UC-NRLF B 3 37M 7TD IHR U HI i! Will ■MPI'I'l^^i'^^i' /') I W f li M AI -fir"V fiF.XHE, I iiiiii 1 iilili' Hitrtntiimnmt ntt ii Mtittmi i m i iiaiiiiiiiiiluMuiiMiiiuiiiumm wMiiiiiil LIBRARY OF THE University of California. Gl FT OF Class ^<»-**-vwi l-'^t-'a^-t.c*,^^ ^^ /^^<^ M7 ^-^^"^ AtrcHiNCLoss' Chronology HOLT BIBLE INTRODUCTION BY A. H. SAYCE, LL.D. PROFESSOR OF ASSYRIOLOGY, QUEEN's COLLEGE, OXFORD, ENGLAND NEW YORK FOB SALB BY D. VAN NOSTRAND COMPANY 1908 Copyright 1908 BY W. S. AUCHINCLOSS DORNAN, PRINTER PHILADELPHIA j^nvER^^"^^ Chronology is the skeleton of history, and before a history of Israel can be written it is necessary that we should have some system of chronology to which to attach it. Light has been thrown upon the chronology of the Old Testament by recent discoveries in Egypt and Assyria, but the application of these discoveries must be preceded by a thorough examination of what the Old Testament itself has to tell us upon the subject. Older chronological schemes like those of Usher or Hales have long since been discredited, and the time has come for a scheme that will better suit the critical requirements of today. Such a scheme is presented by Mr. Auchincloss, whose book contains an exhaus- tive account of the chronological data of the Old Testament. The student will find in it not only all the materials needed by the chronologist, but also a combination of them into a consistent and scientifically checked system. No pains have been spared to make the work at once complete and clear, and the tables have been supplemented by a chronological index which will much facilitate their use. From the reign of Rehoboam onward, Judseo-Israelitish chronology ought to offer little difficulty. The compiler of the book of Kings had dated annals before him, and it might have been supposed, therefore, that the chronology of the period ( iii ) would have been accurately known. On the contrary, however, it has been the despair of later chronologists, and the decipher- ment of the Assyrian inscriptions has shown that the sum-total as given by the compiler is about forty years in excess. ]Mr. Auchincloss has now pointed out how this has come about. The Hebrew writer has gone wrong in trying to ''balance accounts.'^ He has struck out twenty-seven years from the reigns of the Judah's kings, and nine years from the reigns of Israel's kings. Before the reign of Rehoboam the chronological problem is less simple. Mr. Shaw Caldecott has lately made it clear that Solomon's palace was destroyed by Shishak when he sacked Jerusalem in the fifth year of Rehoboam ; whatever annals were kept in it would have been destroyed also. Hence it is that the fragments of the annals of David's reign preserved in ii Sam. VIII and X are not dated, and that the annals of Solomon's reign are not given at all. That such annals once existed, how- ever, is certain. A yearly chronicle of events was kept in Egypt and Babylonia from the earliest period, and a papyrus of the Davidic age, now at St. Petersburg, shows that a similar chronicle was kept in the Phoenician cities, while the name of the "Recorder," that is, of the Registrar of the state annals, whose duty it was to record the chief events of each year of a king's reign, is given for the reigns of both David and Solomon [ii Sam. VIII, 16; xx, 24; i Kings, IV, 3]. What the capture of Jerusalem by Shishak did for the state annals of David and Solomon the destruction of the national Sanctuary at Shiloh by the Philistines did for the earlier chronicles of the Hebrew people. Exact chronological notices like that of the duration of Chushan-rishathaim's rule [Judges iii, €] show that chronological records of the age of the Judges must have been preserved in other places besides Shiloh. Moreover, while the official annals of David and Solomon would have been (iv) inscribed upon papyrus, or parchment, in the Hebrew language and characters^ those of the age of the Judges (as has now been made clear by archaeological discovery) would have been upon clay tablets and in the cuneiform characters of Babylonia. Since the clay tablets are practically indestructible, it is prob- able that they are still lying under the ruins of the Hebrew Sanctuary at Shiloh awaiting the spade of the excavator to bring them again to light. The papyrus records of the Jewish kings, on the other hand, will have perished in the conflagration of the archive-chamber in which they were kept. o^ 6/. //• u <^ (V) PREFACE This investigation of Bible Chronology is entirely new and original. It has brought to light a system of dates in every case more reliable than any heretofore employed, whose authority rests absolutely on the numerical statements of the Holy Bible, regardless of all other sources of information. It is offered as a substitute for the Usher system, which has outlived its usefulness. The great beauty of the Bible record is that, together with historical data of the most varied character, it supplies a com- plete set of checks and counter-checks for its numerical state- ments.^ These have been the means of preserving the original sense and integrity of the text amid possible errors of translators and copyists^ so that at the present day we are able to steer a straight course through the seas of antiquity with every assur- ance of certainty and at the end of the course to present an unbroken chronology which spans fifty-three centuries. The Bible record is simply a marvel ! Matchless and perfect in all its parts. W. S. AUCHINCLOSS. (vii) f OF THE r'^^'lVERSITV Of CONTENTS PAGE Introduction by Professor A. H. Sayce, LL.D 3 Preface 7 PART I. Data Assembled and Analyzed ... 9-30 PART II. JOSEPHUS AND CHRONOLOGY 31-38 PART III. Bible Chronology 39-51 PART IV. Israel and Chronology . 51-58 PART V. Assyria and Chronology 59-68 PART VI. Bible Dates and Julian Calendar 69-75 PART VII. Chronological Index 75-98 (ix) CHKONOLOGY OF THE HOLY BIBLE. ' The Bible Is not a work on Chronology any more than it is a treatise on astronomy or physics. We therefore approach it in the wrong spirit when we expect to find a list of reigns arranged with the precision characteristic of any history of England where years, months and days are minutely stated. On the contrary the Bible scarcely takes notice of months and days but deals in full years, merging odd months with the reign preceding or fol- lowing, consequently the true length must be determined by historic conditions found in the Bible, before the count can proceed. Our first duty then will be to ferret out the unknown quantities and use them in connection with the known. By this means, the full current of Scripture light will be turned on to the Grand Avenue of Bible history, and all occasion for stumbling or perplexity will be removed. The first obstacle encountered in constructing a continuous record is found in the life of the prophet Samuel. ''Stop right here !" some one will exclaim; "you may search the Bible from cover to cover and you cannot find any mention of how many years Samuel bore supreme rule in Israel !" — We say: — Granted ! but the Scripture gives you all the data neces- sary for determining that period, and why ask more, when you can figure it for yourself ? We find that:— Samuel ^s Leadership. Acts 13, 20 From division of land to reign of Saul was 450 years Judges 11. 26 '' " " " " Jephthah " 300 " Consequently from Jephthah to Saul - - 150 years (7) 8 CHRONOLOGY OF THE HOLY BIBLE Brought forward ( From Jephthah to Saul ) Judges 12, 7 Now Jephthah judged Israel for 12, 9 Ibzan " ' 12, 11 Elon 12, 14 Abdon 13, 1 Philistines ruled " 15, 20 Samson judged " 5am. 4, 18 EH 150 years 6 yrs. 7 (I 10 " 8 " 20 (( 20 (( 40 (( From Jephthah to Samuel was Ill years Therefore Samuel ruled Israel for 39 years ^'^ This demonstration beautifully illustrates the necessity of treat- ing the Bible as a whole and comparing Scripture with Scripture. Evidently without the book of Acts, no one could ever have known how many years Samuel ruled, and for that matter, how many years Saul was on the throne of Israel. But the book of Acts in conjunction with Judges and Samuel, reveal the whole truth in regard to both reigns. JOSHUA AND THE ELDERS. Every true patriot loves to celebrate the anniversaries of his fatherland, he also places special emphasis on Centennial occa- sions. The children of Israel were no exception to the rule, only their periods of celebration seem to have been 40 years long and were patterned after their years in the wilderness. We think their first celebration was described in the 23rd chap, of Joshua, where it is said: — "And it came to pass a long time after that the Lord had given rest unto Israel from all their enemies round about, that Joshua waxed old and stricken in age." The 24th chap, gives in part Joshua's valedictory address in which he reminded them: — " Ye dwelt in the Wilderness a long time." JOSHUA AND THE ELDERS 9 If this conjecture is true, then we know that Joshua was 25 years old when Israel left Sinai for Canaan, 64 years when they crossed the Jordan, 70 years when the land was divided and 110 years at the time of his valedictory address. We are supported in this contention by several passages: — "And he turned again into the camp; but his servant Joshua, the son of Nun, a young man departed not out of the Tabernacle." [Exodus 33, 11.] "And Joshua, the sun of Nun, the servant of Moses, one of his young men, answered and said." [Num. li, 28.] Caleb, the son of Jephunneh, testified when the land was divided : — Joshua 14, 10.- "Now, lo, I am this day fourscore and five years old." Num. 13, 3o.-Observe how the mob paid respect to Caleb's age. Caleb's name is mentioned before Joshua's, Caleb being 40 when Joshua was 25. [Num. 32, 12.] It follows that the entire time from the division of the land to the death of Joshua was about 40 years, and the first anniversary celebration took place just before Joshua dehvered his valedictory oration and charged the people to choose that day whom they would serve. During those 40 years Joshua built the city of Timnath-serah in Mount Ephraim and dwelt therein. [Joshua. 19, 50 ] This division of time left 20 years for the Elders who outlived Joshua. [Joshua. 24, 31.] Those 20 years are graphically described in the last 5 chapters of the book of Judges, while the weakness of the government also the lack of unity among the people, are clearly shown in Judges 17, 6 where it says: — "In those days there was no King in Israel, but every man did that which was right in his own eyes." We see therefore, that the times were so out of joint that a grand national celebration would have been an impossibility hence we contend that the first celebration took place during Joshua's lifetime and that we have rightly located the death of 10 CHRONOLOGY OF THE HOLY BIBLE Joshua exactly forty years after the division of the land. Only a strong leader beloved by the nation — as was Joshua — could enlist the interest of all and bring all to unite in such a patriotic demonstration. The Elders who outlived Joshua were undoubt- edly the Pioneers of Canaan. Their age supplies another confirmation of the fact that they only survived their great leader by 20 years. ]\Ioses tells us — Num. 32, 11 — that the Hebrew youth reached their majority at 20 years, consequently the Pioneers could not have been less than 20 years old when the land was divided. As to the maximum of average life we read — Psalm 90, 10 — that it reached a period of 80 years. These limitations give us the following relative ages: — Joshua was : — The Elders were 64 years okl . "When Israel crossed the Jordan . 14 vears old 70 " " " the land was divided . . 20 " 110 " " . At time Joshua died 60 " When the Elders died .... SO '' " Thus in two ways we reach the same conclusion, viz. — that the Elders or Pioneers of Canaan outlived their great leader by 20 years. DIVISION OF THE LAND. The history of Caleb the son of Jephunneh supplies us with a knowledge of the time spent in Canaan before the land was divided among the people. Since Caleb was 40 years old when Israel left Sinai, he was 39 years old when they left Egypt. We have then — Josh. 14, 10 Caleb's age when land was divided . So years Josh. 14, 7 " " at time of the Exodus . 39 Exod. 16, 35 Caleb dwelt in the Wilderness . . . 