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A '''Biblical chronology dispute''' regarding the [[Biblical chronology|chronology]] of specific events in the [[Bible]], and hence of the length of the history in the world, persists today. At least four different camps have made various assumptions concerning the interpretation of relevant [[Bible|Scripture]] and even the "best fit" of Scripture to the [[Archaeology|archaeological record]]. What follows below is a description of the four camps, and the assumption that each camp has made, followed by a synoptic comparative chronology illustrating the implications of the various positions. | |||
== The Disputed Era == | == The Disputed Era == | ||
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=== The Ussher Tradition === | === The Ussher Tradition === | ||
This camp takes its name from [[James Ussher]] and includes every Biblical scholar, including [[Floyd Nolan Jones]] and [[Larry Pierce]], who supports Ussher's original chronology. Followers of Ussher's tradition insist that the chronological data found in the Scriptures | This camp takes its name from [[James Ussher]] and includes every Biblical scholar, including [[Floyd Nolan Jones]] and [[Larry Pierce]], who supports Ussher's original chronology. Followers of Ussher's tradition insist that the chronological data found in the Scriptures are impeccable and unimpeachable, and that conflicting data from non-Biblical sources ''must'' give way to it.<ref name=Ussher>[[James Ussher]], ''[[The Annals of the World]]'', [[Larry Pierce]], ed., Green Forest, AR: Master Books, 2003 (ISBN 0890513600)</ref><ref name=Pierce>[[Larry Pierce]], "[http://www.answersingenesis.org/tj/v15/i1/chronology.asp Evidentialism–the Bible and Assyrian chronology]," ''TJ'' 15(1):62–68 April 2001. Retrieved April 30, 2007</ref> Several of the major creation ministries, such as Answers in Genesis, and The Creation Research Institute, follow the Ussher Tradition. | ||
The major chronological works of the Ussher tradition are: | The major chronological works of the Ussher tradition are: | ||
*James Ussher, Annals of the World, 1654 | *[[James Ussher]], ''[[The Annals of the World]]'', 1654 | ||
*Floyd Nolan Jones, The Chronology of the Old Testament, Master Books, 2005 | *Floyd Nolan Jones, ''The Chronology of the Old Testament'', Master Books, 2005 | ||
=== The Thiele Tradition === | === The Thiele Tradition === | ||
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Today, most evangelical scholars have joined the Thiele camp;<ref name=Wood>See, for example, Leon J. Wood, ''A Survey of Israel's History'', rev. ed. David O'Brien, Grand Rapids, MI: Academie Books, 1986 (ISBN 031034770X)</ref> however the same evangelical scholars have mostly embraced various forms of theistic evolution. Fulbright and other competitors of Thiele are regarded as less important.<ref>Fulbright himself was a member of the Late Date camp; Thiele accepted an early date for the [[Exodus of Israel]].</ref> The Thiele camp makes some of the most controversial recommendations known to Biblical scholarship, and the dispute between the Thiele and Ussher camps is perhaps the most bitter. | Today, most evangelical scholars have joined the Thiele camp;<ref name=Wood>See, for example, Leon J. Wood, ''A Survey of Israel's History'', rev. ed. David O'Brien, Grand Rapids, MI: Academie Books, 1986 (ISBN 031034770X)</ref> however the same evangelical scholars have mostly embraced various forms of theistic evolution. Fulbright and other competitors of Thiele are regarded as less important.<ref>Fulbright himself was a member of the Late Date camp; Thiele accepted an early date for the [[Exodus of Israel]].</ref> The Thiele camp makes some of the most controversial recommendations known to Biblical scholarship, and the dispute between the Thiele and Ussher camps is perhaps the most bitter. | ||
=== Variant Manuscript | === Long Chronology or Variant Manuscript Tradition === | ||
Several creationist scholars such as Lambert Dolphin base their chronologies on the Septuagint or the Samaritan Text of the Old Testament. These variant manuscripts add about 1500 years to the age of the world if a chronology is constructed from them using the same method as Ussher and others. | Several creationist scholars such as Lambert Dolphin base their chronologies on the Septuagint or the Samaritan Text of the Old Testament. These variant manuscripts add about 1500 years to the age of the world if a chronology is constructed from them using the same method as Ussher and others. | ||
== Points of Agreement == | == Points of Agreement == | ||
The various camps agree on a number of key facts: | The various camps agree on a number of key facts: | ||
