Jewish literature of second century A.D. midrashic chronological work, generally regarded as a work of the tanna Jose b. Halafta. [The "tannaim" were the masters of the "oral law," i.e. the men who wrote the Talmud.] It is a chronological record extending from Adam to the revolt of Bar Kokba in the reign of emperor Hadrian in the 130's A.D.. It is terribly flawed in the chronology it presents--thus the claim that Adam was only created in 3760 B.C.. Frank W. Nelte January 1999
I recently came across an article discussing chronological problems in relation to the Seder Olam Rabbah, specifically that it reduces the Persian Period of history from it's 200+ years to just a few decades. (Conventional chronology states that the Persians ruled Israel from 539 BC to 332 BC (207 years). Rabbinic chronology says the Persians ruled for 52 years. Jon Klein. Biblical Prophecy and Y2K?)
As the Author of 'The King's Calendar: The Secret of Qumran, which is a chronological study of the books of the Bible, and of Josephus and of the Damascus Document of the Dead Sea Scrolls, and understanding that the ancients, principally between the 5th and 3rd centuries BCE (but continuing down to at least 104 BCE), transcribed the legitimate chronological records of Israel into an artificial form consisting of 12 monhts of 4 weeks of 7 days, or 336 day years, thereby extending the true history of Israel, I realised that the King's Calendar might be able to provide some clue to understanding the discrepancies in the Seder Olam Rabbah.
At the time I first wrote this article I knew little of the work, nor of the arguments surrounding it but from what chronological details I researched I did discover something interesting.
According to this book, there were 3828 years from Creation to the 70AD destruction of the temple, and 1656 years from Creation to the flood. Therefore, from the Flood to 70AD there are 2172 years.
From within the King's Calendar research, it can be seen that there exists evidence that the artificial calendar was used until at least 104 BCE. It can therefore be summised that from the period 104 BCE to 70 AD, chronological records were provided in true solar years, of which there were 173.
To subtract these 173 years from the period "The Flood to 70 AD", results in a figure of 1999 years. If these years be artificial which they most certainly are, those years convert into 1845 true solar years, a discrepancy of 154 years.
What is the significance of these years?
If the Seder Olam Rabbah was a serious attempt to chronologise the history of Israel, synchronising it with known historical events, then the data used during this period, was 154 years excessive.
In that article, there was a variance with Ussher's date for Creation of 152 years
Finding the calculations excessive would have been unacceptable in light of the reverence with which the Biblical records were held. It would have been necessary for the author/s of the Seder Olam Rabbah, to compress history. This is not a fanciful suggestion, for you can find example after example of this in any history book that deals with the Biblical Data. If the Biblical data is excessive of history, then it must be compressed to fit.
That at some point, true history was compressed, is not at all surprising. Believing that the records were utterly true and correct, there may have been no recourse but to adjust history (The converse of which takes place today). The only true flaw in the chronology, is that it's artificial nature was unrecognised. (We find the same in Josephus).
"Rabbi Leibtag of Yeshivat Har Etzion .... claimed that Seder Olam’s purpose was deeper than merely trying to record the facts of history. In his “Midrashic” chronology, he was attempting to center historical events around important theological ones."
[Insights into the weekly Torah portion from students at Penn : Parshat Lech L’cha:13 Cheshvan 5761 Nov 10-11, 2000]
This was the very first article ever written at King's Calendar on Seder Olam.
See below for links to a whole range of articles that are now on file.
The Premise: Between the 5th and 3rd centuries BCE (but continuing down to at least 104 BCE), Sectarian redactors transcribed the legitimate 'solar year' chronological records of Israel and Judah, into an artificial form, with listed years as each comprised of 12 months of 4 weeks of 7 days, or 336 days per year, thus creating a 13th artificial year where 12 solar years existed.
When the Synchronous Chronological Data provided in the Books of Kings and Chronicles for the Divided Kingdom Period are measured in years of 336 days, the synchronisms actually align. [Refer to Appendix Five to see how it synchronises the Divided Kingdom Period]
General formula for Biblical Data conversion:
The formula for constructing the artificial calendar was:
'X' times 364 equals 'Y' days
'Y' days divided by 336 equals 'Z' artificial years.
Values are:
'X' = any given number of 'real/solar' years
364 = perceived days in the sectarian calendar
'Y' = number of days calculated
336 = number of days in an artificial year
'Z' = artificial years = 1.083'X' and represents the original number of the converted years plus 8%.
To reverse the process by hand:
'Z' years times 336 equals 'Y' divided by 364 equals the Number of 'X' years converted.
To see how effective this method is, SEE:Appendix 5:Diagrammatic Reconstruction of Israelite History from 936 to 586 BCE:
The Principle of Linear Causality
The King's Calendar is a very simple approach to Biblical Chronology. It substitutes a value of 336 days for every year listed in Scripture. As far as the Divided Kingdom is concerned, when you use this 336 day year value, the synchronisms actually work. To see how effective this method is, SEE:Appendix 5: Diagrammatic Reconstruction of Israelite History from 936 to 586 BCE
Because it is a mathematical system, the King's Calendar must abide by certain mathematical rules, the most important of which, is that if you change any date for any day, month, or year every other day, month, or year is effected and must also change. It's like a 'domino effect'. Chronological references cannot be 'forced' to fit, and nor can they simply be ignored or 'compressed' as is the usual case with historians and archaeologists.
If any King's Calendar chronological determination disagrees with anything in the history books, it must argue the case as to why the history books are wrong, or why the evidence for an assertion is untrustworthy. If the King's Calendar successfully defends its' position, then the history books cannot be treated as definitive, and if the King's Calendar is 'proven' wrong, then every other chronological reference it provides is also wrong.
Because of this, the King's Calendar Chronological Reconstruction of Israel's history is unique, in that its' methodology can be scientifically (mathematically) tested and demonstrated to be either true or false. Its' chronological predictions are able to be 'proved' or 'disproved'.
R.P.BenDedek is from Brisbane Australia and is the author of 'The King's Calendar: The Secret of Qumran' at http://www.kingscalendar.com His academic articles set forth Apologetics for and results of his discovery of an "artificial chronological scheme" running through the Bible, Josephus, the Damascus Documents of the Dead Sea Scrolls, and Seder Olam Rabbah.
He writes photographic 'Stories from China' and social editorial commentaries, both at KingsCalendar, and as a contributing newspaper columnist. He currently teaches Conversational English in China and in addition to his English Lessons at KingsCalendar, he has created specific sites for Students of English.