40 79 Total 6 years Thus we learn that the land was divided 6 years after Israel crossed the Jordan. DIVISION OF THE LAND 11 WILDERNESS MEMORIALS. The experience of Israel in the Wilderness made such a deep impression on the mind of the nation, that for 200 years they continued to observe memorial exercises. The division of land took place B.C. 1431 1st Memorial celebrated by Joshua .... " 1391 2nd " was omitted " 1351 3rd *' time of Deborah " 1311 4th " " Jair " 1271 5th " *' Jephthah " 1231 They had the best of reasons for omitting the 2nd Memorial, because from B.C. 1359 to 1341, a period of 18 years, Israel served the King of Moab. It is significant, however, that they preserved their count with that of the 3rd Memorial and speak of the time as having been 80 years. The record runs as follows: — Joshua 1, 13 "Your God hath given you rest and hath given you this land.'* Judges 3, 11 "And the land had rest" 40 years 3, 30 "And the land had rest" 80 ** 5, 31 "And the land had rest" 40 " " 8, 28 "And the country was in quietness" 40 " Total 200 y ears These 200 years carry us from the division of the land by Joshua over to the first year of Jephthah, when the Ammonites questioned the title of Israel to the land itself. We accept this Scripture record as our guide and modify two other statements accordingly: — Judges 11, 26 Will then read 200 years instead of 300 years. Acts 13, 20 Will then read 350 years instead of 450 years. Please note in this connection that the modification has no effect on the computed age of Samuel. It still remains a fact, that he ruled Israel for 39 years. 12 CHRONOLOGY OF THE HOLY BIBLE One other way remains, for showing how necessary it is to abate the 100 years in question: — Judges 11, 26 Acts 13, 20 From division of land to Jephthah . . 300 yrs. " Jephthah to Saul 450—300 ... 150 " 1st Result:— Canaan to Saul . 450 yrs. I Kin. 6, 1 From Exodus to building of Temple 479 Exodus 16, 35 In the wilderness . . . 40 Josh.l4, 7, 10 To division of land . G Acts 13, 21 Saul reigned . . . . 40 I Kin. 2, 11 David " ... . 40 I Kin. 6, 1 To "4th yr. of Solomc 2nd Result:— Can m" 3 129 aan to Saul Difference 350 100 yrs. Thus w^e get two statements of time, from division of land to reign of Saul, differing by 100 years. Both cannot be right, therefore the 100 years must be stricken out as stated above. OTHNIEL, EHUD, SHMIGAR, DEBORAH, GIDEON. These five judges ruled in stirring times but only for short periods. The Bible is silent as to how long each one adminis- tered the government, but it does say: — "The Lord raised up Judges, which delivered them out of the hand of those that spoiled them. And yet they would not hearken unto their judges but turned quickly out of the way which their fathers walked in." [Judges 2, le, 17.] A little farther on, it will be shown, on the basis of 60 years for Joshua and the Elders, that the combined rule of the 5 judges was 20 years, which gives an average of 4 years to each judge. Owing to the absence of exact periods, we shall take this average as our guide in locating their respective administrations. Of course any grouping of numbers with 20 for its total, such as: — 3, 5, 2, 6, 4, would answer the purpose but the variations in distribution would be too slight for notice. OTHNIEL, EHUD, SHAMGAR, DEBORAH, GIDEON 13 SERVITUDES. Strange to say, some writers count the administration of Othniel, Ehud, Shamgar, Deborah and Gideon as having lasted 200 years and wipe out the servitudes, making them equal to zero, on the assumption that only "years of Divine favor" should enter into the problem. They contend that the others were "blotted out" and no longer remembered. This is very beautiful in theory, but it is poor mathematics. True, it disposes of unwelcome numbers, but after all, the years came and went just like ordinary years and unquestionably entered into the lives of Salmon, Boaz, Obed, and Jesse the father of David. Now it is a well known fact that Nahshon, the father of Salmon, died before Israel crossed the Jordan, also that from the Crossing to the birth of David was by least calculation 366 years. After Salmon came Boaz, Obed and Jesse, making 4 generations from Jordan to David with an average of about 90 years to a gener- ation. This figure is wholly within the bounds of reason for we are told that Jacob had two sons after he was 90 years old and that Abraham had 6 sons after he was 100 years old. But when we are asked to believe that the 4 generations — Salmon, Boaz, Obed, Jesse — averaged say 135 years to a generation we say decidedly. No ! — because the oldest men of those times were Levi 137— Kohath 133— Amram 137— Moses 120 and Jehoiada 130. Even 90 years cannot be accepted as the average length, be- cause the genealogies of Asaph, Heman and Jeduthan show distinctly an average of about 30 years to a generation and on that basis, it is evident that 8 names have been omitted be- tween Salmon and Boaz. This is easily accounted for by the loss of records when Shiloh fell and the Ark was taken in B.C. 1121. Whence we learn that Boaz should be regarded as a descendant of Salmon and not as his own son. 14 CHRONOLOGY OF THE HOLY BIBLE EXODUS TO THE TEMPLE. We give below a list of those who bore rule from the Exodus to the kingdom, and add to the same the 83 years from the kingdom to the Temple. Summary. Joshua 5, 6 " 14, 10 Judges I Sam. 24,31 3,8 3,11 3, 14 3,30 4,3 5,31 6,1 8,28 9,22 10,2 10,3 10,8 12,7 12,9 12,11 12, 14 13,1 15,20 4,18 See page 8 ]\Ioses ruled The land divided at the end of Joshua and "The Elders" .... Servitude to Mesopotamia .... Othniel Servitude to Moabites Ehud and Shamgar Servitude to Canaanites . . . . Deborah Servitude to INIidianites Gideon Abimelech ruled Tola " Jair " Servitude to Philistines and Ammonites Jephthah ruled Ibzan Elon Abdon Servitude to Philistines [40-20] Samson ruled Eh " Samuel " EXODUS TO THE KINGDOM r Saul 40 yrs To Temple } David 40 " ( Solomon 3 " 40 vears 60 " 8 " 4 " 18 " 20 4 7 4 3 23 22 19 10 8 20 20 40 39 396 yrs 46 200 150 83 EXODUS TO THE TEMPLE 479 "And it came to pass in the 480th year [479 years having gone by] after the children of Israel were come out of Egypt that they began to build the house of the Lord." [i Kings 6, i] EXODUS TO THE TEMPLE 15 SAUL'S 31sT AND 32nd YEARS. Another cause of perplexity, and one quite familiar to proof- readers, arises when in order to preserve the consistency of the text something must be supplied. For example, in keeping with I Kin. 16, 8 we supply twentieth for the word ''thirtieth" in II Chron. 16, 1 — 15, 19. — In harmony with ii Kin. 8, 26 we supply twenty for the word ''forty" in ii Chron. 22, 2. Supported by II Kin. 24, 8 we supply eighteen for the word "eight" in II Chron. 36, 9. Again, when Saul was chosen king we are told that he was: — "a choice young man, and a goodly ; and there was not among the children of Israel a goodlier person than he; from his shoulders and upward he was higher than any of the people." [i Samuel 9, 2.] However, he was so bashful that at the critical moment when Samuel was ready to make him king, Saul hid himself "among the stuff." A little farther on we read: — "Saul reigned ( ) one year; and when he had reigned ( ) two years over Israel, Saul chose him 3000 men;" placed 1000 under Jonathan in Gibeah and retained 2000 in Michmash under his own command. U Samuel 13, i.J So sudden a transition is very surprising but the same old treatment applies: — " search the scriptures " — and all will become plain as daylight. Turn to ii Samuel 2, 10 and you will learn that Saul's 2nd son — ^Ish-bosheth — was 40 years old when Saul died, he therefore was born the same year that Saul was made king. But the elder brother, Jonathan, was born at least one year before Ish-bosheth, so that Saul came to the kingdom as the father of two boys and not as a mere callow youth. Read now the account of Jonathan's deeds of valor and you will not err if you supply the numeral 30. The text will then read : — "Saul reigned (thirty) one years; and when he had reigned (thirty) two years over Israel, Saul chose him 3000 men;" placed 1000 under Jonathan in Gibeah and retained 2000 in Michmash under his own command. 16 CHRONOLOGY OF THE HOLY BIBLE Thus we realize that Scripture will always explain itself. LAST 4 YEARS OF ABSALOM. Superfluous figures as well as omissions occur in the experience of proofreaders. A case in point is afforded by : — n Samuei 15, 7. "And it came to pass after 40 years, that Absalom said unto the king," &c. Here, a cypher has mysteriously entered the account, for the passage should have read: — "After 4 years, that Absalom said unto the king." This correction rests on the authority of the Greek text, which reads : — "After 4 years Absalom said unto the king." Also on the authority of Josephus who says: — Antq. vii. 9, 1. "But when 4 years had passed." Besides, Absalom's history goes to show that his entire life barely exceeded 30 years, so that 40 years would have been an impossibility. GRANDFATHER— GRANDCHILD. The Old Testament, when giving the name of a child, once removed, makes no use of the modern prefix ''grand." With it, a grandson is simply a son; and a granddaughter simply a daughter. It is important to bear this distinction in mind when locating the characters chronologically. We read frequently of Jehu the son of Nimshi [iKin. 19, 16], when in truth his father was named Jehoshaphat, and his grandfather Nimshi. [n Kin. 9, 2.] Then again Athaliah the daughter of Omri [n Chron. 22, 2] was in reaUty the daughter of Aliab and granddaughter of Omri. [II Chron. 21,6.] Although Mcphiboshcth was called the son of KINGS OF ISRAEL 17 Saul [ii Sam. 19, 24], he was the son of Jonathan and grandson of Saul, [ii Sam. 4, 4.] In like manner Nebuchadnezzar was the grandfather of Belshazzar and Nabonidus the father. [Dan. 5, ii.l Achan, according to Joshua 22, 20, was the ''Son of Zerah," but in reality he was the great-grandson of Zerah as explained in Joshua 7, IS. The careful reader, however, will supply the prefix "grand" as the occasion may require. KINGS OF ISRAEL. The list of Israel's monarchs marshals before the inquirer an array of 495 years extending from the coronation of Saul to the burning of Jerusalem by Nebuchadnezzar. The period may be divided into three parts: — Chronologically speaking, the reigns of Saul, David and Solomon present no difficulties. The same is true of the time when Judah alone was a nation, but many look upon the time when Israel and Judah were separate kingdoms, as a most perplexing period, in fact an enigma. • We purpose to give special attention to the supposed diffi- culties and to show that the Bible record is perfectly consistent and as plain as A B C. In describing the reigns of the various kings the Bible presents the subject in a two-fold manner. One record deals with totals, as for instance — "Asa reigned 24 years" — the other record places limitations, for example — ^Asa began to reign in the 20th year of Jeroboam and died in the 4th year of Ahab. The latter way of presenting the subject invariably yields the best results. Then again the Bible indicates the presence of regencies, as the result of old age, of a severe fall, of incapacity, and of leprosy, but takes no pains to put the enumerator on his guard against the error of a double count. Every careful accountant, however, as a matter of course, will search out as many checks as possible and apply them to the work in hand. 18 CHRONOLOGY OF THE HOLY BIBLE With these general features in mind, we have made a geo- metrical plotting of each year from B.C. 961 to 721, have studied every event in its historical setting and arrived at the following figures, which can be accepted as the true length of each king's reign. THE KINGDOM. ( From Salt, to Zedekiah.) Acts 13, 21 Saul reigned 40 years I Kin. 2, 11 David 40 11 " 11,42 Solomon " 40 cc 1 00 " 12,16 Rchoboam " 18 (( " 15,1 Abijah " 2 it " 15,9 Asa 42 (( " 22,41 Jehoshaphat reigned .... 23 (( nlvin. 8, 16 Jehoram (Regent 2) 6 (( " 9, 29 Aliaziah " 1 i( " 11,3 Athaliah " 6 " " 12, 1 Joash reigned 39 (( " 14, 1,17 Amaziah " . Uzziah " 14 53 (I 11 " 14,21,17 (Regent 15 vrs.) . " 15, 32 Jotham " (Regent 14 yrs.) . 15 (C " 16,1 Ahaz 15 cc " 18,10 6th Hezekiah 6 a - 240 " 18,2 29tli " 23 cc " 21,1 Manasseh reigned 56 cc " 21,19 Am on " 2 cc " 22, 1 Josiah " 31 cc " 23,31 Jehoahaz " . . . say % cc " 23,36 Jehoiakim " 11 (C " 24,8 Jehoiachin " sav K cc " 24,18 Zedekiah . . Total . 