King's Calendar Newsletter - The Burning of the Jerusalem Temple in 586 BCE by Nebuchadrezzar SERIES III - EXTRA FREE \GLIMPSES Archaeology and the Bible No.15 Friday May 14th 2004
'Secret of Qumran' Chapter Six - 883 - 849 BCE
While last week's newsletter primarily concerned the chronologies of Josephus, this week we will turn solely to Biblical References, and while staying with the 'Extra Free Glimpse' theme, I want once again to deal with 'Scriptural contradictions'.
At various times throughtout these Series of Newsletters, attention has been drawn to some 'apparent' Scriptural contradictions, which, under the scrutiny of the 'King's Calendar', are found not in fact to be 'contradictory'.
The most famous of these are the dates provided for the Burning of the Temple in 586 BCE.
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THE BURNING OF THE TEMPLE:
Jeremiah 52:12 records that this event occurred on the 10th day of the 5th month of that year, and 2 Kings 25:8 records that it occurred on the 7th day of the 5th month. These are in fact two different chronological perspectives, the one being artificial and the other being the Babylonian.
JEHOIACHIN'S RELEASE:
Second Kings 25:27 informs us that this event occurred in the 37th year of Jehoiachin's exile on the 27th day of the twelfth month, while Jeremiah 52:31 informs us that it occurred on the twenty-fifth day of the twelfth month. These are also two different chronological perspectives for the same event.
NEBUCHADREZZAR'S REIGN
Jeremiah 32:1 synchronises the tenth (10) year of Zedekiah with the Eighteenth (18th) year of Nebuchadrezzar. This is correct in artificial and Solar years.
Second Kings 25:8 synchronises the burning of the Temple in Zedekiah's Eleventh (11th) year, with Nebuchadrezzar's Nineteenth (19th) year which is also correct in artificial years.
Jeremiah 52:28,29 in reference to the two exiles (596 BCE and 586 BCE), records that they occured in the 7th and 18th years of Nebuchadrezzar. These are provided from the Babylonian Calendrical system of recording Nebuchadrezzar's reign in Solar Years.
None of these references are incorrect, even though they all appear to be contradictory.
THE REIGN OF AHAZIAH OF JUDAH:
2 Kings 8:25 & 9:29 give apparently contradictory dates for Ahaziah's succession to the throne. Ahaziah King of Judah was the son of Jehoram and grandson of Jehoshaphat.
2 Kings 8:25 says that in the twelfth year of Jehoram the son of Ahab, Ahaziah the son of Jehoram king of Judah began to reign, while 2 Kings 9:29 says that in the eleventh year of Jehoram the son of Ahab, Ahaziah began to reign over Judah.
Within the perspective of the redactors, both of these references are correct, one being the artificial figure whilst the other is the solar Figure. However, as a factual matter, both of these figures are incorrect, for there is a factual error in what the redactors wrote for this time period. This factual error is that to which we shall turn now.
AHAB TO JEHORAM OF ISRAEL & JEHOSHAPHAT TO AHAZIAH OF JUDAH.
The Biblical picture:
Ahab came to the throne of Israel during the 12th Artificial year of Omri, his father. This was also both the 38th (January) and 39th (December) artificial years of King Asa of Judah, and both years fell in 883 BCE. {In fact this was Asa's 36th Solar Year).
Joshaphat (Asa's son) commences his first artificial year in October of 880 BCE, which is Ahab's 4th artificial year (1 Kings 22:41). As you follow the synchronisms, you come to an unusual problem, which has remained unsolvable except by the 'King's Calendar'.
Ahab's 22nd and final year commences in May of 863 BCE and extends to April of 862 BCE. He died sometime within this period. But this period of time was also Jehoshaphat's 19th ARTIFICIAL year, AND 18th SOLAR/REGNAL year. So far no problem.
But according to 1 Kings 22:51 Ahab's son Ahaziah ascended to the throne during the 17th year of Jehoshaphat and reigned for 2 years, ie, the 17th and 18th years of Jehoshaphat. This then means that he coreigned with Ahab, while Ahab was still alive. After Ahaziah's accidental death, his brother Jehoram succeeded to the throne during the 18th year of Jehoshaphat, thereby indicating that Ahaziah did not reign two full years. Nevertheless, Ahab was not yet dead.
Furthermore, Jehoram of Israel, son of Ahab, reigns (so say the Scriptures) for only 12 years. Note This!
No matter how you work the figures at this point, the Scriptural references do not sychronise. Jehoram of Israel came to the throne during Jehoshaphat's 18th of his 25 years.
Jehoshaphat has therefore 7 artificial years of reign left.
Jehoshaphat's son Jehoram of Judah reigned for 8 years.
Jehoram's son Ahaziah reigned for 1 year.
This brings us to a total of 16 years between the death of Ahaziah of Israel (during the 18th year of Jehoshaphat) and the death of Jehoram of Israel during the one year year reign of Ahaziah of Judah (grandson of Jehoshaphat).
