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The Biblical Timeline of History
Pastor Camping is a well intentioned
Spirit led man of God.
But like all of us, not infallible.
He never
said 1994 was the end of the era, only a possibility.
Too many read into
his words and love to condemn. In Christ, Jim Wylder 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 . 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
END OF ENOCH'S PERIOD old at birth of Abram.........................................2167 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 |
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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. 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 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 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
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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
death of Solomon 36 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, (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 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 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 ianity, Doubleday & Co., Inc. 1957, pg. 32 (10) Rowton, M. B., in The Cambridge Ancient History, Cambridge
University Press, 1964, pg. 57,58
pg. 9 York American Library, 1965, pg. 364 (18) Gelb, A Study of Writing, pg. 63. JW — fin — |