11 cc 135 - • • 495 THE TWO KINGDOMS 19 YEARS OF ACTIVE RULE. (Regardless of Regencies.) References JUDAH -2 References ISRAEL 1 ^^" >* H ^^" H I Kin. 12, 16 Rehoboam 18 I Kin. 12,16 Jeroboam I 22 15, 1 Abijah 2 " 15,25 Nadab 1 15,9 Asa 42 " 15,33 Baasha 23 22, 41 Jehoshaphat 23 " 16,8 Elah and Zimri 1 II Kin. 8, 16 Jehoram 6 " 16,22,23 Tibni and Omri 11 9, 29 Ahaziah 1 a 16,29 22,51 Ahab Ahaziah 21 1 ^^^^^ 9? 11 Kin. 1,17,3,1 Joram 12 CHANGE OF RULERS AFTER YEARS 99. II Kin. 11,3 Athaliah 6 II Kin. 9,27 Jehu 29 12, 1 Joash 39 " 13,1 Jehoahaz 14 " 14, 1, 17 Amaziah 14 59 " 13,10 Joash 16 PTTA'NTmT' nv RULERS AFTER Uzziah YEARS 59 II Kin. 14, 21, 17 53 II Kin. 14,23 Jeroboam 11 38 15,32 Jotham 15 u 15,8 15,8 Zachariah and Shalhim 1 16, 1 Ahaz 15 " 15,17 Menahem 10 18, 10 6th Hezekiah 6 li 15,23 16,1 17,1 Pekahiah Pekah 2 29 ^-""^ 89 (( 17,1 Hoshea 9 89 JUDAH'S Total .... 240 ISRAE L'S Total . . . . 240 It will be noted, that the figures take a fresh start after each simultaneous change of rulers. This feature affords an excel- lent check upon the work. No lapses of government occurred during the entire period, consequently there were no "interreg- nums. 20 CHRONOLOGY OF THE HOLY BIBLE REGENCIES. There are four regencies found in the history of Judah and Israel's kings which appear in the following list: 1st. — Jehoran was made Regent 2 years before his father died. 2nd. — Joram " " 6 " " brother " 3r(l. — Uzziah " " 15 " " father " 4th. — Jotham '' " 14 These supplemental governments are largely responsible for difficulties in chronology, because in effect they introduced a double count, which at last prompted the sacred writer to try and balance his accounts, a process which only made matters worse, because it did not remove the disturbing cause. Among the regencies, those of Uzziah and Jotham are the most complex and are thought worthy of special mention. Amaziah reigned alone from Uzziah reigned as regent from Amaziah died in . Uzziah's active reign ran from Jotham reigned as regent Uzziah died in ... . B.C. 824 to 810—14 yrs. " 810 to 795— 15 " B.C. 795 " 810 to 757—53 " " 757 to 743—14 " B.C. 743 UNBALANCED ACCOUNTS. We are now safely across the 240 years of divided kingdom, have reached solid ground and have settled every reign on its true basis. We are therefore in a position to review profitably the numerical work of the writer of the Book of King^s and to sympathize with him in the difficulties that beset his path, for undoubtedly many valuable records of the Sanctuary were destroyed when the Philistines burnt the town of Shiloh — 1121 — and carried away the Ark of the Covenant. We know not what books of reference lay before him, but cannot go far astray if we count the following list as part of the number : TV LNBALANCED ACCOUNTS 21 1. "Book of the wars of the Lord." 2. ''Story of the book of the kings." . 3. "Book of the kings of Judahand Israel. 4. " Book of the kings of Israel and Judah. 5. "Bookof Jasher." 6. " Book of Samuel the Seer. 7. "Bookof Jehu." 8. "Bookof Iddo the Seer." All of these works of reference have long since been destroyed, but their numerals have been preserved, and with these we can trace the problem that confronted the sacred author. The following table shows each item and the totals show the amounts to be reconciled : — IRRECONCILABLE LENGTHS. References JUDAH Said to have reigned References ISRAEL Said to have reigned I Kin. 14, 21 Rehoboam 17 yrs. I Kin. 14, 20 Jeroboam I 22 yrs. " 15, 2 Abijah . 3 " " 15,25 Nadab 2 " " 15, 10 Asa 41 " " 15, 33 Baasha 24 " " 22,42 Jehoshaphat 25 " " 16,8 Elah and Zimri 2 " II Kin. 8, 17 Jehoram 8 " " 16, 23 Tibni and Omri 12 " " 8,26 • Ahaziah 1 " " 16,29 Ahab 22 " " 11,3 Queen Athaliah 6 " " 22, 51 Ahaziah 2 " " 12,1 Jehoash 40 " II Kin. 3, 1 Jehoram 12 " " 14, 2 Amaziah 29 " " 10,36 Jehu 28 " " 15'^ Uzziah 52 " " 13, 1 Jehoahaz 17 " " 15, 30 Jotham 20 " " 13, 10 Jehoasli 16 " " 18, 1 Jotham to Hezekiah 3 " " 14,23 Jeroboam II 41 " " 18, 10 6th year of Hezekiah 6 " "15,8,13 Zachariali and Shallum yrs. " 16, 2 Ahaz (skipped) 16 " " 15,17 Menaliem 10 " / " 15, 23 Pekahiah 2 " / " 16,1 " 17,1 Quahfied by : 29 " / " 17,1 " 18,1 12 yrs. \ ., 3 ^c |Aliaz / " 16,2 J^} Excess 1 1 8 " / " 17, 1 Hoshea 9 yrs J ISRAEL'S Total •* JUDAH'S Total 267 yrs. 249 yrs. 22 CHRONOLOGY OF THE HOLY BIBLE There was only one way out of this maze and that was a resort to the synchronous dates given in other parts of the Bible, as already explained. But the sacred writer made the fatal mistake of trying to balance the accounts, a thing which could not be done. However, he moved the 1st year of Uzziah along 27 points (n Kin. 15, 1) and thus reduced his total for Judah's kings from 267 years to 240 years. He then shortened the reign of Pekah by 9 years (n Kin. 15, 27) and thus reduced his total for Israel's kings from 249 years to 240 years. Now that we know his process, we can easily restore the text. We have only to make: — iiKin. 15. 1 read ''In the 1st year of Jeroboam," II Kin. 15, 27 '' "Began to reign over Israel in Samaria, and reigned 29 years." and the harmony of the synchronous dates will be preserved. The same writer found a gap of 100 years between the Exodus and the Temple, which he tried to fill by adding 100 to the Ammonite period, making it 300 years instead of 200. This only produced confusion, because the time belonged: 40 years to Joshua's government. 20 " " the Elders, 20 " " Othniel, Ehud, Shamgar, Deborah, and Gideon. 20 " " final servitude to Philistines. Total 100 years. Each of these items should have been entered separately in its appropriate place and not recorded as a whole. We credit all of these attempts to balance accounts, to the one writer, because the idea in each case was the same, also because por- tions of the Books of Judges and Kings were written after Samaria fell in B.C. 721— See Judges 18, 30. Proverbs 25, 1. BOAZ AND RUTH. The book of Ruth belongs to Eli's time and was written after David became king. LAST YEARS OF JIIDAH 23 AHAZ MADE KING AT THIRTY. Many find diflSculty in reconciling the relative ages of Ahaz and his son Hezekiah, when in turn each became king of Judah. This is owing to the fact that the attempt to balance accounts in effect struck out 10 years of actual time and made the age of Ahaz only 20 years when it should have been 30 years. The only way to correct a list of ages or reigns is to correct each false item. It cannot be accomplished by arbitrarily increasing or diminishing any one or more of the items, ii Kin. 16, 2. LAST YEARS OF JUDAH. After Israel went into captivity B.C. 721, the kingdom of Judah lasted 135 years longer. In studying this interval we miss the checks afforded by synchronous dates, and jet one check remains which covers 30 years of the time and is found in Ezekiel 1, 1 and 2. It began with the Great Passover of Josiah, B.C. 623, and ran over to B.C. 593, the 5th year of Zede- kiah, which was also the 5th year of Jehoiachin's captivity. This period binds together the reigns of five kings and leaves only two unchecked. However, the years B.C. 721 and 586 are themselves so surely determined that not a shadow of a doubt hangs over any reign covered by the period. xAfter the Chaldean rule, Judah passed successively under the control of Persia, Greece and Syria. Finally Judas Macca- beus set up the Asmonean Dynasty in B.C. 163 and his brother Simon secured entire freedom for the Nation, on Independence Day May 4th B.C. 141. Judas Aristobulus became king in B.C. 104. The dynasty lasted 126 years and was followed by the Idumean Dynasty of Herod in B.C. 37. The death of Herod B.C. 1 marked the end of Jewish national life. Rome then took control and words uttered almost 17 centuries before, by the patriarch Jacob, found their fulfilment: — "The sceptre shall not depart from Judah, nor a lawgiver from between his feet, until Shiloh come: and unto him shall the gathering of the people be." 24 CHRONOLOGY OF THE HOLY BIBLE SABBATIC YEARS. The Mosaic law commanded, that every 7th year, planting should be omitted and the land allowed to lie fallow. The year was called the Sabbatic year and the custom was observed by Israel until they cast off the theocratic government and chose Saul for their king. Saul began to reign in B.C. 1081 and in 1073, which was a Sabbatic year, Israel failed to observe the law and "inquired not at the ark in the days of Saul" (n Chron. 13, 3). After the first omission, neglect of the Sabbatic year became a chronic habit and period followed period until they had disobeyed the command 70 times. The year B.C. 590 was the 70th omission, and we read in Ezek. 20, 3, 31, 21. ''And it came to pass in the 7th year in the 5th month the 10th day of the month (August 1 B.C. 590) that certain of the Elders of Israel came to inquire of the Lord, and sat before me. Then came the word of the Lord unto me saying: — as I live saith the Lord God, I will not be inquired of by you," &c. . . . "and my Sabbaths they greatly polluted," &c. . . . In a word, God cast them off, and before 4 years went by, Nebuchadnezzar had burnt their Temple and put an end to their kingdom. "They were carried away to Babylon . . . until the land had enjoyed her Sabbaths; for as long as she lay desolate she kept Sabbath to fulfil three score and ten (70) years."— n Chron. 36, 20, 21— Lev. 26, 34, 42. But it may be asked, how can we be assured that B.C. 1073 and 590 were Sabbatic years ? — We answer, in view of the fact that Jewish authorities have for nearly 19 centuries recognized B.C. 37 also B.C. 30 as Sabbatic years, it is fair to take them as a basis of calculation. If we divide each of these numbers by 7 we obtain 2 for a remainder. Now apply the same test to the years 1073 and 590 and we shall find a remainder of 2 in each instance. The 70 years during which the Temple lay in ruins, therefore, furnishes us with an admirable check on the LINK BETWEEN OLD AND NEW TESTAMENT 25 figures given in the foregoing summary of the kings of Israel and of Judah, and assures us that the figures can be implicitly relied upon for their accuracy. The Sabbatic law reads as follows: — "Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, Wheii ye come into the land which I give you, then shall the land keep a Sabbath unto the Lord. Six years thou shalt sow thy field . . . but in the seventh year shall be a Sabbath of rest unto the land." — Lev. 25, 1, 2, 3. The children of Israel crossed the Jordan and came into the land in B.C. 1437, and did their first sowing for a complete crop in the following year, hence B.C. 1430 ought to have been observed as a Sabbatic year. Applying the test already given we find that 1430 was in truth a Sabbatic year. Between that date and the standard B.C. 30 there was an interval of 200 ''Weeks of years," — in other words Sabbatic years — for the Hebrews applied the word weeks to both days and years. Their Week of Days ended with their Sabbath, and Week of Years ended with the Sabbatic year. LINK BETWEEN OLD AND NEW TESTAMENT. In the year B.C. 538 an Heavenly Messenger was sent to the prophet Daniel, who announced that "Seventy Weeks" — or 490 years — would measure the time between the date of a certain ''commandment" to restore and build Jerusalem and the date when Messiah would be cut off for the sins of others. As this period far exceeded the span of human life, the prophet w^as obliged, for the benefit of subsequent generations, to commit the message to writing. The decree issued by Cyrus, two years later, related only to the Temple. It therefore had nothing to do w^ith the heavenly message. Eighty years, how- ever, passed before the initial date or starting point was reached. Finally, Artaxerxes in the 7th year of his reign, issued a decree whose fulfilment satisfied every condition and under its pro- 26 CHRONOLOGY OF THE HOLY BIBLE visions the Jews returned to Jerusalem, led by Ezra the Scribe — Ezra 7th chapter. After vexatious delays, they finished the walls of the City in *' troublous times" during the rule of Nehemiah. Neh. 4, 16. Since Artaxerxes began to reign in the autumn of B.C. 465, the 7th year of his reign (Ezra 7, 8) extended from the autumn of B.C. 459 to the autumn of 458. AMiat happened during the spring is recorded in the book of Ezra, and if you will calculate the respective dates with the ''Idan Olamin" of Dr. Sossnitz you will find that: — The Jews began to leave Babylon . . ^Nlarch 9th B.C. 458 Congregated by the river to Ahava . . "1' Celebrated the Passover Reached Jerusalem July Pass on now to the reign of the Roman Emperor Tiberius Caesar, which began on the 19th day of August a.d. 14 — the moment that Augustus Caesar died — and you will find that "the 15th year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar" mentioned in Luke 3, 1 ended August a.d. 29, at which time ''Jesus himself (not yet thirty) began to be about 30 years of age." Add to this his ministry of 3J years and we arrive at the spring of a.d. 33, at which time ''Messiah was cut off." Is it not evident, therefore, that the "Seventy Weeks," or 490 years, form a connecting link between Old and New Testament chronology? They inseparably unite the Passover of B.C. 458 with the Passover of a.d. 33, and perfect the record. 