# The genealogy in the [[Bible]] from [[Adam]] to [[Noah]], the date of the [[Global Flood]] in relation to [[Creation]], and the further genealogy from [[Shem]] son of Noah to [[Terah]] father of [[Abraham]], make a continuous timeline that | # The genealogy in the [[Bible]] from [[Adam]] to [[Noah]], the date of the [[Global Flood]] in relation to [[Creation]], and the further genealogy from [[Shem]] son of Noah to [[Terah]] father of [[Abraham]], make a continuous timeline that four of these camps accept virtually without question. The Long Chronology camp insists that the manuscripts other than the Septuagint skipped or omitted a number of generations. | ||
# The further genealogy from [[Abraham]] through [[Isaac]] and [[Jacob]] and his sons forms another unquestioned interval of time--though the date of the ''birth'' of Abraham is in dispute (see below). | # The further genealogy from [[Abraham]] through [[Isaac]] and [[Jacob]] and his sons forms another unquestioned interval of time--though the date of the ''birth'' of Abraham is in dispute (see below). | ||
# The groundbreaking of the [[Temple of Jerusalem]] took place in the 480th year following the [[Exodus of Israel]] from [[Egypt]]. This simple statement<ref>{{Bible ref|book=I_Kings|chap=6|verses=1}}</ref> ''does'' represent a point of dispute between | # The groundbreaking of the [[Temple of Jerusalem]] took place in the 480th year following the [[Exodus of Israel]] from [[Egypt]]. This simple statement<ref>{{Bible ref|book=I_Kings|chap=6|verses=1}}</ref> ''does'' represent a point of dispute between the Late Date Camp and the other four. Specifically, the Thiele and Ussher camps are only forty-five years apart on the date of the Exodus, while the Late Date Camp dates the Exodus in 1290 BC, 201 years later than Ussher and 156 years later than Thiele. This would, if it could be shown, compress the period of the [[Judges]] greatly. | ||
== Key Points of Dispute == | == Key Points of Dispute == | ||
As has been noted elsewhere, attempts to establish a universally acceptable equivalency between [[Anno Mundi]] dates and Before Christ dates have faltered because of inability to resolve disputes on certain key dates, or [[ | As has been noted elsewhere, attempts to establish a universally acceptable equivalency between [[Anno Mundi]] dates and Before Christ dates have faltered because of inability to resolve disputes on certain key dates, or [[epoch]]s, in [[Biblical chronology]] and [[Biblical genealogy]]. None of the camps dispute the order of the events in the world time line. What they dispute is the intervals between and among them. | ||
=== The Birth of Abraham === | === The Birth of Abraham === | ||
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Ussher's chief warrant for assuming this later date for Abraham's birth was the placement of the description of Abraham's departure after the account of Terah's death. He assumed that the Bible listed events in the order in which they took place. Modern Ussherites, among them [[Larry Pierce]], assume the same. But in addition, [[Stephen]], testifying before the [[Sanhedrin]] in [[Jerusalem]] at his [[blasphemy]] trial, said this of Abraham:{{Bible quote|Then came he out of the land of the [[Chaldea]]ns, and dwelt in Charran: and from thence, when his father was dead, he removed him into this land, wherein ye now dwell.|book=Acts|chap=7|verses=4|version=KJV}} | Ussher's chief warrant for assuming this later date for Abraham's birth was the placement of the description of Abraham's departure after the account of Terah's death. He assumed that the Bible listed events in the order in which they took place. Modern Ussherites, among them [[Larry Pierce]], assume the same. But in addition, [[Stephen]], testifying before the [[Sanhedrin]] in [[Jerusalem]] at his [[blasphemy]] trial, said this of Abraham:{{Bible quote|Then came he out of the land of the [[Chaldea]]ns, and dwelt in Charran: and from thence, when his father was dead, he removed him into this land, wherein ye now dwell.|book=Acts|chap=7|verses=4|version=KJV}} | ||
The key to supporting the late-birth assumption is further assuming that ''dead'' means only ''physically dead.'' Ample precedent exists for the listing of certain events out of their strict order of occurrence, and in a more logical grouping by the life of the person involved. {{Bible ref|book=Genesis|chap=5}} is a perfect example of this. One can see further examples in the King Lists in I and II Kings. But the key point that critics of the late-birth assumption make is that the phrase "when his father was dead" could refer to a ''spiritual'' death that [[God]] reckoned when Terah forgot his initial purpose in taking his family out of their home city of [[Ur of the Chaldees]]. | The key to supporting the late-birth assumption is further assuming that ''dead'' means only ''physically dead.'' Ample precedent exists for the listing of certain events out of their strict order of occurrence, and in a more logical grouping by the life of the person involved. {{Bible ref|book=Genesis|chap=5}} is a perfect example of this. One can see further examples in the King Lists in I and II Kings. But the key point that critics of the late-birth assumption make is that the phrase "when his father was dead" could refer to a ''spiritual'' death that [[God]] reckoned when Terah forgot his initial purpose in taking his family out of their home city of [[Ur of the Chaldees]]. By that reckoning, Terah ''might as well have been dead'' as far as Abraham's spiritual destiny was concerned, and even as far as God Himself was concerned. God told Abraham to go, and he went--because Abraham was faithful and Terah wasn't. | ||
=== The Sojourn in Egypt === | === The Sojourn in Egypt === | ||
