Tag: Israelite Chronology

Challenging the Narrative

In the archives of human history, few subjects elicit as much intrigue, debate, and division as the chronology of ancient civilizations, especially of the Israelites. The delicate tapestry of time, woven with the threads of diverse cultures, faiths, and interpretations, presents both scholars and seekers with profound challenges.

As Albert Olmstead so poignantly argued:

For the historian the framework is chronology. . . . Without chronology, there can be no history, since history itself is merely a record of human events in time relation. Sad to admit, chronology is the most tricky subject with which the historian must deal, and special attention is always devoted to its intricacies in the historical seminar.1

With the same insight, Edwin Thiele points out:

Without exact chronology there can be no exact history.2

Israelite Chronology
Among the contested chronologies of the ancient world lie those belonging to the ancient Israelites (both of the house of Judah and the house of Israel), especially while they inhabited the Promised Land. The long journey of these enduring Israelite nations as they passed through the ages is recorded not only in the sacred texts of the Scriptures but is also mirrored in the annals and inscriptions of their contemporaries: the Assyrians, Babylonians, Egyptians, and others. Continue reading “Challenging the Narrative” →

Israelite Chronology & the Trojan War

What is virtually unknown to many is that all ancient world chronology, especially before 610 B.C.E., actually stands upon the shoulders of one of the most famous Greek dates for the Trojan War!

Additionally, the oversight in adequately evaluating the evidence for dynasty stacking in ancient pagan sources has significantly contributed to the challenges in establishing Egyptian chronology and its repercussions on Israelite chronology. Notably, the ancient practice of superimposing one dynasty line upon another did not escape the attention of ancient commentators.

Eusebius
To demonstrate, Eusebius (early 4th century C.E.), while discussing the list of Egyptian dynasties as they were arranged by the 3rd century B.C.E. Egyptian priest Manetho—a list which is used until this day as a guide for the chronology of the ancient Egyptian monarchs—expressed his suspicions when he commented:

 Yet if the number of years is still in excess, it must be supposed that perhaps several Egyptian kings ruled at one and the same time; FOR THEY SAY THAT THE RULERS WERE KINGS OF THINITAS (TJENU),1 OF MEMPHIS, OF SAIS, OF ETHIOPIA, AND OF OTHER PLACES AT THE SAME TIME. It seems, moreover, that different kings held sway in different regions, and that each dynasty was confined to its own nome (province): thus it was not a succession of kings occupying the throne one after the other, but several kings reigning at the same time in different regions. Hence arose the great total number of years.2

Continue reading “Israelite Chronology & the Trojan War” →