20 " 458 23 " 458 5 " 458 THE CHRISTIAN ERA. The Jewish calendar says that the Christian era began with the year a.m. 3760, which corresponds to our B.C. 2. The first day of that year was August 30th and the Feast of Tabernacles followed September 13th to 21st. We believe that about this time Christ was born in Bethlehem. The season was far more THE CHRISTIAN ERA 27 suitable, for ''shepherds abiding in the field keeping watch over their flocks by night," than the bleak days of a first-century winter, when according to a contemporary writer, snowstorms abounded and armies were obliged to go into winter quarters. Our conviction rests on the date of Herod's death, which we believe occurred in the early part of the year B.C. 1. To find this date correctly, one must turn first to secular history, which gives the following: HISTORICAL DATES. Letter. Events. B. C. to A. D. From the Era. A Jerusalem taken by Pompey . May 24th B.C. 63 62-t'5 years B The "3rd month" in Sabbatic year 37 June B.C. 37 36-tV " C Battle of Actium .... Sept. 3rd B.C. 31 30-A " D Tiberius made Emperor . . Aug. 19th A.D. 14 13-T«^ " E Completed, "15th year of Tiberius" Aug. 19th A.D. 29 28-t'2 " P Tiberius Caesar died . . . March 26th a.d. 37 36-A " A 62-xV F 36-A Total AtoF 98-^t We next turn to the Jewish historian, Josephus, and receive our second group of figures: — LENGTH OF REIGNS. Letter. G H J K L M Josephus. Antq. 20, 10, 1 " 20, 10, 1 " 14, 15, 4 " 17, 18, 1 " 18, 9,4 " 18, 4,6 RULER and KINGS. Hyrcanus II, ruled from B.C. 63 . Antigonus reigned " slain at Antioch after . Herod reigned after slaying Antigo- nus Interim until kingdom was divided Philip reigned Total G to M . . . Length of time. 24 yrs. mos. 3 " 3 " " 4 " 34 " " " 4 " 37 " " 98 yrs. 11 mos. 28 CHRONOLOGY OF THE HOLY BIBLE By comparing these tables, which extend from B.C. 63 to A.D. 37, we find that in respect to totals, Josephus and history agree, but this does not prove that Josephus assigned correct lengths to the respective periods. On the contrary, his first 3 items overshot the mark by about 19 months. Thus: G, H, and J added together equals ... 27 yrs. 7 mos. Less the difference between A and B equals . 26 " Excess 1 vr. 7 mos. The effect of this surplus is to place the capture of Jerusalem by Herod and Sosius in January B.C. 35. An impossible date, because the city was taken in the ''3rd month of the 1S5 olympiad," and B.C. 35 fell in the 186th olympiad. Besides, B.C. 35 was not a ''Sabbatic year," while B.C. 37 was so observed. It is perfectly evident, therefore, that these 19 months belong and must be given to Herod's reign. Just a word about the item J. ^Yhen Herod had taken Antigonus prisoner, he sent him to Antony, who was encamped at Antioch. The attention gratified Antony, who resolved that Antigonus should grace his triumph at Rome. Herod, however, was determined to have his enemy put out of the way, so he "gave Antony a great deal of money and endeavored to pursuade him to have Antigonus slain." The negotiations continued until the nation of the Jews became "seditious." Antony finally yielded and Antigonus was beheaded. After making due allowances for the distance between the parties and the difficulties of the case, we have estimated the time of Antigonus' incarceration at 4 months. This factor could not be left out of the problem because Josephus takes the time when Antigonus was slain as his starting point, and not the time of his capture. The following diagram will explain the situation and show why Josephus made the mistake of calling Herod's reign 34 Years instead of 36 vears. THE CHRISTIAN ERA Total 99 years 29 Jerusalem taken by Pompey May 24 B.C. 63 .c. 35 c. 1 Tiberius died March 26 A.D. 37 28 Years 34 years 37 Years Antq. 14, 15, 4 " 20, 10, 1 Antq. 18, 4, 6 Antq. 17, 8, 1 Hyrcanus II and Aristobulus Herod Philip the Tetrarch -Ti Jerusalem taken by Herod and Sosius We have then: — Herod made king by the Romans, — Wars 1,18. B.C. 40 Herod conquered Jerusalem B.C. 37 Herod died B.C. 1 Agrippa succeeded Philip a.d. 37 Measuring from both starting points, Herod's reign covered respectively 38 ij yrs. 35iV yrs. We have made these calculations with special care, because among scholars the impression is deep-seated that Herod reigned 34 years after Antigonus was slain and died in B.C. 4. We now propose to show in round numbers the correct result — 36 years — by other computations and will use different landmarks for our starting point. First : — From beginning of Judas Maccabeus' rule in B.C. 163 to the death of Tiberius Caesar, a.d. 37, was . . 199 years Take from this the : — Asmonean dynasty [Jos. 14, 6, 4] . . 126 years Reign of PhiHp the Tetrarch . . . 37 " 163 and we learn that herod reigned 36 years 30 chronology of the holy bible Second : — From battle of Actium, Sept. 3 B.C. 31 to the death of Tiberius Caesar, March 26 a.d. 37 was . . . 66tV years Battle of Actium took place "in 7th year of Herod's reign," [Jos. 15, 5, 2] say 6A " Total 73 years Take from this, the: — Reign of Philip the Tetrarch 37 and we learn that herod reigned 36 years Further proof can hardly be necessary. It will be observed that we dismiss the contentions which rest for support on the joint rule of Augustus and Tiberius, also upon the eclipse of March 13, B.C. 4. The absurdity of the joint-rule scheme, which selects a.d. 11 for the 1st year of Tiberius' reign, is shown by the history of Philip, who— Jos. Antq. 18, 4, 6— died ''in the 20th year of Tiberius," in other words, a.d. 31 Now subtract Philip's reign of 37 years and we find that Herod must have died in B.C. 7, 3 years before the lunar eclipse of March 13th B.C. 4, and after a reign of only about 30 years. We also reject that eclipse, because it happened during the FEAST of Purim, while Josephus claims that the eclipse occurred *'the night before the fast'' — Antq. 17, 6, 4. So long as a feast is not a fast, we accept as standard time the lunar eclipse of January 9th, B.C. 1, because a careful calculation, based on the Idan Olamin of Dr. Sossnitz, will prove that this eclipse took place the night before the fast of Tebet, exactly as stated in the text. JOSEPHUS AND CHKONOLOGY. HOW TO EEAD JOSEPHUS. Beyond all question, Josephus is a hard writer to follow and many often feel when consulting his Works as though they were at sea without date or compass. This defect however can be overcome as Josephus was no romancer, but at all times the conscientious and upright historian. He took a prominent part in the affairs of the first century, about which he wrote as an eve witness. As reo^ards preceding; as^es he culled facts and figures from the ''Sacred Books" of the Jews, of which he was made the Custodian, also from a fine reference library. He names fifty authors found in that collection. His great fault lies in the fact that being an active man of affairs he did not take the trouble to properly review his own writings, striking out conflicting statements, supplying omissions, and correcting miscalculations; he simply drove ahead and left this heritage of careless composition. We have made the long-needed review^ and supplied the corrections. If the reader will make marginal notes cf our corrections in his own copy, the difficulties of Josephus will fade away and his true value as an historian will be appre- ciated by all. (33) CORRECTIONS FOR ANTIQUITIES OF THE JEWS. BOOK FOR READ Preface, 3 5000 4900 3 2000 1500 I 3,3 2656 2256 6, 5 292 1063 " 6,5 70th 130 " 18,1 After the death Before the death " 22,1 185 180 II 11, 2 Raguel Jethro V 1, 28 " 1, 29 " 3,3 20th year 25 years 40 " 40th year 46 years 4 " " 4,3 80 " 8 " " 5,4 40 " 4 " " 6,1 3 " 7 " " 6,7 40 " 4 " " 7,6 " 7,9 " 7, 15 VI 5, 4 " 13, 5 Judge omitted 300 years Judge omitted 18 years 12 " {Insert) Tola 23 years 200 years {Insert) Abdon 8 years 20 years 39 " " 13, 5 18 " 38 " " 14, 9 18 " 38 " " 14, 9 VII 3,2 2 [and 20] years 515 years 2 " 397 " " 15, 3 1300 " 865 " VIII 3, 1 592 " 479 " " " " 1020 " 909 " i( U 11 1440 " 2047 " t( 11 ii 3102 " 4302 " " 7,8 '' 12, 3 Reigned 80 years " 24 " Reigned 40 years " 23 " " " 4 u 2 " 1 " " " 5 12 " 11 " " 13, 1 " 22 " a 21 " (34) HOW TO READ JOSEPHUS 35 BOOK FOR READ IX 2,1 3,2 5,3 Reigned 2 years 25 " 8 " Reigned 1 year " 23 years 6 " (( 8,1 27 " " 29 " <( " 5 21st year 23rd year " (< 52- ^. «. ISEAEL'S ITINERARY. REFERENCES NAMES OF PLACES DATES OF ARRIVAL MILES Exodus 12, 37 Left Rameses — "zoan." B.C. 1477 , April 19th Num. 33,5 Arrival at Succoth April 30 Exod. 15, 22 Etham, or Shur it " 14, 9 Pi-hahiroth " 42 : " 15 15,22 Crossed the Red Sea Wilderness of Shur probably May " " 23 Marah " 47 " " 27 Elim " Num. 33,10 "By the Red Sea" " 28 Exod. IG, 1 Wilderness of Sin May 19th Num. 33,12 " 13 Dophkak . . . camped Alush May Exod. 17, 1 19, 2 Rephidim Desert of Sinai cc " " 1 Arrived at Mt. Sinai June 3rd 82 Num. 10, 11 Left " " B.C. 147e ), May 12th 11, 3 " 34 1 Taberah . . . camped 1 Kibroth-hattaavah " 15th month of June i( " 35 12,16 Hazeroth " Wilderness of Paran probably June (( 33,18 Rithmah . . . camped " u " 19 " 20 Rimmon-parez Libnah a " " 21 Rissah " u " 22 Kehelathah " ii ii " 23 " 24 Mt. Shapher Haradah a It " 25 Makhaloth << u " 26 " 27 Jahath . . . camped Tarah probably July " " 28 Mithcah (< " " 29 Hashmonah 11 t( " 30 Moseroth . . . camped t( Total, 229 (55) 56 ISRAEL S ITINERARY REFERENCES NAMES OF PLACES DATES OF ARRIVAL MILES 229 Num. 33,31 " 32 Bene-jaakan Hor-hagidgad B.C. 1476, probably July (< " 33 Jotbathah K (( (( " 34 Ebronah camped (( il (C " 35 Ezion-gaber " (( 11 116 Judges 11,16 The Red Sea to Kadesh u 97 Num. 13,20 " 21 Wilderness of Paran, or Zin B.C. 1476, month of July 86 " 20, 1, 22 "People abode in " 1475, March 12th Joshua 24, 7 Kadesh" Deu. 1,46 [Ayn Qadees.] " 2 , 1,14 Left Kadesh after 38 yrs. B.C. 1438, month of July " 10, 6 Beeroth (I (I it Num. 33,37 Mosera, facing Mt. Hor* " July 20th , Deu. 10, 7 Gudgodah " August 20th (( " 7 Jotbath " probably Aug. Judges 1,17 Hormah or Zephath " " 40 Num. 21, 3 Deu. 2, 8 Plain, or Way of the Arabah " probably Sept. 102 ■(( " 8 Wilderness of Moab Num. 33,41 Zalmonah 56 " " 42 Punon " 21,10 Oboth " " 11 Ije-abarim Deu. 1, 1 Tophel Num. 21,12 Valley of Zared Deu. 2,26 Wilderness of Kedemoth 87 Num. 21,14 Brooks of Arnon (( " 16 Beer (C " IS Mattanah " " 19 Nahaliel (( " 19 Bamoth Deu. (I 2, 32 4,43 Jahaz Bezer — city of refuge Joshua 13, 9 Areor 27 *Jebel Madurah. Total, 840 ISRAEL S ITINERARY REFERENCES NAMES OF PLACES DATES OF ARRIVAL MILES 840 Joshua 13,17 Dibon B.C. 1438, probably Sept. Num. 32, 3 Ataroth a t( " 33,46 Ahiion-diblathaim ic << Josh. 13, 9 Medeba i( (< a .. 