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The Late Date camp asserts that the Exodus occurred late in the history of [[Egypt]] mostly on [[Archaeology|archaeological]] grounds. Some Late Date theorists argue that the references to the cities of [[Pithom]] and [[Pi-Ramesses]] in {{Bible ref|book=Exodus|chap=1|verses=11}} force a late date, because those cities, by those names, did not exist in the 15th century BC.<ref name=Dyer/><ref name=Moore/><ref name=Partin/><ref name=Bratcher/> Dyer says that this argument can hardly be conclusive, because even the late date would have the city of Ramesses built ''before'' [[Ramesses II]] took the throne, even under the assumptions of conventional [[Egyptian chronology]].<ref name=Dyer/> | The Late Date camp asserts that the Exodus occurred late in the history of [[Egypt]] mostly on [[Archaeology|archaeological]] grounds. Some Late Date theorists argue that the references to the cities of [[Pithom]] and [[Pi-Ramesses]] in {{Bible ref|book=Exodus|chap=1|verses=11}} force a late date, because those cities, by those names, did not exist in the 15th century BC.<ref name=Dyer/><ref name=Moore/><ref name=Partin/><ref name=Bratcher/> Dyer says that this argument can hardly be conclusive, because even the late date would have the city of Ramesses built ''before'' [[Ramesses II]] took the throne, even under the assumptions of conventional [[Egyptian chronology]].<ref name=Dyer/> | ||
The other | The other four camps stand on {{Bible ref|book=I_Kings|chap=6|verses=1}}. Late-date theorists cannot and do not attempt to square this simple statement--that the Temple was built exactly 480 years after the Exodus--with archaeological findings that, to some, suggest that the Exodus and the Temple groundbreaking occurred closer together in time. Instead, they simply assert that the literal reading cannot be trusted, on grounds that their opponents find highly tenuous at best.<ref name=Dyer/> | ||
=== The Chronology of the United and Divided Kingdoms === | === The Chronology of the United and Divided Kingdoms === | ||
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# Assuming that Pekah and [[Menahem]] began their reigns together and that Pekah simply wiped out the short-lived "House" of Menahem after building a rebel power base for twelve of the twenty years he is supposed to have reigned. | # Assuming that Pekah and [[Menahem]] began their reigns together and that Pekah simply wiped out the short-lived "House" of Menahem after building a rebel power base for twelve of the twenty years he is supposed to have reigned. | ||
Thiele also greatly compressed and telescoped the reigns of [[Amaziah]], [[Uzziah]], and [[Jotham]] of the [[Southern Kingdom]] to force them to | Thiele also greatly compressed and telescoped the reigns of [[Amaziah]], [[Uzziah]], and [[Jotham]] of the [[Southern Kingdom]] to force them to synchronize with this reworked chronology of the Northern Kingdom.<ref name=Holman>"Chronology of the Biblical Period," in ''Holman Illustrated Bible Dictionary,'' Chad Brand, Charles Draper, Archie England, ''et al.'', eds., Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers, 2003, pp. 291-5 ISBN 0-80542-836-4</ref> | ||
Ussherites contend that while Ussher assumed the primacy of Scripture, Thiele assumed the primacy of secular historical records (what Ussher called "profane history"). Pierce in particular contends that Thiele had no | Ussherites contend that while Ussher assumed the primacy of Scripture, Thiele assumed the primacy of secular historical records (what Ussher called "profane history"). Pierce in particular contends that Thiele had no grounds, according to the accepted canons of Biblical scholarship, to impart different meanings to verses that follow the same pattern without sufficient reason--an argument that [[Occam's razor|William of Occam]] might have made. Even if Thiele did have such grounds, Pierce maintains that Thiele's clues, such as they are, are not even grounded in anything approaching certainty. Ussherites also question Thiele's math--for example, Thiele seems to have assumed that Uzziah, whom II Kings states was 16 years old when he began to reign, was granted a viceroyship fully eight years before he was born! A later disciple of Thiele then claimed that what Thiele actually meant was that Uzziah became ''viceroy'' at sixteen, not ''sole ruler'' at sixteen. But McFall, according to Pierce, then proceeded to alter the text of Scripture itself,<ref>{{Bible ref|book=II_Kings|chap=14|verses=21}} and {{Bible ref|book=II_Chronicles|chap=26|verses=1}}</ref> a proposition Pierce denounced as outrageous. | ||
== A Synoptic Table == | == A Synoptic Table == | ||
The following synopsis (literally, a "view together") makes the following assumptions: | The following synopsis (literally, a "view together") makes the following assumptions: | ||
# The [[Global Flood]] occurred 1656 years following [[Creation]], a point on which | # The [[Global Flood]] occurred 1656 years following [[Creation]], a point on which four of the five camps agree.<ref>The Late Date camp includes many theorists who reject either the historicity or the extent of the [[Global Flood]].</ref> | ||
# The Temple groundbreaking occurred exactly 479 years following the [[Exodus of Israel]], another point of general agreement. | # The Temple groundbreaking occurred exactly 479 years following the [[Exodus of Israel]], another point of general agreement. | ||
Each [[ | Each [[epoch]]al event has listed with it the relevant Biblical authority and sixteen dates, alternating between AM and BC. | ||
* Ussher and Thiele columns use Ussher's or Thiele's chronology, respectively, of the Divided Kingdoms. | * Ussher and Thiele columns use Ussher's or Thiele's chronology, respectively, of the Divided Kingdoms. | ||
