Chronology of the Bible

:For a historical look at the bible see The Bible and history. For the writing of the various books of the Bible, see Dating the Bible. For material on the Christian New Testament, see Chronology of Jesus and Timeline of Christianity. 
Biblical chronology is the elaborate system of generations, reign-periods, and other means by which the narrative passages of the Hebrew Bible measure the passage of time and thus give a chronological framework to biblical history. 
The narrative history begins with the creation and continues through the age of the patriarchy, the events of Exodus, Numbers and Deuteronomy through the history of ancient Israel and Judah, the Babylonian captivity down to the establishment of the Second Temple in 516 BCE.
It is unclear from what point this chronology can be taken to correspond to historical events. Some scholars have traditionally attempted to identify a date of the Exodus, suggesting historicity at least from the time of Moses, while mainstream biblical scholarship is more reserved about the historicity of any events predating the scope of the Books of Kings, beginning in the 10th century BCE. This leaves a space of several centuries, between the Exodus and the establishment of the United Monarchy, largely corresponding to the period of the Bronze Age collapse in the region, and depending on the author including parts of the Late Bronze Age, of dubious historical, or proto-historical, status.
==Dating of Creation==
Many attempts have been made to place Biblical chronology into historical time.
The passage of time in the earlier passages of Genesis is indicated not by dates but by counts of generations: Adam lives so many years, fathers a son, and dies at such and such an age. When the ages at each birth of a new generation are added together, the result is the total number of years elapsed from the creation of Adam. However, the Septuagint, Samaritan, Masoretic and other textual variants of the Hebrew Bible give differing ages.
In later passages the passage of years is indicated by numbers calibrated to events in the overall narrative (e.g., states that the building of the Temple of Solomon began in the 480th year from the Exodus), or through inter-relationships of the reigns of kings (e.g., king A of Israel comes to the throne in the Xth year of king B of Judah and rules Z number of years, for example in ).
===Jewish computation===
The current Hebrew calendar year numbering system, which counts years from the Creation, has been in use for over 1000 years.Maimonides (Times:Laws of 7th year, chapt 10): For instance this year is ... and which is also counted as 4936 to the creation... is a Shemita year." The year numbering system was adopted sometime before 3925 AM (165 CE), and based on the calculation of Rabbi Yose ben Halafta in about 160 CE in the Seder Olam Rabbah.p.107, Kantor. Note that the book Seder Olam Rabah has been continuously edited throughout the ages, and probably reached its current version around 806 CE according to the historian Leopold Zunz. 
The year numbers are based on the computations of dates and periods found in the Hebrew Bible. In Jewish tradition, "Year 1" is considered to have begun on the 25 of Elul, 6 days before the beginning of "Year 2" on the first of Tishrei, when Adam was created. The new moon of its first month (Tishrei) is called molad tohu (the mean new moon of chaos or nothing). By Halafta's calculation first humans were created in the year 3761 BCE. However, Seder Olam Rabbah treats the creation of Adam as the beginning of "Year Zero". This results in a two-year discrepancy between the years given in Seder Olam Rabbah and the Jewish year used today. For example, Seder Olam Rabbah gives the year of the Exodus from Egypt as 2448 AM; but, according to the current system, the year would be 2450 AM.
Despite the computations by Yose ben Halafta, confusion persisted for a long time as to how the calculations should be applied.Leopold Zunz On Time and Literature Zur Geschichte und Literatur opening chapter. In 1000, for example, the Muslim chronologist al-Biruni noted that three different epochs were used by various Jewish communities being one, two, or three years later than the modern epoch.See The Remaining Signs of Past Centuries. The epoch seems to have been settled by 1178, when Maimonides, in his work Mishneh Torah, described all of the modern rules of the Hebrew calendar, including the modern epochal year. His work has been accepted by Jews as definitive, though it does not correspond to the scientific calculations. For example, the Jewish year for the destruction of the First Temple has traditionally been given as 3338 AM or 421 BCE. This differs from the modern scientific year, which is usually expressed using the Gregorian calendar as 587 BCE. The scientific date takes into account evidence from the ancient Babylonian calendar and its astronomical observations. In this and related cases, a difference between the traditional Jewish year and a scientific date in a Gregorian year results from a disagreement about when the event happened — and not simply a difference between the Jewish and Gregorian calendars. (See the "Missing Years" in the Jewish Calendar.)