17 Baal-meon ii (( Num. 33,47 Mts. of Abarim, Nebo a (( " 21,25 Heshbon " probably Oct. 25 " 32,37 Elealah (c a " 21,32 Jaazer li li " 32,35 Jogbehah " 21,33 Edrei it It 68 Josh. 13,31 Ashtaroth li it Deu. 4,43 Golan — city of refuge It ti " 3, 4 60 cities of Bashan it if c ^ 8, 9 (( li It if " 4,48 Mt. Hermon a li Num. 32,42 Kenath It It Deu. 3,10 Salchah It it 102 Josh. 13,26 Mahanaim " probably Nov. 56 Deu. 3,16 River Jabbok (( It 24 Josh. 13,27 Succoth and Zaphon It it Deu. 4,43 Ramoth-gilead — city of a it 11 1 Kin. 22,3 refuge it t Josh. 13,26 Betonim ft ti Num. 32,36 Beth-nimrah a ii Josh. 13,27 Beth-aram n tl Num. 33, 49 Beth-jeshimoth it it (( " 50 Plains of Moab it tt u 25, 1 Shittim " Winter Deu. 4,46 Beth-peor it it Josh. 3,14 Crossed the Jordan B.C. 1437, March 21st 24 <( 4,19 Gilgal taken a tt Total, 1150 ASSYRIA AND CHRONOLOGY. TESTIMONY OF THE MONUMENTS. The question naturally arises, how do these dates given in Bible Chronology compare with the latest results of archaeo- logical research? — We answer, the earliest inscriptions go back to the year B.C. 5000 — see First of Empires, by Boscawen — Bible Chronology places Adam at the year B.C. 5300. ^ ^ 53oo Prof. Robert W. Rogers, the noted x^merican authority on Assyriology, has discovered that the 2nd dynasty of Babylon forms no part of a continuous record, consequently the events of the 3rd dynasty follow immediately after those of the first. As a sequence, he has found that the great law-giver, Hammurabi, the Amraphel of Gen. xiv, was a contemporary of the patriarch Abraham; and he states, ''provisionally and subject to later and more exact calculation of other factors" that Abraham's call came in B.C. 1915. By Bible Chronology we find that the Call was made and the promise given to Abraham in the year B.C. 1907. b.c 1907 Prof. Albert T. Clay, in his recent. work Light on the Old Testament from Babel, gives reasons for believing that Thothmes III was the Pharaoh of the Oppression and his successor, Ameno- phis II, the Pharaoh of the Exodus. His calculations have led h:m to believe that Amenophis II began to reign in B.C. 1449, while other authorities place the coronation at an earlier date, viz. — B.C. 1550. Bible Chronology states that the Exodus took place B.C. 1477. b.c. 1477 It also states that Saul was made king in the year B.C. 1081; b.c. losi that the kingdom was divided by the rebellion of Jeroboam I in the year B.C. 961, and that the Temple was despoiled by b.c. 961 Shishak in 956. The year 911 was the initial year of the b.c. 956 (Gl) 62 CHRONOLOGY OF THE HOLY BIBLE 911 Assyrian Eponym Tablets, an exceeding valuable collection of chronological material that spans a period of 200 years. 915 A revolution occurred in the year 915 which terminated the dynasty of Jeroboam and placed Omri on the throne of Israel. This man was a remarkable military genius, whom the Assy- rians jusdy regarded as the founder of an empire. He attained by "his might that he shewed" the position of Captain of the host of Israel, and when he became king, "bought the hill of Samaria of Shemer for 2 talents of silver and built on the hill, and called the name of the city .... Samaria."— I Kin. 16, 27, 24. Tirzah then ceased to be the capital, and for nearly 200 years Samaria was the seat of royalty. So forceful was Omri that Assyrian inscriptions during 180 years continued to call the land of Israel — Beth Omri — or ''land of Omri." His victories find mention in the Moabite Stone, in which Mesha, king of Moab, boasts of his successful campaigns. As this inscription contains also an interesting chronological note, I quote the first nine lines here, in the translation of Professor Robert W. Rogers, Author of "History of Babylonia and Assyria." The whole inscription contains 34 lines. "I am Mesha son of Chemosh . . . king of Moab, the Dibonite. My father was king over Moab 30 years, and I became king after my father. And I made this high place for Chemosh in Karchoh, in [gratitude for] deliverance, because he saved me from all the . . . and because he made me see my desire upon all them that hated me." " Omri was king over Israel and he afflicted Moab many days, because Chemosh was angry with his land. And his son [Ahab] succeeded him; and he too said, 'I will afflict Moab.' In my days he said . . . and I saw my desire upon him and upon his house and Israel perished forever." "And Omri took possession of the land of Medeba; and he dwelt in it, his days and half his sons days, 40 years; but Chemosh restored it in my days." We learn from this that Ahab not only held what his father captured with a firm grip, but that he was feared by the ]Moab- ites; and not until Jehu slew Ahab's son Joram, and thus put an end to the dynasty of Omri, was INIesha able to recapture TESTIMONY OF THE MONUMENTS 63 their lost territory. The dynasty of Omri lasted 40 years exactly, as stated by the inscription. Omri, the founder, reigned alone 6 years Ahab, his valiant son, reigned 21 " Ahaziah reigned by himself 1 " Ahaziah was crippled and his son became regent . . 6 " J Oram afterwards was king for 6 " Total 40 years The army of Israel had so much better opportunities for military training during the long reign of Ahab, than they had during the short reign of Omri, that we are not surprised to find the country called the ''Land of Omri" and the troops the ''Men of Ahab." Certainly, this was the custom in Assyria, for the inscription on the obelisk of the victorious Shalmaneser II speaks of " 10,000 Men of Aliab the Israelite," who joined the Hamath Confederacy at the battle of Karkar, in B.C. 854, b.c. 854 where 20,000 were left dead on the field. Since that expedition pushed on as far as the river Orontes and turned back at a point nearly 200 miles north of Samaria, it is evident that Shalmaneser had very meagre opportunities for acquainting himself with the history of the kings of Israel. In fact, he does .lot pretend to have met x\hab personally, but simply a detach- ment of troops whom rumor said were "Men of Ahab." This shows the truthfulness of his narrative, for to have met Ahab Would have been an impossibility, since Ahab, the contemporary of Shalmaneser's father, had died several years before. There is still another record which shows how ignorant Shalmaneser was regarding the kings of Israel. During a later expedition, undertaken 12 years after the batde of Karkar, Shalmaneser went close to Samaria and exacted a tribute of silver, gold, and lead, which he received direct from Jehu. After this experience there certainly was no excuse for a mis- take, and yet, with every opportunity to learn that Jehu was in no way related to Omri, but on the contrary had proved himself the deadly enemy of the House of Omri, Shalmaneser innocently 64 CHRONOLOGY OF THE HOLY BIBLE declares that the tribute he received was paid by *'Jehii the son of Omri." Since Shalmaneser's inscriptions were engraved in the interest of Assyrian history and not for that of Israel, we consider it very remarkable that what they do give of the latter accords so wel with the Bible narrative. We learn therefore from Bible Chronology that the 6th year of Shalmaneser II was the 15th year of Jehu and that the 18th year of Shalmaneser w^as the 27th year of Jehu's reign. B.C. 806 Both the Old and the New Testament bear witness to the fact that the City of Nineveh repented as a result of preaching by the Prophet Jonah during the reign of Jeroboam 11. ^ The Monuments show that a great religious movement took place in those days, which resulted in a change from the worship of many gods to only one god whom they called Nebo. Prof. Winckler, of Berlin, quotes in part from an inscription, not an anonymous carving, but one signed by a certain officer of the crown, in which the ''essential" truth was: — "Put thy trust in Nebo; trust not in another god." Said dignitary held office in B.C. 798, and one of his official seals has recently been discovered. Prof. Winckler declares that this Reformation was as decided as that of Luther, and happened in the reign of Adad-nirari III (1st to 28th year of Jeroboam II). This king rescued Israel from Syria in B.C. ^^ 806 and 805. See n Kin. 13, 5. All of which agrees with the Bible record. B.C. 786 The question is sometimes asked, when did "the Earthquake in the days of Uzziah, k"ng of Judah," take place? — Bible Chronology regards that phenomena as having been an expres- sion of Divine displeasure, very much like "the thunder and rain" in wheat harvest, when Saul was made king; in fact, a premonition of approaching calamity, which finally culminated in the captivity of Israel. As such, its true location is found in the year B.C. 786, precisely 65 years prior to B.C. 721, when Sargon captured Samaria and carried away thousands to the land of the Medes. Isaiah 7, 8. TESTIMONY OF THE MONUMENTS 65 Menahem, the usurper, occupied the throne of Israel from b.c. 771 B.C. 771 to 761. Fearing an uprising of the people he sought the aid of and paid tribute to Ashur-dan III, king of Assyria. This king made several predatory expeditions into the land of Canaan and made its inhabitants tributary to his kingdom. In his treaties or negotiations he was represented by a military chieftain named Pula or Pul (11 Kin. 15, 19 — i Chron. 5, 26), whom the Bible by anticipation calls King of Assyria. This same Pul finally ascended the throne in B.C. 745 and reigned 18 years. His conquest of Babylon in 731 added another crown to his royal honors. In ^Assyria he was known by the name of Tiglath-pileser, but in Babylon he retained his original title of Pul, — in Persian Por, — in Greek Poros. The Canon of Ptolemy tells us that Poros and Chinzeros jointly occupied the throne of Babylon for 5 years — 731 to 726. Prof. Schrader and Dr. T. G. Pinches have fully demonstrated that Pul and Tiglath-pileser were one and the same person. Several notable years now present themselves for record, b.c. 776 The first Olympic game was celebrated in B.C. 776, the 35th year of Jeroboam II — from it, date the Greek olympiads. The City of Rome was founded April 21st, B.C. 753, which b.c. 753 year was the 7 th of Pekah. The era Nabonassar began with the year B.C. 747, the 13th b.c. 747 year of Pekah. It forms the initial date of the Canon of Ptolemy. Prof. A. H. Sayce, LL.D., of world-wide reputation, says b.c. 743 that from the days of David to those of Jeroboam II (11 Kin. 14, 28) the country of Hamath was allied to Judah, that it then became the ally of Israel, and finally was won back to Judah in the days of Uzziah; this caused Tiglath-pileser to exact tribute from Uzziah in B.C. 743. Bible Chronology tells us that 743 was the last year of Uzziah's life, also that he died in his 83rd year. For the last 14 years of his life, Uzziah was a leper and . lived in a separate house. IMeantime Jotham, his son, con- ducted the government on behalf of his father. In 734, the 9th year of Ahaz, Tiglath-pileser marched again b.c. 734 66 CHRONOLOGY OF THE HOLY BIBLE into Syria and made Ahaz, king of Judah, his vassal. In 732 i.e. 732 Damascus was taken and Rezin, the king of Syria, slain (n Kin. 16, 9). Tiglath-pileser has left an inscription which reads: — "Pekah their king they killed, Hoshea as king over them I appointed." Bible Chronology shows that Pekah was slain in B.C. 731, and as t.c. 727 Tiglath-pileser died in 727 there is no inconsistency as to dates, i.e. 722 At the close of B.C. 722 Samaria was taken, and early in 721 .c. 721 Israel was carried captive to Asswia and lodged in Halah, by the river Habor, and in the cities of the ]\Iedes. Sargon describes his victory, according to Prof. Clay, in the following words : — "Samerina (Samaria) I besieged I captured. 27,290 people dwelling in it I carried away. 50 chariots I collected from them and the rest (of the people) I allowed to retain their possessions. My commander-in-chief I placed over them. I settled there the men of the countries conquered (by my hand)." The Bible record, with varied details, covers exactly the same ground where it says: — " And the king of Assyria brought men from Babylon, and from Cuthah, and from Ava, and from Hamath, and from Sepharvaim, and placed them in the cities of Samaria instead of the children of Israel; and they possessed Samaria, and dwelt in the cities thereof." — n Kin. 17, 24. .c. 701 There is a curious stumbling-block in the life of king Hezekiah, whose reign began in B.C. 728, that has tripped many a reader. We refer to the statement made ii Kin. 18, 13, Isa. 36, 1. "Now in the 14th year of king Hezekiah did Sennacherib, King of Assyria, come up against all the fenced cities of Judah and took them." Hezekiah had what is known in the United States as a Second Term of office. After a reign covering 14 years, in which Hezekiah : "Wrought that which was good and right and truth before the Lord his God." TESTIMONY OF THE MONUMENTS 67 Hezekiah was told by the prophet Isaiah: "Thus saith the Lord, set thine house in order; for thou shalt die and not live." God mercifully spared his life and in B.C. 714 gave him a new lease, with 15 years to run. However, after his recovery: — "Hezekiah rendered not again according to the benefit done unto him; for his heart was lifted up; therefore there was wrath upon him, and upon Judah and Jerusalem." Reading the history of his life with care it will be observed that as the sacred writer glanced backward over the past, he applied the word "these' to years near at hand, viz. — the Second Term of Hezekiah's reign, and ''those" to the distant years, viz. — the First Term of Hezekiah's reign. Thus in II Kin. 20, 1— II Chron. 