There are 4 unaccounted years.
THE 'KING'S CALENDAR' SIMPLIFIED EXPLANATION:
I shall provide here only the simple observations of the 'King's Calendar'. {The full details of the argument are found in Chapter Six}.
Chronologically, from the Death of Ahab to the Death of his son Jehoram, 14 Solar years elapse. Since Jehoram is provided with a 12 year reign and his brother is assigned a 2 year reign, we can conclude one of two things.
1. Ahaziah had an independent reign of two years, and Jehoram had an independent 12 years, in which case the Biblical synchronisms are completely incorrect - or -
2. The synchronisms represent the historical facts (including that there were only 14 solar years left to the Dynasty after Ahab's death) But, at some point, someone, failing to note the significance of the synchronisms with Jehoshaphat's reign, they assigned Ahaziah a two year independent reign out of the 14 SOLAR years that belonged to Jehoram.
This is the picture painted by the Biblical Synchronisms
But This
is what the Synchronisms are meant to Portray
Ahab died between May of 863 BCE and April of 862 BCE. during Jehoshaphat's 19th artificial year BUT 18th Solar/REgnal year.
Jehoram (Ahab's son) commenced his first ARTIFICIAL YEAR on April 17th 862, and his first SOLAR/REGNAL year in Nisan of that year (march/april).
Jehoram reigned 14 Solar years commencing his first Solar/regnal year at the same time as Jehoshaphat commenced his 19th Solar year AND Jehoram reigned 15 artificial years commencing his first artificial year in Jehoshaphat's 20th artificial year.
Note: If the references to Jehoshaphat's 17th & 18th years are SOLAR YEAR REFERENCES, then Jehoram in fact ascended to the throne during Ahab's last year, that is, during Jehoshaphat's 18th solar year. As Jehoshaphat reigned only 23 solar years, then there were left to Jehoshaphat 5 years, which, added to the 8 year reign of his son Jehoram and the one year of his grandson Ahaziah, amounts to a total of 14 years, during which Jehoram of Israel reigned.
Regarding2 Kings 8:25 & 2 Kings 9:29
I mentioned earlier that both these references were correct from the redactors perspectives, and they are. If one assigns Ahaziah of Israel an independent two year reign, followed by his brother's 12 independent years, these two scriptures are correct. Ahaziah of Judah would have ascended to the throne during the 11th SOLAR - and - 12th ARTIFICIAL year of Jehoram of Israel, and commenced his first solar/regnal year during Jehoram's 12th SOLAR year. Because of the error in relation of the independent reign of Ahaziah of Israel however, the TRUE SITUATION is not recorded. Ahaziah of Judah did in fact commence his first year during the 14th SOLAR / 15 th ARTIFICIAL year of Jehoram of Israel.
Of course the two above mentioned Scriptures are not the only ones that cause trouble for chronologists for this period of time. The one which proves most interesting to the above painted scenerio is found in 2 Kings 8:16 - Jehoram of Judah commenced to reign in the 5th year of Jehoram of Israel.
While it does not appear to be so, it is in fact correct. Jehoshaphat died during the 5th year of Jehoram of Israel, and therefore Jehoram of Judah does indeed commence in the 5th year of Jehoram of Israel. But we can't end the problem at this point, for 2 Kings 1:17 informs us that Jehoram of Israel commenced to reign in the second year of Jehoram of Judah. On the surface this appears to be a contradiction, but it is not, for Jehoram of Judah co-reigned with Jehoshaphat.
The 'King's Calendar' cannot be precise is stating which year this coreign commenced, for it all depends on what the redactor had in his mind. There are 3 options.
1. 865 BCE: Jehoram of Judah commenced to co-reign with Jehoshaphat during his 17th year; NOTE THAT it was during this year that Ahaziah of Israel commenced his co-regency with Ahab. (This speaks volumes about the pact between Jehoshaphat and Ahab).
2. 864 BCE: Jehoram of Judah commenced his co-reign at the time of the death of Ahaziah of Judah (and the accession of Jehoram), during Jehoshaphat's 18th year, in which case, during both JEHORAM'S 2nd year, Jehoram of Israel commenced his true accession year upon his father's death.
3. 863 BCE: Jehoram of Judah commenced his co-reign the year before Jehoram of Israel commenced his first SOLAR REGNAL year in 862 BCE.
What was covered in this newsletter was in fact a 17 year period from 865 BCE to 849 BCE., or from Jehoshaphat's 17th year & Ahab's 20th year, to the deaths of Ahaziah of Judah and Jehoram of Israel. For the Academics among you, there are two very obvious chronological points which stick out, and we will commence with the first of these next week.
For the time being, I hope that what you have read today has made for a more simplified understanding of Chapter Six of 'The King's Calendar : The Secret of Qumran'.
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.
