The issue that this article tackles involves a period of 480 years, which, according to the Seder Olam Rabbah, extended between Solomon's Temple and Zerrubabel's Temple.
The chronological discussion undertaken in this file pertains to the King's Calendar reconstruction of Israelite History. If you are not familiar with the King's Calendar, then in order to understand the issues raised, you need to read: What is the King's Calendar?
Concise statement on the King's Calendar Premise:
The King's Calendar: The Secret of Qumran is a study of the chronologies of the Books of Kings and Chronicles in the Bible, as well as of Josephus and of the Damascus Document of the Dead Sea Scrolls.
It's Premise: That 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 being comprised of 12 months of 4 weeks of 7 days, or 336 days per year.
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.
Solomon's Temple, & Zerrubabel's Temple
Why does Seder Olam Rabbah say that there are 480 years
between Solomon's building of the Temple and
Zerrubabel's rebuilding of the temple?
Chronological Symmetry?
In the article Parshat Terumah (1 Kings 5:26-6:13) February 12, 2005 the following statement appears:
Abrabanel explained the reference to the redemption from Egypt from a citation from the famous book of rabbinic chronology - Seder Olam Rabbah (chapter 15). He asserts that the prophet wanted to make note of the chronological symmetry between the amount of time that the Sanctuary established in the desert exited (according to Seder Olam – 480 years) and the period of time from the beginning of Solomon's building of the Temple to the beginning of Zerubavel's building of the Second Temple (also 480 years). Abrabanel saw in this verse's manner of expressing time an opportunity to teach about divine providence and history. He felt that God expressed Himself in history by making events happen in symmetrical patterns of time.
This discussion involves itself with the question: 'why does 1 kings 6:1 chronologically connect the Exodus to the 4th year of Solomon when he commenced to build the temple, instead of connecting it to Creation. The point made is that the Seder Olam Rabbah wishes to present chronological symmetry, in that 480 years elapsed between the Exodus and the commencement of Solomon's Temple, and 480 years elapsed unto Zerrubabel's commencement of the Temple's restoration.
The issue to be examined in this article, is whether or not 480 years do elapse between the two temples.
How many years between the First and Second Temples?
The Parameters: Solomon's temple & Zerrubabel's temple - 480 years
Checking the parameters of the Seder Olam Rabbah chronology, against the King's Calendar Reconstruction of Israelite History, demonstrates that the claim that 480 years elapse between the two events is Valid,but not quite in the way it was intended.
King's Calendar Chronology for The Two Temples:
Solomon's Temple.
The King's Calendar Dates for Solomon are:
Line 419 – 973 BCE - 1st Year of Reign
Line 416 – 970 BCE – Solomon's 4th year – Temple commences.
Line 409 – 964 BCE – Solomon's 11th year – Temple completed.
Go to Appendix 12 (Josephus) on the precis page. It contains King's Calendar Line Nos (left column), artificial years, and all calendar years from 104 BCE to 1941 BCE. You can use this chart to check all mathematical calculations cited in this article.
Measuring 480 years from Solomon's Temple.
To measure 480 years from Solomon's Temple, we have to measure from both the commencement and completion years, and measure in both artificial and solar years.
Solar Years
Commencement of the Temple 970 BCE – 480 solar years = 490 BCE Completion of the Temple 964 BCE – 480 solar years = 484 BCE
Neither of the resultant dates seems to relate to Zerrubabel's Temple building.
Artificial Years.
(The year 586 BCE on the King's Calendar is Line '00' . The following calculations must use Line '00' as an additional year.)
Commencement of Solomon's Temple 970 BCE (Line 416) – 480 artificial years = Line 63 = 528 BCE Completion of Solomon's Temple 964 BCE (Line 409) – 480 artificial years = Line 70 = 522 BCE
Commencement of Zerrubabel's Temple: 522 BCE
522 BCE (Line 70 on the King's Calendar) when building of the Temple recommenced, is 480 artificial years after Solomon completed the first temple. (522 BCE = Line 70 down to Line '00' up to Line 409 (964 BCE) = 70 + 1 + 409 = 480)
Using non King's Calendar Figures.
Since only the King's Calendar can provide a mathematical justification for it's placement of King Solomon's reign, and the figures used above come from the King's Calendar, the only way to calculate a 480 year period between Solomon's Temple and the Post Exilic Temple, is to calculate back from either 522 BCE (commencement) or 516 BCE (completion) of Zerrubabel's Temple.
522 BCE + 480 solar years = 1002 BCE which is far too early by currently accepted standards for Solomon's Reign. 516 BCE + 480 solar years = 996 BCE, which is still too early.
The King's Calendar calculation seems to be the only one that makes a 480 year connection between the two events. The 480 years appear to transpire between the completion of Solomon's Temple, and the Commencement of Zerrubabel's Temple.
But using the King's Calendar Artificial Calendar is not the only way to calculate it.
Mixture of Artificial & Solar Years
A: - In Mixed years – Artificial & Solar years
From Solomon's 4th year 970 BCE Line 416 to and including 586 BCE Line 00 there are 417 years. From 585 BCE to 522 BCE = 63 Solar Years.