32, 24— Isaiah 38, 1— we read concerning the First Term: — "In those days was Hezekiah sick unto death." While concerning the Second Term we read : — "After these things and the establishment thereof." ii Chron. 32, 1. However, he goes a step farther and states exactly what he meant by "these," saying: — "Now in the 14th year of king Hezekiah did Sennacherib, King of Assy- ria, come up against all the fenced cities of Judah, and took them." From which it appears that Sennacherib arrived in the Second Term of Hezekiah and about the year B.C. 700. Let us now go to the monuments and see what happened about this time. They tell us that in B.C. 701, Sennacherib started an expedition, from far off Assyria, with the purpose of invading Palestine. Since spring was the time "when kings went out to battle," it would have taken him until July or August to reach the most southern point of his journey, provided he 68 CHRONOLOGY OF THE HOLY BIBLE was not delayed. He, however, laid siege to Tvre, conquered Sidon, Philistia, Edom, Ammon, and Moab before he made his approach to Jerusalem, so that evidently the year B.C. 701 was nearly spent before he met the signal defeat that awaited his coming and is recorded in the 19th chapter of ii Kings. Thus we see that the records of the monuments agree admirably with the records of the Bible. Surely the stumbling-block has been removed, for a case of more perfect harmony could scarcely be imagined. BIBLE AND JULIAN DATES. MISCELLANEOUS DATES. The following dates have been worked out on the principles laid down in the "Idan Olamin" of Dr. Joseph L. Sossnitz. If the reader will transfer them to the margin of his Bible, each passage will acquire new interest. For example: ''The 9th year, 10th month, and 10th day of the mouth" — conveys no special meaning to the modern mind, its equivalent, however, viz: December 18th, b.c. 589 — is clear and to the point. REFERENCE DATE B.C. n Kin 25, 1 December 18 589 25, 3 June 18 586 " 25, 27 Nergal-sar-user 560 Ezra 3, 1 September 536 3, 8 May 535 6, 15 February 9 515 " 7, 9 March 9 458 7, 9 July 5 458 " 8, 15 March 17 458 " 8, 31 March 20 458 Nehemiah 1, 1 November 446 " 2, 1 March 445 2, 11 July 9 445 5, 14 March 433 6, 15 September 2 445 " 7, 73 September 7 445 8, 13 September 8 445 " 8. 18 September 15 445 9, 1 September 30 445 " 13, 6 March 433 (71) 72 CHRONOLOGY OF THE HOLY BIBLE REFERENCE DATE B.C. Esther 1, 3 From 483 to 482 ft 2 16 December 479 « 3^ 7 March 24 473 (c 3 7 to February 11 472 u 3 12 March 24 472 (c 3 13 March 15 471 u 8 9 June 1 472 « 8 12 March 15 471 II 9 1 March 15 471 (I 9 15 March 16 471 « 9^ 18 March 17 471 Isaiah 6, 1 "^^^ « 7 8 From 786 to 721 14, 28 "^28 " 20, 1 '^^^ t( 36 1 From 701 to 700 38, 1 714 39, 1 '^^^ Jeremiah 1, 2 628 (I 13 J^y ^^6 24' 1 597 25, 1 605 25, 3 628 " 26, 1 608 » 28, 1 J^b' 594 u 28 17 September 594 tt 29 10 From 606 to 536 32, 1 588 35, 1 606 " 36, 1 605 " 36, 9 604 II 36 22 November 604 t( 39 1 December 589 tf 39 2 Ju^6 ^^ 586 (f 41 1 September 586 « 46, 2 Spring 605 " 49 34 J^^^y 597 MISCELLANEOUS DATES 73 REFERENCE Jeremiah 51, 52, 52, 52, 52, 52, 52, 52, Ezekiel 1, (( 8, (< 20, (( 24, ti 26, 11 29. ii 29, ti 30, i( 31, (( 32, 11 32, (C 33, « 40, Daniel 1, (( 2, 11 5, le 7, t( 8, (( 9, " 10, " 10, 11 11, Amos 1, Haggai 1, << 1, (t 2, (I 2, Zechariah 1, 1, DATE B.C. 59 594 4 December 18 589 6 June 18 586 12 July 18 586 28 Spring 598 29 Summer 587 30 Summer 582 31 Nergal-sar-user 560 1 July 1 593 1 August 8 591 1 August 1 590 1 December 18 589 1 March 25 587 1 January 7 587 17 March 16 570 20 March 31 587 1 May 23 587 1 February 21 585 17 March 7 585 21 December 28 586 1 March 27 572 1 606 1 603 1 538 1 541 1 538 1 538 1 536 4 March 31 to April 21 1 538 1 788 1 August 27 520 15 . September 19 520 1 October 15 520 10 December 17 520 1 October 25 520 7 February 14 519 74 CHRONOLOGY OF THE HOLY BIBLE REFERENCE Zechariah 7, 1 " 14, 5 Matthew 2, 1 i( 24, 20 ii 27, 1 Luke 2,42 11 3, 1 (C 3,23 ii 24, 1 ii 24,50 John 2, 20 Acts 2, 1 <^ 9, 2 a 9, 27 a 10, 9 ii 12, 1 a 13, 20 ii 15, 1 ii 21, 17 a 28, 14 ii 28,30 II Cor. 12 2 Galatians 1, 18 " 2, 9 Romans 15, 19 I Peter 5, 13- DATES Xovember 6 B.C. 518^ " 786 September " Taken Sep. 3 a.d. April 3 A.D. Passover Spring Fall April 5 May 15 B.C. 18 to ]\Iay 24 June 350 3'ears Council 2 70 33 11 29 29 33 33 29 33 40 43 39 44 Agreed to separate . S. Paul in the West 54 to 67 ■1, 1, S. Peter in the East . . . 54 to 62 CHRONOLOGICAL INDEX. NAMES, EVENTS AND DATES. Aaron — The first Highpriest of Israel .... Parents. Amram and Jochebed. Born B.C. 1561. Brother of Miriam and Moses. Before Pharaoh when ... 83 years old. Exodus occurred when ... 84 years old. Departure from Sinai when . 85 years old. Final encampment Kadesh when 86 years old. Public Service. 1477 to 1438 Died B.C. 1438, when . 123 years old. Abdon — The Judge Abel — Slain by Cain about Abiathar — In II Sam. 8, 17; i Chron. 24, 6; I Chron. 18, 16. The text should read; ^'Abiathar the son of Ahimelech." Abijah or Abijam — King of Judah Abimelech — The Judge Abraham — Son of Terah was born . The Promise made to Abraham Left Ur of the Chaldees . . Ishmael his son w^as born . Isaac " " " " . . Abraham died Aged 175 years. Absalom— Born 1038— Died 1008— age 30. Absalom's Rebellion about AcHAN — The son of Carmi and great-grandson of Zerah. Josh. 7, 18 Adad-nirari III — King of Assyria .... Saved Israel from Syria by capturing Arpad and Azaz, near Damascus Adam's history began 5300, Adam died 4370, age 930. (77) 1208 to 1200 5072 943 to 941 1298 to 1295 1982 1907 1907 1896 1882 1807 1008 1437 812 to 783 806 to 805 78 CHRONOLOGY OF THE HOLY BIBLE Public Service. Agrippa — The king, Bom b.c. 10, Died in a.d. 44 (Acts 12, 23) . Succeeded Philip, the Tetrarch in A.D. 37, and reigned till a.d. 44. Agrippa Jr. — Born a.d. 27 — See Acts 25, 13. Ahab — The king, reigned in Israel 903 to 882 Ahasuerus — The Hebrews often called the kings of Media and Persia by the general title Ahasuerus, or Assuerus, just as the kings of Egypt were called Pharoah. For example: Darius the Mede, Ezra 4, 6 . . . . 538 to 535 Astyages— Dan. 9, 1 593 to 558 Xerxes— Esther 1, 1 485 to 465 Ahaz — Reigned in Judah 742 to 727 Born 772 — Died 727 — age 45. Paid tribute to Assyria in 734 Ahaziah, or Azariah, King of Judah, Born 892, Died 870, age 22. Reigned 1 year 870 Ahaziah of Israel, King from 882 to 875 Reigned 1 year — 882. Fell through a lattice and died 875. Ahiah or Ahimelech. i Sam. 14, 3, 18, . about 1080 to 1045 Ahijah — Prophet at Shiloh in time of Jeroboam I 960 to 945 Ahimelech — i Chron. 24, 3, 31. Read; Abiathar instead of Ahimelech — ^Ahimelech the father of Abiathar was put to death hj Saul, I Sam. 22, 16, 18 about 1045 Alexander and Aristobulus — Sons of Herod the Great — Slain b.c. 4. Alexander Janneus — King of the Jews . . . 103 to 76 Altar at Bethel — Erected 961 by Jeroboam I "] Destroyed 623 " Josiah } i Kin. 13, 2. Interval 338 years. J Amalekites — Descendants of Esau, who settled the Southern portion of Canaan. AiVL^ziAH — King of Judah, Born 849, Died 795, age 54. Reigned actively 824 to 810 " passively 810 to 795 Ammonites — Descendants of Lot, who settled East of the Dead Sea. CHRONOLOGICAL INDEX 79 Public Service. Amon — King of Judah, Bom 664, Died 640, age 24. Reigned two years 642 to 640 Amorites — Descendants of Ham, who settled in Canaan. Amos — The prophet during Uzziah's reign . . 786 to 772 Amram — Father of Moses, Born about 1615, Died 1478, aged 137. Amraphel — Gen. xiv. — King of Shinar. The same person as Hammurabi, king of Babylon, the 6th king of the first dynasty. Antiochus-epiphanes — King of Syria . . . 175 to 164 Antigonus — Last of the Asmonean kings b.c. 40 to 37 Antipater — Son of Herod. Slain . . . b.c. 1 Archelaus — Reigned in Judah . . . b.c. 1 to a. d. 9 Banished to ''Vienna" (near L3^ons, France) . . a.d. 9 Ark of the Covenant — At Shiloh for 300 years . 1431 to 1121 Seven months in Philistia 1121 In house of Abinadab at Kirjath-jearim for 87 years 1121 to 1034 In house of Obecl-edom three months . . 1034 In City of David 43 years 1034 to 991 Arphaxad— Born 3032— Died 2594— age 438. Artaxerxes — Ezra 4, 7,-6, 14. Same as Cambyses 529 to 522 Artaxerxes Longimanus — King of Persia . . 465 to 425 7th year of his reign .... October 459 to 458 20th ^' " ''.... October 446 to 445 32nd '' '' ''.... October 434 to 433 Asa — King of Judah. Reigned 42 years. . . 941 to 899 Made a Covenant in 927. Was diseased from 903 to 899 Asaph — The musician and composer .... 1033 to 980 AsHDOD — Taken. See Isaiah 20, 1 . . . . . 708 Ashur-bani-pal (" Asnapper") — King of Assyria 668 to 625 AsHUR-DAN III — King of Assyria 773 to 764 His Army led by Pul, who was afterward king. Asmonean Dynasty — Lasted for 126 years b.c. 163 to 37 No Asmonean highpriest for 7 years . . 160 to 153 The supplanter Alcimus, or Jacimus . . 162 to 159 AsNAPPER (Ashur-bani-pal) — King of Assyria . 668 to 625 Assyrian Eponym Canon, Valuable record . . 911 to 700 80 CHRONOLOGY OF THE HOLY BIBLE Public Service. AsTYAGES — King of Media — Son of Cyaxares I 593 to 558 Astyages was the Ahasuerus of Dan 9, 1 — The Assuerus of Tobit 14, 15. Athaliah — Queen of Judah 869 to 863 Born about 910, Died 864. Granddaughter Omri; daughter of Ahab; and wife of Jehoram. A. U. C. — Roman years; — 752=B.c. 2; 782=a.d. 29; 786=a.d. 33. Augustus Caesar — Began to reign alone, after the battle of Actium, September 3, b.c. 31. Died August 19, a.d. 14. Tiberius Caesar immediately declared Emperor. Azariah — The prophet during Asa's reign, about 932 AzARiAH or Ahaziah — King of Judah 1 year . . 870 Azariah or Uzziah — King of Judah 53 years . 810 to 757 Azariah II — Chief Priest, during reigns of Jotham and Hezekiah 744 to 715 Baasha — King of Israel 938 to 915 Reigned 23 years. — See Dynasty. Babel — Confusion of Tongues 2633 Babylon — Taken by Sennacherib 691 Taken by Cyrus 538 Babylonian — Captivity of Princes, 70 years . 606 to 536 Captivity of people, 50 years . 586 to 536 Balaam — Son of Beor. A brilliant but perverse and stubborn prophet who was slain by Israel in their battle with the Midianites . . . 1438 Balak — King of Moab and son of Zippor, who sent for Balaam to curse Israel. Num. 22, 6 1438 Barak— Captain of the Host 1313 to 1309 Bashemath — Gen. 36, 3, 10, 17, read Mahalath as given in Gen. 28, 9. Battle of Actium — September 3, b.c. 31. Battle of Aphek — ^Ahab and Ben-hadad. . . 886 Battle of Aphek or Ebenezer 1121 Ark of the Covenant taken by the Philistines. Battle of Bethcar — Israel and the Philistines . 1101 Battle of Bethshemesh — Amaziah defeated . 811 Battle of Carchemish 605 Battle of Gilboa — Saul and the Philistines . 1042 CHRONOLOGICAL INDEX 81 Public Service, Battle of Hormah — Defeat of Israel .... 1475 Battle of Hormah — Victory of Israel . . . 1438 Battle of Karkar — Shalmaneser II ... . 854 Battle of Mishmash — Philistines defeated . . 1049 Battle Ramoth-gilead — Ahab defeated . . . 883 Belshazzar — Reigned with his father Nabonidus 541 to 538 Ben-hadad — Allied with Asa 916 Bex-hadad — Successor of Hazael 825 Beor — Father of Bela, king of Edom — Gen. 36, 32. Father of Balaam, the soothsayer — Nuni. 22,5. Bela and Balaam were probably own brothers. Bela resisted Israel by arms — Num. 20, 20. Balaam '' '' " evil counsel — Num. 31, 15, 16. BoAZ — Son of Salmon and husband of Ruth. Born about 1190 Book of the Laav — Taught in Judah .... 897 Found by Hilkiah . . . 623 Brazen Serpent — Cast and mounted 1438 Raised at Punon September 1438 Broken by Hezekiah 726 Lasted 712 years Cainan — Son of Ham, Born 4676, Died 3766, aged 910. Caleb — Son of Jephunneh, Born 1516 40 years old in 1476 85 years old in 1431 Call to Abraham, when 75 years old . . . 1907 Cambyses — Son of Cyrus and king of Persia . . 529 to 522 Called Artaxerxes in Ezra. 4, 7;-6, 14. Canaanites — Descendants of Ham, w^ho settled in Palestine. Captivities — See Servitudes. Captivity — In Babylon ended, Judah returned . 536 Captivity of Jehoiachin 597 to 560 Captivity, End of — To Zerubbabel. A delay of 16 years .... 