFERENCES

(1) Compare Genesis 7:13, 9:18 and I Peter 3:20

(2) Compare Genesis 11:27 ff, Genesis 12:4 and Acts 7:4

(3) For example, Genesis 10:21 describes Shem as "the father of

all children of Eber," though Eber is removed from Shem by

several generations (cf. Genesis 11:10-16)

(4) The fact that Jesus was born a few years earlier (probably 7

B.C.) does not diminish the force of this argument, for 1981

A.D. is in principle related only to Christ's birth date and

not to any other.

(5) Camping, Harold. Adam When? Ch. 3

(6) Ibid., ch. 6

(7) Thiele, Edwin R., The Mysterious Numbers of the Hebrew Kings,

Eerdmans, Rev. edition 1965, pg. 53,54. Much additional

support can be given to the accuracy of this date from the

reigns of three of the greatest of the Egyptian Pharaohs -

Sesostris III, Tuthmosis III and Rameses II. A discussion of

this is of course beyond the scope of this article.

(8) Camping, Harold; ch. 5

(9) Albright, William Foxwell; From the Stone Age to Christ-

ianity, Doubleday & Co., Inc. 1957, pg. 32

(10) Rowton, M. B., in The Cambridge Ancient History, Cambridge

University Press, 1964, pg. 57,58

(11) Camping, Harold, ch. 7

(12) Rawlinson, George, Egypt and Babylon, John W. Lovell Co.,

pg. 9

(13) Albright, pg. 142

(14) Ibid., pg. 157

(15) Ibid.

(16) Hayes, William C., The Cambridge Ancient History, 1964, pg. 4

(17) Wooley, Sir Leonard, The Beginnings of Civilization, The New

York American Library, 1965, pg. 364

(18) Gelb, A Study of Writing, pg. 63


Index of Preacher's Help and Notes

These documents are free from BelieversCafe.com, the complete christian resource site with more than 5000 webpages.