King's Calendar Academic Newsletter - Archaeology and the Bible No.13
Friday 30th April 2004
SERIES II - TRUTH & ERROR
The Fall of Jerusalem
A Biblical Contradiction which is not a Contradiction
We finished last week with the fall of Jerusalem in the reign of Zedekiah, in 586 BCE. Gainsayers of the Bible like to point to contradictions within it as proof of its unreliability. Right from the beginning of 'The King's Calendar: The Secret of Qumran' I state that the underlying premise of my research, was that 'contradictions are not real'. Today I want to demonstrate how necessary this approach was to unlocking the mystery of Biblical Chronology.
Apparent Bible Contradiction
Jeremiah 32:1 records that that Jerusalem fell in the 10th year of Zedekiah which was the 18th year of Nebuchadrezzar.
2 Kings 25:8 records that Jerusalem fell in the 11th year of Zedekiah which is the 19th year of Nebuchadrezzar.
How can they both be right?
Take a look at the Divided Kingdom Chart and see for yourself, that both of these references are correct.
LEFT: 1st Col: Zedekiah's Artificial Years
LEFT: 2nd Col: Zedekiah's Solar Years
RIGHT: 1st Col: Nebuchadrezzar's Artificial Years
RIGHT: 2nd Col: Nebuchadrezzar's Solar Years
Jerusalem did in fact fall in accordance with both of these Scriptural References!
Solar Year Reference: Zedekiah's 10th SOLAR year was his last year, and Nebuchadrezzar's 18th. Solar Year
Artificial Year Reference: Zedekiah's 11th ARTIFICIAL year was his last year, and Nebuchadrezzar's 19th Artificial Year
Some may like to dispute the findings of the 'King's Calendar', and some may believe that there are no errors in the Bible. The 'King's Calendar' however, demonstrates quite effectively that the Bible is an accurate Historical document, which, while containing some errors, does, through the eyes of the 'King's Calendar', demonstrate itself to be totally reliable in understanding the History of Israel and Judah, and could, if it was only allowed, assist in provide valuable assistance to historians currently seeking to find answers to chronological puzzles both there and in other places.
Variance with History - after next box.
Definition: King's Calendar Chronological Research
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'.
'Secret of Qumran' Variance with History!
End of Days Sale: The king's Calendar: The Secret of Qumran, which has been available to academics at an academic price for 6 years now, has run its course. Before the Merchant Banking contract expires in November 2010, this book is being made available [From August 20th] to 'lay readers' at the all time low price of US$10. This offer only lasts until November 2010. 'PURCHASE NOW'.
Overall, there are but a few junctures at which the King's Calendar: The Secret of Qumran, is at serious variance with currently accepted history. These include:
1. The Burning of the Temple:
The year in which the Temple was burned has been fluid for many years, and while 587 BCE is the current fashion, the 'King's Calendar' offers mathematical validation for 586 BCE. Academically however, it is not a major issue.
2. Uzziah to Hezekiah:
Whilst there may be some objection to the 'King's Calendar' reconstruction of history during this period, no one to date has been able to successfully 'synchronise' the synchronous data provided in Scripture, or successfully married it with accepted history. Indeed, the 'King's Calendar' experiences its finest moment, and demonstrates Scripture's utter accuracy within an artificial construct, at this point in history. It demonstrates that apart from a one year discrepancy in the data provided for the reigns of Jotham and Ahaz, only one scriptural chronological reference (to Pekah) is truly incorrect, and this has been known to all. It follows the biblical chronological data only, and from a Southern Kingdom viewpoint.
3. Hazael of Syria c. 849 BCE
While 842/841 BCE is the current date for the succession of Hazael to the Syrian Throne, this is based upon the 'first' archaeological records to mention him, and there can be no sustainable argument to oppose the 'King's Calendar' assertion of a significantly earlier starting date.
4. The Death of Ahab.
This is the only variance with history for which there is no direct evidence that the 'King's Calendar' is correct. Nevertheless, all the circumstantial evidence, based upon the legal principles of 'Evidence' and 'Testimony', would, in a court of law, favour the testimony of the 'King's Calender', over that of current academic opinion based upon the 'Kurkh Stela' of Shalmaneser. The astronomical mathematical probabilities involved in the entirety of the 'King's Calendar' in conjunction with its legal arguments, clearly override all academic insistence that the Kurkh Stela is a trustworthy document.
5. The Exodus
The current basis for placing 'The Exodus' in the thirteenth Century, rests upon very flimsy if not prejudiced grounds. The 'King's Calendar' demonstrates that the Scriptural Narrative, the Archaeological evidence, and the details provided by Josephus, do provide substantive support for the 'King's Calendar' chronological placement of this and it's associated chronological events. There is, even without the 'King's Calendar', very little unbiased evidence of a 13th Century placement for the Exodus. The Exodus occurred in the Fifteenth Century BCE.
Truth and Error Series Conclusion
While the basic assertion of the 'King's Calendar' is that the Damascus Document's Age of Wrath indicates that the artificial calendar originates in Dead Sea Sect's 364 day calendar, there is no direct or corroborative evidence, to indicate that they invented or inserted the artificial calendar into the historical books. There is circumstantial evidence however, that at least one descendant branch of the 3rd Century Palestinian 'proto-Essenes', were aware of it, and used it in reference to the 'Age of Wrath' material in the 'Damascus Document.' There is also direct evidence, that knowledge and use of the artificial calendar, still existed as late as 104 BCE.
The original reason for encrypting the historical chronological data of the historical documents, cannot be stated with any degree of certainty. There are possibilities and there are possibilities. What is certain, is that it was almost completely finished by the time the Septuagint was prepared, and that it is incomprehensible for it to have begun earlier than the collation of those documents in the fifth century BCE.
I do hope you have enjoyed this TRUTH & ERROR series. Next Month we begin Series III entitled: Extra free glimpses, wherein we shall be looking at some of the results of the 'King's Calendar' reconstruction of Israelite History, that are not currently available to viewers online.
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.