536 to 520 Carthagenians — Defeated b.c. 202 82 CHRONOLOGY OF THE HOLY BIBLE Public Service. Christian Era — Correct date . . .Fall b.c. 2 Jewish year a.m. 3760 began August 30 b.c. 2 Feast of Tabernacles, September 13 to 21 b.c. 2 Confusion of Tongues at Babel 2633 CoNiAH or Jeconiah, or Jeconias or Jehoiachin — King of Juclah, 3 months 597 Cyaxares I — King of Media, Father of Astyages, 633 to 593 Grandfather of Mandane and Cyaxares 11. See Herodotus Book 1, 74. " Zenophon '' I, 5. " Josephus Antq. x, 11, 4. Cyaxares II — Son of Astyages and uncle of Cyrus, otherwise known as Darius the Mede, 538 to 535 Cyrenius — Roman governor of Judea . . a.d. 6 to 10 Cyrus — Son of Mandane and Cambyses — King of Persia 558 to 529 King of Babylon 538 to 529 Isaiah proi3hesicd about him in .... 736 Prophecy fulfilled in 200 years .... 536 Cyrus and Darius the Mede — Ezra 4, 5, 6,-6, 14 538 to 535 Damascus fell, Rezin slain 732 Dan — This tribe worshipped idols 1381 to 721 Interval 660 years — Taken captive by Sargon. 721 Book of Revelation omits tribe of Dan. Daniel— ''The prophet"— Matt. 24, 15. Taken captive 606 603 594 538 537 536 606 Nebuchadnezzar's dream Fiery furnace Belshazzar's feast Lions' den .... Angel Gabriel's message . Daniel and Princes taken to Babylon Darius — Among the Persians, was a general title for king. 1 — Darius the Mecle — Dan. 11, 1 . 2 — Darius the Persian, son of Hystaspes . 3 — Darius Nothus 4 — Darius Coclomanus Darius the Mede — King of the Chaldeans, was son of Astyages, and Uncle of C3aTis. Born B.C. 600. Reigned in Babylon .... 538 to 535 538 to 535 521 to 485 425 to 396 337 to 333 CHRONOLOGICAL INDEX 83 Public Service. David— Son of Jesse. King of Judah. Born 1071, Died 1001, aged 70. Reigned as king in Hebron 1041 to 1034 Reigned as king in Jerusalem 1034 to 1001 Anxious to buikl Temple .... about 1028 Seven sons of Saul slain .... about 1018 Death of Herod — January b.c. 1. Aged almost 70 years 71 to 1 Deborah — The judge and prophetess .... 1313 to 1309 Descent into Egypt — Jacob and family . . . 1692 Divided Canaan among the tribes of Israel . . 1431 Divine Aid Refused — Ezek. 20, 3 .... 590 Dynasty — Of Jeroboam I 961 to 938 '' Baasha 938 to 914 '' Omri 909 to 869 " Jehu 869 to 771 '' Menahem 771 to 759 Earthquake — In days of Uzziah — Isaiah 7, 8 . 786 65 years before the Captivity of Israel. Eber — Father of the Hebrews. Born 2767 — Died 2303— aged 464. Eclipse of the Sun 809 Eclipse of the Sun — June 15 763 See Eponym Tablets, also Amos 8, 9. 763 Eclipse of Sun — Peace between Lydians and Medes 610 Marriage of Astyages to Aryenis. 610 Edom — A country first inhabited by the Horites and then by Esau and his descendants. Governed by Dukes prior to b.c. 1476; Exod. 15, 15; Gen. 36, 40. Governed by Kings on and after 1438; Num. 20, 14. Edom submitted to David about 1030; I Chron. 18, 13. Egypt to Canaan — Israel travelled 1100 miles . 1477 to 1437 Ehud— The judge 1341 to 1337 Elah — King of Israel, reigned 1 year . . . . 915 Elders— ''No king in Israel," Judg. chap. 17 to 21 1391 to 1371 Eleazar — Son of Aaron, Highpriest for probably 30 years 1438 to 1408 Eli— Born 1218— Died 1120— aged 98. Judged Israel 1160 to 1120 84 CHRONOLOGY OF THE HOLY BIBLE Public Service. Eliakim or Jehoiakim — King of Judah . . . 60S to 597 Elijah— The Tishbite S91 to 872 AtHoreb 884 Threatened Jehoram 873 Translated 872 Elisha — Became prophet in 880 The Shimammite 880 Raised boy to Hfe 877 Prophesied famine 877 to 870 Naaman captain of Assyria 871 Died "^ 825 Elon— The judge 1218 to 1208 Enoch— Born 4179— Translated 3811— aged 365. Enos— Born 4866— Died 3961— aged 905. Enrollment — Made by order of Augustus Caesar in b.c. 2 Taxes collected a.d. 7 to 10 — See taxation. In David's day it took ten months to make a census. Caesar's enrollment dealt with vastly greater numbers and took a longer time. Eponym Canon — Of Assyria 911 to 700 Era Nabonassar — Babylonian chronology . . 747 EsARHADDON — King of Assyria 680 to 668 Esau— Born 1822, Died later than 1702. Married both Judith and Bashemath . . . 1782 Esther — ]\Iade queen of Persia . • . . . . 479 Cast Pur .... Decree for slaughter Counter decree . The Jews had revenge Purim 473 March 24 472 June 1 472 March 15-16 471 March 17 471 Evil-Merodach — King of Babylon. [See Nergal.] 562 to 560 Exodus — Children of Israel left Egypt .... 1477 From Exodus to the Temple 479 years 1477 to 998 Ezekiel — A Prophet at time of the Captivity . 593 to 570 Ezekiel's — ^'Siege of Jerusalem." Ezek. 4th chap. "Fifth year of the captivity." Ezek. i, i. . b.c. 593 r ''390 days and 40 days." Ezek. 4, i to 8. \ Prophetic expression for 430 yrs. Pointing to first year of Asmonean Dynasty b.c. 163 Ezra — The scribe. Ezra vii chap. Jews left Babylon .... March 9 458 CHRONOLOGICAL INDEX 85 Public Service. Congregated by the river . . March 17-20 458 Celebrated the Passover . . ''23 458 Arrived in Jerusalem . . . July 5 458 A four months' journey. Famine— In Egypt, Joseph governor of the land . 1694 to 1687 In Palestine 2 years .... b.c. 24 and 23 In Samaria, 3 years 890 to 887 Feast of Lights— Time of the Maccabees Nov. 25 b.c. 165 Feast op Purim— See Esther also Lunar Echpse Fifteenth Year of Tiberius Caesar, began Aug. 19 A.D. 28, ended Aug. 19, a.d. 29. Flood — Lasted one year, Noah and family saved 3045 ''Fourth Generation" from Jacob (Gen. 15, 16). ) 1st Levi, 2 Kohath, 3 Amram, 4 Moses. j 400 Years— From time Isaac was 5 years old . . 1877 To the Exodus in I477 ''Fourth Generation of Jehu— 11 Kin. 10, 30 . 840 to 771 1st Jehoahaz, 2 Joash, 3 Jeroboam II, 4 Zacha- riah. See Dynasty. Gad— David's seer 1041 to 1001 Gedeliah— Made Governor of Judah .... 585 Gehazi — Servant of Elisha 880 to 870 Genealogies— Prepared for Jotham. I Chron. 5, 17 . . . . about 754 Genealogies— Prepared in the days of Jeroboam II about 790 Gideon— The judge 1302 to 1298 GiRGASHiTES— Descendants of Ham who settled in Canaan. GoBRYAS— Governor of Gutium, commander of Cyrus' army, and temporary governor of Babylon before Darius the Mede became king in ' . . . . 538 Golden Calf— In Bethel and in Dan ... 961 Altar destroyed 623 Prophecy fulfilled in 338 years. Grandfather— Called Father in the Bible — Dan. 5, 2, 11. Grandson— Called Son in the Bible— 11 Sam. 19, 24—1 Kin. 19, 16— 11 Chron. 22, 9— Ezra 5, 1. 86 CHRONOLOGY OF THE HOLY BIBLE Public Service, Granddaughter — Called Daughter in the Bible — II Chron. 22, 2. Greatgrandson — In the Bible called Son. Joshua 22, 20— Heb. 7, 10. Great Passover — Of Josiah 623 Great Synagogue — Prepared the Hebrew text of the Old Testament e.g. 327 Habakkuk — The prophet, about 615 Haggai — Prophet in time of Zerubbabel . . . 520 Hammurabi — King of Babylon; see Amraphel. Hanani — The seer reproved Asa 916 Hannah — Mother of Samuel the prophet ... 1 146 Hazael — Took territory (Bir-idri died.) . . . 842 Oppressed during Jehoahaz's reign . . . 840 to 826 Died 825 Heber— The Kenite. Born about 1400 . . . 1313 Hebrew Kingdom Divided — By Rehoboam and Jeroboam I 961 Herod, The Great — Born b.c. 71, Died b.c. 1, aged almost 70. Reigned from b.c. 37 to b.c. 1. — 36 yrs. Made Governor of Judea .... b.c. 54 Made king by Romans b.c. 40 Conquered Antigonus B.C. 37 Hezekiah — King of Judah, Born 752, Died 698, aged 54. Reigned in Jerusalem 727 to 698 Hezekiah's Sickness — b.c. 714. Second term of Office .... 713 to 698 HoBAB — Son of Jethro and brother-in-law of Moses 1477 Hosea — The prophet, about 775 to 726 HosHEA — King of Israel 730 to 721 Paid tribute to Shalmaneser IV .... 728 HuLDAH — The prophetess 623 Hyrcanus I — Highpriest and Governor . . . 135 to 104 Hyrcanus II and Aristobulus — Reigned over the Jews b.c. 67 to 63 Hyrcanus II — Ethnarch at Jerusalem . . b.c. 63 to 40 CHRONOLOGICAL INDEX 87 j Public Service. IBZAN— The judge 1225 to 1218 Iddo — Prophet during reign of Rehoboam . . 942 Independence Day — Appointed by j Simon Maccabeus May 4 . . . . b.c. 141 | Memorial Tablet commemorative of same | placed on Mount Sion September 12 b.c. 140 j Indignation— Interval 70 years 590 to 520 j f Refused Ezek. 20, 3.— Aug. 1st 590 1 Intercourse I ^^^.^^^^2ech. 1, 1. -Oct. 25th 520 i Isaac— Son of Abraham. Born 1882— Married \ Rebekah 1842— Died 1702— aged 180. j Was 5 years old in b.c. 1877 3 The Exodus was 400 years later (Gen. 15,13). | Isaiah— The prophet lived probably 95 years. \ Prophesied and wrote for 64 years. . . . 744 to 680 | Ish-bosheth— 2d Son of Saul, and king of Israel . 1041 to 1034 Born 1081— Died 1034— aged 47. ■ IsHMAEL— Son of Abraham. Born 1896— Died ' 1759— aged 137. 1 Israel— Without a ruler, last 5 chapters in Judges 1391 to 1371 -1 Israel's — Captivity under Sargon began in . . 721 i Israel and Judah — Separate kingdoms for 240 j years. Jos. Antq. 9, 14, 1 961 to 721 ^ Jacob— The patriarch. Born 1822- Died 1675 j —aged 147. j Entered Laban's service when 77 years old. j Served Laban 7 years 1745 to 1738 , Married both Leah and Rachel .... 1738 \ Left Laban after 20 years' service ... 1725 : Went into Egypt 1692 : Jael — Wife of Heber the Kenite 1313 ; Jahaziel — The Levite, became a prophet . . 878 | Jair— The Judge 1272 to 1250 | Jared— Bom 4341— Died 3379— aged 962. j Jebusites— Descendants of Ham and builders of | Jerusalem. .; Jehoahaz— King of Judah. Born 632, Reigned j 3 mos. in 609. Called Shallum. Jer. 22, 11. i Jehoahaz — King of Israel. Reigned .... 840 to 862 | Hazael oppressed Israel during his reign. : 88 CHRONOLOGY OF THE HOLY BIBLE Public Service. Jehoahaz — II Chron. 2o, 23. — Should read: ''And Joash the king of Israel, the son of Jeho- ahaz, took Amaziah king of Judah, the son of Joash." Jehoash — See Joash — Kings of Judah and Israel. Jehoiachin — Called also (Coniah, Jechonias, Jeconiah), Born 615. Reigned at Jerusalem 3 months in 597. Prisoner in Babylon until 560. Died about B.C. 556, aged 59 years. Jehoiada — The prophet. Born about 960, Died about 830, age 130. He trained Joash, the King of Judah. Jehoiakim— Born 633— Died 597— aged 36. Called also Eliakim. He reigned in Judah . 608 to 597 Jehoxadab or Joxadab — Son of Rechab the Kenite 869 Family of Rechabites, obedient in . . . 596 Example of Jehonadab influential for 273 yrs. ''Jonadab, shall not want a man to stand before me forever." Jer. 35, 19. N. B. — Rechabites were found in China a.d. 1 160. " ''Arabia'' 1828. Jehoram— Born 908— Died 870— aged 38. Regent 2 years. Total reign over Judah 6 years .... 876 to 870 Jehoshaphat — Born 934 — Died 875 — aged 59. Reigned over Judah 899 to 876 Built ships at Ezion-gaber 883 Jehozadak or Josedech — Highpriest, taken captive 586 Jehu— Son of Hanani 920 to 876 Reproved Baasha 917 Reproved Jehoshaphat in 882 Wrote the life of Jehoshaphat in ... . 876 Jehu — The king, Reigned over Israel — See Dynasty 869 to 840 Jephthah — The judge 1231 to 1225 Jeremiah — Prophet of Judah 628 to 580 Prophesied and wrote for 48 years. Jeroboam I — King of Israel 961 to 939 Reigned 22 years — See Dynasty. Jeroboam II — King of Israel. Reigned . . . 810 to 772 CHRONOLOGICAL INDEX 89 Public Service. Jerusalem — Taken from Jebusites .... 1034 Jerusalem — Burnt by Nebuchadnezzar . . . 586 Jerusalem — Taken by Pompey, May 24, b.c. 63 Jerusalem— Captured by Herod and Sosius Spring of B.C. 37 Jesse — Father of David, born about . . . . mo Jethro or Raguel— The Kenite, Father-in-law of Moses 1477 Jezebel— Wife of Ahab, daughter of king of Zidon 903 to 883 JoASH or Jehoash — King of Judah reigned . . 863 to 824 Born 870— Died 824— aged 46. Ordered Temple repaired 850 Various delays until 841 Jehoiada completed the work. JoASH or Jehoash— King of Israel reigned . . 826 to 810 Defeated Amaziah at Bethshemesh. . , . 810 In II Chron. 25, 23 read, ^^the son of Jehoahaz." Job — This patriarch hved in the land of Uz, near Chaldea. Judged by the ancestry of his friends, it is probable that his life covered the 255 years spent by Israel in Egypt and the Wilderness; say b.c. 1692 to 1437 Joel — The prophet, about 660 John Hyrcanus— Highpriest of the Jews . b.c. 135 to 104 Jonah.— The prophet started a great Reformation in Assyria about 808 Jonathan— Eldest son of Saul. Born 1083, Died 1041, age 42. Jonathan Maccabeus— Highpriest of the Jews b.c. 153 to 143 Joram or Jehoram — King of Israel .... 881 to 869 Fought Hazael 870 Regent 881 to 875 Jordan — Crossed by Israel, March 21 ... . 1437 Joseph— Born 1731— Died 1621— aged 110. Sold to Ishmaelites 1714 In prison 2 years 1703 to 1701 Governor of Egypt 1701 7 years of plenty 1701 to 1694 7 " " famine 1694 to 1687 Embalmed in Egypt 1621 Buried in Shechem about 1421 Interval 200 years. 