This appears to be the most likely explanation of the 480 years mentioned in Seder Olam Rabbah.
B:- In Mixed years - Artificial & Solar
From Solomon's 1st yearLine 419 973 BCE to the Fall of Jerusalem in 586 BCE Line 00, 433.5 Biblical years transpire, leaving 46.5 Solar years to transpire until 539 BCE
This takes us to the time of Cyrus, not the rebuilding of the Temple.
The figure '480 years' from these perspectives, will be seen to be a mixture of Artificial and Solar Years.
A problem Arises
Despite the foregoing King's Calendar Artificial chronological presentations, the King's Calendar Chart (which synchronises the Biblical data for the Divided Kingdom Period), demonstrates that the biblical data includes 13.5 years overlapping years. (12 year for Uzziah, 1 year for Jotham & Ahaz & 6 months for Jehoiachin and Jehoahaz) Check Appendix 5 reconstruction for the Divided Kingdom.
Therefore, the 480 years which were measured on the King's Calendar in the foregoing section, are recorded in the Biblical Narratives as 493.5 years. For those calculations to be correct, the excess 13.5 years would have to have been known to the writer of Seder Olam. This I doubt.
We must therefore recalculate the period of 480 years, using the unadjusted biblical data.
Using the Biblical Chronological References Consecutively: including the 13.5 years of overlapping reigns
Note: There are 393.5 years listed in the Biblical Narratives from Rehoboam to Zedekiah.
6 Projections: 3 using Artificial year & 3 using Solar years.
1. No Relevance from Solomon's 1st year.
Calculating from Solomon's 1st year to 586 BCE Babylonian Exile (393.5 + 40 =) 453.5 years. Deducting these from 480 years = 26.5 years left until Zerrubabel's Temple.
From 586 BCE deduct 26.5 Artificial years = 561/562 BCE
From 586 BCE deduct 26.5 Solar years = 559 BCE
There appears to be no Relevance.
2. Some Relevance from Solomon's 4th year. (Commencement of the Temple)
Calculating from Solomon's 4th year. (393.5 + 36 =) 429.5 years. Deducting these from 480 years = 50.5 years
From 586 BCE deduct 50.5 Artificial Years = 539 BCE indicating Cyrus & Babylon.Relevance
From 586 BCE deduct 50.5 Solar Years = 535 BCE No Relevance
The 480 year period has relevance to the Fall of Babylon, but not to Zerrubabel's Temple.
3. Some Relevance from Solomon's 11th year (Completion of the Temple)
Calculating from Solomon's 11th year (393.5 + 29 years = ) 422.5 years Deducting these years from 480 years = 57.5 years.
From 586 BCE deduct 57.5 Artificial Years = 533/534 BCE No relevance
From 586 BCE deduct 57.5 Solar Years = 538 BCE Relevance to Cyrus & Babylon
Again no relevance to Zerrubabel, but there is relevance to the fall of Babylon.
To Summarize:
480 solar years do not elapse between Solomon and Zerrubabel.
Only if the author of Seder Olam Rabbah knew that the Biblical Data contained an excessive 13.5 years (which I doubt), could 480 artificial years elapse between Solomon's Temple and Zerrubabel's Temple.
It is possible that the 480 year figure is a composite mix of solar and artificial years.
The STATED parameters within the Seder Olam Rabbah are incorrect,
Using the King's Calendar chart (which cause 13.5 years to disappear), one can see that between the Completion of Solomon's Temple and the Commencement of the 2nd Temple, 480 artificial years transpire.
Likewise, it can also be determined that 480 mixed years transpire between Solomon's 4th and both Cyrus' conquest of Babylon - or - 522 BCE to the Commencement of the 2nd Temple.
Likewise, it can also be determined that 480 mixed years transpire between Solomon's 11th year and Cyrus' conquest of Babylon.
Likewise, it can also be determined that 480 mixed years transpire between Solomon's 1st year and Cyrus' Conquest of Babylon.
I cannot at this time explain how the Seder Olam Rabbah figure was established, because as the King's Calendar artificial reconstruction removes the excess 13.5 years of overlapping data, one cannot be sure what the Reb was working from, whether it is calculated purely in artificial year or a mixture of artificial and solar years, and what it's intended parameters were. Nevertheless, the 480 year figure is quite significant.
I hope that this article has been of some assistance.
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.
Petition to Dr. Jan Eliasson, President of the United Nations General Assembly
His Excellency Dr. Jan Eliasson President, General Assembly
Not since Adolf Hitler, has the head of a sovereign state used his position to threaten the Jewish people with genocide. Today, for the first time, Iranian President, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad publicly denied the Holocaust by calling it a “myth” used by Europeans to create a Jewish state in the heart of the Islamic world.
While Germany and other governments have protested this outrage, it is up to the United Nations to take the lead in insuring that the Iranian regime’s genocidal hate has specific consequences. Dr. Jan Eliasson, as President of the United Nations General Assembly, we urge you to convene the 191 member states in order to censure Iran and to declare President Ahmadinejad persona non grata.