90 CHRONOLOGY OF THE HOLY BIBLE Public Service. Joshua — Son of Nun. Bom 1501, Died 1391, age 110. From Jordan to division of the land 6 yrs. Division of land to death of Joshua 40 yrs. Ruled Israel 1437 to 1391 JosLiH— Born 648— Died 609— aged 39. Reigned in Judah 640 to 609 Prophecy of 961 fulfilled in birth of Josiah . 648 Interval 313 years. JoTHAM — King of Judah. Born 782, Died 742, aged 40. Reigned as regent 757 to 743 '^ alone 1 year 743 Judas Aristobulus — King of the Jews 1 yr. b.c. 104 Judas Maccabeus — Highpriest of the Jews 3 yrs. b.c. 163 to 160 Nation ''7 years without a Highpriest" . b.c. 160 to 153 Kadesh-barnea — Israel arrived . . . July 1476 [Ayn Qadees] '' departed . . July 1438 Interval 38 years. Karkar Battle b.c. 854 Fought by Shalmaneser II and Syrian kings. Kenezites — Settled near the Kenites South of Arad. Caleb the commander of Israel was a Kenezite. Kenites — Their land first mentioned Gen. 15, 19 1921 Jethro, father-in-law of Moses 1476 Kenites af Jericho 1431 Kenites with Judah 1430 Kenites at Kadesh 1313 The Rechabites were descendants of the Kenites. See Jehonadab. KoHATH — Father of Amram, Born about 1675, Died 1542, age 133. KoRAH — Dathan and Abiram buried alive . . 1474 Lamech— Father of Noah. Born 3827— Died 3050 —aged 777. Land Divided — By Joshua and Eleazar . . . 1431 Last Date — Given by Old Testament . b.c. 433 Law — Given on Sinai 1477 CHRONOLOGICAL INDEX 91 Public Service. Levi— Father of Kohath. Born 1734— Died 1597— aged 137. Line of Eleazar — The highpriest. 1st Phinehas, 2 Abishua, 3 Bukki, 4 Uzzi, 5 Zerahiah, 6 Meraioth I 1438 to 1160 Line of Ithamar — Brother of Eleazar. 7th EH, 8 Ahitub I, 9 Ahmielech, or Ahiah, 10 Abiathar 1160 to 1001 Line of Eleazar — Continued. 11 Zadok I — 12 Azariah I — 13 Amariah I — 14 Ahitub 11—15 Meraioth 11—16 Zadok II — 17 Azariah II — 18 Shalhim or Meshahum —19 Hilkiah— 20 Azariah III— 21 Seraiah — 22 Jehozadak or Jozadak — 23 Jeshua or Joshua— 24 Jehoiakim— 25 Ehashib— 26 Joiada— 27 Jonathan— 28 Jaddua . . , 1001 to 433 Lunar Eclipse — March 13, B.C. 4 followed by the Feast of Purim . . . March 14 B.C. 4 Lunar Eclipse — January 9, b.c. 1 followed by the FAST of Tebet .... January 10 B.C. 1 Mahalaleel— Born 4506— Died 3611— aged 895. Malachi — The prophet, about 400 Mattaniah or Zedekiah — King of Judah . . . 597 to 585 Mattathias— The Chasid, father of the Maccabees 168 Menahem — The usurper — King of Israel — See Dynasty 771 to 761 Menelaus — Highpriest of the Jews . . . . 173 to 163 Mephibosheth — Son of Jonathan. Born 1046. Merodach-baladan — King of Babylon . . . 721 to 702 Visited Hezekiah 713 Methusalah— Born 4014— Died 3045— aged 969. MiCAH— The prophet Jer. 26, 18 753 to 705 MiCHAL — Daughter of Saul and wife of David. In II Sam. 21, 8. Read for ''Michal"— Merab. MiCAiAH — The prophet warned Ahab .... 883 MiDiANiTES — The Descendants of Abraham by Keturah. Miriam— Born about 1565, Died 1475, age 90. Song at Red Sea May 1477 Afflicted with leprosy .... June 1476 Died at Kadesh March 1475 92 CHRONOLOGY OF THE HOLY BIBLE Public Service. MoABiTE — Stone, record of Mesha the king . . 909 to 869 MoA BITES — Descendants of Lot who settled East of. the Dead Sea. Moses— Born 1557— Died 1437— aged 120. Moses slew an Egyptian 1517 " appeared before Pharoah .... 1478 " in the Wilderness till 1437 Belonged to " the 4th generation" (Gen. 15, 16) 1st Levi, 2 Kohath, 3 Amram, 4 Moses. Mount Hor [Jebel j\L\durah] — Israel Mourned for Aaron July 20 to August 20 ... . 1438 Nabonidus — King of Babylon 566 to 541 With Belshazzar his son .... 541 to 538- Nadab — King of Israel. Reigned 1 j^ear . . . 939 Nahor— Born 2241— Died 2093— aged 148. Nahum — The prophet spoke concerning Nineveh. Josephus says, about 700 Nahshon — Head of Tribe of Judah and father of Salmon. Died in Wilderness before . . . 1437 Nathan — The prophet. During David's reign 1041 to 1001 Nebuchadnezzar — Made king of Babylon . . 605 Reigned 605 to 562 Nehemiah — Governor for Persia 445 to 433 Arrived in Jerusalem . . July 9 445 Proposed to rebuild Temple " 12 445 Wall finished .... Sept. 2 445 Feast of Tabernacles . . " 7 to 15 445 Fast of ''Rejoicing of the Law" " 30 445 Nergal-sar-usur Jer. 39, 3, 13 — King of Babylon . 560 to 556 Substitute his name for that of Evil-Merodach in n Kin. 25, 27. Jer. 52, 31, 3. Nineveh's — Great reformation. The prophet Jonah 808 Nineveh Destroyed 607 ''No King in Israel"— Last 5 chapters of Judges 1391 to 1371 Noah— Born 3645— Died 2695— aged 950. Obadiah— The prophet 586 to 583^ Obed — Son of Boaz and Ruth. Born about 1 140 CHRONOLOGICAL INDEX 93 .1 Public Service. \ Obed — The prophet; about 736 I Og — King of Bashan 1438 j Olympiads — The 185th covered b.c. 40 to 36; the j 194th covered B.C. 4 to a.d. 1. j Olympic Games — Instituted 776 \ Omri — Alone, King of Israel — See Dynasty . . 909 to 903 \ Othniel— The judge 1363 to 1359 1 j Patriarchs — Adam, Seth, Enos, Cainan, Maha- j laleel, Jared, Enoch, Methusalah, Lamech, I Noah, Shem, Arphaxad, Salah, Eber, Peleg, \ Reu, Serug, Nahor, Terah, Abraham, Isaac, i Jacob, and Job. -| Pekah— Reigned in Israel 759 to 730 ■ Pekahiah — King of Israel. Reigned 2 years . . 761 to 759 ' Peleg— Born 2633, Died 2394, age 239. ; Persia — Conquered at Cunaxa . . . b.c. 401 i " by Alexander .. b.c. 331 \ Pharoah-necho — Slew Josiah 609 : Philip — The tetrarch, Son of Herod, reigned from ^ B.C. 1 -to A.D. 37. Agrippa his successor in a.d. 37 : Phinehas— Son of Eleazar. Highpriest probably j 30 years 1408 to 1378 ^ Pontius Pilate — Roman governor of Judah | a.d. 26 to 36 inclusive. : PoROS and Chinzeros — Kings of Babylon . . 731 to 726 ; (Porus= Pul= Tiglath-pileser.) Pompey— Took Jerusalem, May 24 . . . b.c. 63 ; Promise made to Abraham in 1907 j Prophets of Baal — Slain by Elijah .... 887 ^ Slain by Jehu .... 869 | Queen Alexandra — Reigned over the Jews b.c. 76 to 67 j i Rahab or Rachab of Jericho. j Wife of Salmon of tribe Judah. [Matt. 1, 5] 1437 j The "Pocahontas" of Israel's history. | Rechab — Father of Jehonadab 869 i Red Sea Crossing May 1477 ^ Rehoboam— King of Judah. Reigned ... 961 to 943 j Born 1002— Died 943— aged 59. - 94 CHRONOLOGY OF THE HOLY BIBLE Public Service. Reu— Bom 2503— Died 2264— aged 239. Reuben — Eldest son of Jacob, Born 1737. Rezin— King of SjTia 745 to 732 Roman Years — a.u.c. 752= b.c. 2; a.u.c. 782= a.d.29;a.u.c. 786=A.D. 33. Rome — Founded April 21 753 Ruth — ^Wife of Boaz. Born in Moab, aboui 1 170 Sabbatic Year — Last observance of the commandment in b.c. 1080 Last of series of omissions .... B.C. 590 Babylonian Captivity 70 years. (II Chron. 36, 21) . . ^ . . . Diff. 490 years Salah— Born 2897— Died 2464— aged 433. = Salomon — Son of Xahshon. Probably one of the spies sent out of Jericho. Born in Wilder- ness about 1460 Married Rahab of Jericho — Matt. 1, 5. Samaria— Capital of Israel 908 to 722 Saimaria — Taken by Sargon 722 Samson— The judge 1180 to 1160 Samuel— The prophet. Born 1144— Died 1043— aged 101. Ruler of Israel 1120 to 1081 Judge 1081 to 1043 AtMizpeh 1101 Sanctuary — Of Herod's Temple dedicated b.c. 18 ''Forty and six jTars was this Temple in building" b.c. 18 to a.d. 29 S^^R^^H— ^Yife of Abraham. Born 1973— Died 1846 — aged 127. Sargon — King of Assyria 722 to 704 Saul— Son of Kish. First King of Israel . . . 1081 to 1041 Born 1104, Died 1041, age 63. Sceptre—'' Departed from Judah" (Gen. 49, 16) b.c. 1 Seleucidae Era : Greek standard .... October 1 b.c. 312 Babylonian " .... I\Iarch B.C. 312 Josephus " .... October 1 B.C. 312 I and II Maccabees standard October 1 b.c. 312 Sennacherib — King of Assyria 704 to 680 CHRONOLOGICAL INDEX Septuagint — Greek translation of the Old Testa- ment made by the Seventy . . . b.c. Serug— Born 2373— Died 2143— aged 230. Servitudes — (Total 92 years) : Mesopotainia 8 years Moabites 18 Canaanites 20 Midianites 7 Philistines and Ammonites . .19 Phihstines 20 Seth — Son of Adam. Born 5071 — Died 4159 — aged 912. Seventy Weeks — Dan. 9, 24 . . 490 years. Passover of b.c. 458 to Passover of a.d. 33. Shadrach, Meshach, Abed-nego — Were made officers of Babylon .... Placed in fiery furnace .... Were promoted Shallum — Reigned 1 month in Judah Shiloh — Sacred city of Israel for 310 years Burnt by the Philistines in Shalmaneser II — King of Assyria Battle Karkar . invaded Syria . Jehu paid tribute went to Damascus —King of Assyria Shalmaneser IV — King of Assyria Shamgar — The judge after Ehud . Shishak — King of Egypt, despoiled Temple Shem— The 3rd son of Noah. Born 3145— Died 2545— aged 600. Shemaiah — The prophet, about Siege of Jerusalem by Nebuchadnezzar Dan. 1, 1. SiHON — King of Heshbon Simon — Captain in the Maccabean period . Simon — Highpriest and Governor . . . B.C. Sinai — Israel arrived there June '^ departed May SiSERA — Commander of Canaanites .... year His 6th " 10th " " 18th '' " 21st " Shalmaneser III- 95 Public Service. 284 1371 to 1363 1359 to 1341 1333 to 1313 1309 to 1302 1250 to 1231 1200 to 1180 603 594 593 772 1431 to 1121 1121 860 to 854 850 842 839 783 to 727 to 1337 to 1333 957 829 773 721 955 606 1438 145 to 143 143 to 135 1477 1476 1313 96 CHRONOLOGY OF THE HOLY BIBLE Public Service. Sodom and Gomorrah — Destroyed 1893 Solomon— Son of David. Born 1024, Died 961, age 63. Reigned 1001 to 961 Temple begun 998 finished 991 ■ Palace finished 978 Standard Sabbatic Years b.c. 37 and b.c. 30 Sun Dial — Erected by Ahaz, about .... 733 Tabernacle — In Wilderness 1477 to 1437 In Canaan 1437 to 1431 At Shiloh 1431 to 1121 Tabernacle and altar at Gibeon .... 1121 to 991 Tadmor — Built by Solomon 975 Taxation — Taxes collected a.d. 7 by Cyrenius Josephus says ''37th year of Caesar's victory." Temple — Service ceased b.c. 585 to 515 Interval 70 years. Temple Despoiled by Antiochus Epiphanes, November 27 b.c. 168 Temple of Herod — 82 years building b.c. 18 to a.d. 65 10,000 workmen employed in . . . b.c. 18 18,000 " discharged in . . . a.d. 64 Terah — Father of Abraham. Born 2112 — Died 1907— aged 205. Tiberius Caesar — Began to reign August 19 a.d. 14 - Joint rule with Augustus Caesar . . a.d. 11 to 14 Died March 26 a.d. 37 Tiberius 1st year completed August 19 a.d. 15 " 15th "^ " " August 19 " 29 " 23rd ended August 19 " 37 Tibni and Omri — Reigned in Israel . . . . 914 to 909 TiGLATH-PiLESER IV — King of Assyria. . . . 745 to 727 Known also by name of Pul or Poros. Received tribute from Uzziah 743 TiRZEH— Capital of Israel 961 to 908 Tola— The judge 1295 to 1272 Tower of Babel and Confusion of Tongues . . 2633 UzziAH or AzARiAH — Bom 826, Died 743, age 83. Reigned actively 810 to 757 CHRONOLOGICAL INDEX 97 Public Service. Smitten with leprosy and Reigned passively 757 to 743 Urijah — Prophesied against Jerusalem about . 607 Wilderness — For 40 years 1477 to 1437 Stayed at Sinai .... 11 months Stayed at Kadesh ... 38 years On the journey . . . . 13 months Xerxes — King of Persia 485 to 465 Called '' Ahasuerus" in Hebrew. See book of Esther. Zachariah — Last of House of Jehu. Reigned 7 mos. 772 Zadok— The priest 1010 to 970 Zechariah — Son of Jehoiada, slain .... 828 Zechariah — The prophet, grandson of Iddo . . 520 to 518 Zedekiah — King of Judah. Born 618. Called also Mattaniah. Reigned .... 597 to 585 Visited Babylon in honor of Nebuchadnezzar's golden image. Jer. 51, 59 594 Carried captive to Babylon 585 Zephaniah — The prophet about 630 Zerubbabel: Was ordered to build the Temple August 27 520 Began work September 19 520 Set up altar . Foundation laid . ''Earth at peace" Temple finished September 25 520 , December 17 520 i February 14 519 \ February 9 515 Zerubbabel died later than the battle of Marathon. See Hag. 2, 23. Battle of Marathon was fought . . B.C. 490 Zerubbabel's Temple to Nehemiah's Temple . . 515 to 445 Interval 70 years. ZiMRi — Reigned 7 days in Israel 915 Zoan or Rameses — Ancient Egyptian city, built 7 years later than Hebron. Scene of Israel's servitude, after death of Joseph .... 1621 to 1477 Interval 144 years. Psalm 78, 43. The name of Rameses was given to the city many years after the time of the Exodus. AN INITIAL FINE OF 25 CENTS WILL BE ASSESSED FOR FAILURE TO REH'URN THIS BOOK ON THE DATE DUE. THE PENALTY WILL INCREASE TO 50 CENTS ON THE FOURTH DAY AND TO $1.00 ON THE SEVENTH DAY OVERDUE. OCT 5 1935 V ^ M /lU.j/9St^ '^<^ fCt^ 0d2?*49C ^^^^It 1>ge. ZZ^ ^EC CW. JUL 'i ^ 76 Jau.-u^ \iaY G 1977 ^ ^^"^^ b9S^ ^W SEP 1 4 1978 H!l > o o 1Q '-^ ^ t* #4 r^:. 1952 LD 21-100m-7,'33 /