Although in popular Jewish thought the counting is to the creation of the world, it had been emphasized in many ancient texts dealing with creation chronology e.g.Maimonides Guide to the Perplexed (chapt 25): We do not reject the Eternity of the Universe, because certain passages in Scripture confirm the Creation; for such passages are not more numerous than those in which God is represented as a corporeal being; nor is it impossible or difficult to find for them a suitable interpretation. We might have explained them in the same manner as we did in respect to the Incorporeality of God. We should perhaps have had an easier task in showing that the Scriptural passages referred to are in harmony with the theory of the Eternity of the Universe if we accepted the latter... but... If we were to accept the Eternity of the Universe as taught by Aristotle, that everything in the Universe is the result of fixed laws, that Nature does not change, and that there is nothing supernatural, we should necessarily be in opposition to the foundation of our religion... SacredTexts.com that the six days of creation till man are metaphoric days - especially the days before the creation of the sun and earth.Rabbi A. Kook (Orot Hakodesh Book 2 Chapt 537): If these six days were simply six days, why then would they be called "The secrets of creation" and why would it be forbidden to learn them until correctly prepared... The theory of evolution is increasingly conquering the world at this time, and, more so than all other philosophical theories, conforms to the kabbalistic secrets of the world. Evolution, which proceeds on a path of ascendancy, provides an optimistic foundation for the world. How is it possible to despair at a time when we see that everything evolves and ascends? ... My Jewish Learning
The modern epoch year is set at 3761 BCE, taking into account that there is no year zero in the Gregorian year count.
===Other computations===
Many scholars have over the centuries attempted to calculate the date of Creation, and their results show significant divergence. These include the following:Floyd Nolen Jones, The Chronology of the Old Testament, 16th ed., p. 26
No.	Chronologist 	BCE Year
1 	J. Africanus 	5501
2 	G. Syncellus 	5492
3 	J. Jackson 	5426
4 	W. Hales 	5411
5 	Eusebius 	5199
6 	M. Scotus 	4192
7 	L. Condomanus 	4141
8 	T. Lydiat 	4103
9 	M. Maestlinus 	4079
10 	J. Ricciolus 	4062
11 	J. Salianus 	4053
12 	H. Spondanus 	4051
13 	M. Anstey 	4042
14 	W. Lange 	4041
15 	E. Reinholt 	4021
16 	J. Cappellus 	4005
17 	J. Ussher 	4004
18 	E. Greswell 	4004
19 	F. Jones 	4004
20 	E. Faulstich 	4001
21 	D. Petavius 	3983
22 	F. Klassen 	3975
23 	Becke 	3974
24 	Krentzeim 	3971
25 	W. Dolen 	3971
26 	E. Reusnerus 	3970
27 	J. Claverius 	3968
28 	C. Longomontanus	3966
29 	P. Melanchthon 	3964
30 	J. Haynlinus 	3963
31 	A. Salmeron 	3958
32 	J. Scaliger 	3949
33 	M. Beroaldus 	3927
34 	A. Helwigius 	3836
Medieval historian Bede dated creation to 18 March 3952 BCE. The Chronicon of Eusebius and Jerome dated creation to the year of 5199 BCE.The Penn Commentary on Piers Plowman by Andrew Galloway page 69Fourth Century (see 327 Eusebius of Caesarea) Earlier editions of the Roman Martyrology for Christmas Day used this date, as did the Irish Annals of the Four Masters.from 5194 A.M. in the Annals at CELT — University College Cork's Corpus of Electronic Texts project has the full text of the annals online, both in the original Irish and in O'Donovan's translation The chronologists who date Creation in the top range of the scale base their dating on the Septuagint.
The objectivity of some scholars has been questioned. For example, J. Ussher's dating of Creation to 4004 BCE is believed to have been carried out from the presupposition that the Old Testament was the prelude to the New, and that the Biblical chronology therefore prefigured Christ. Some regard Ussher as having constructed his chronology and dating of Creation to 4004 BCE so that the birth of Jesus would be exactly 4000 AM, it being accepted that Jesus was actually born in 4 BCE. James Ussher, writing in 1654, dated Creation to 23 October 4004 BCE according to the Julian calendar, or 21 September 4004 BCE in the Gregorian calendar.Annales veteris testamenti, a prima mundi origine deducti ("Annals of the Old Testament, deduced from the first origins of the world") (1650); and Annalium pars postierior (1654)
==Creation to Abraham==
The period from the Creation to Abraham is measured by the genealogies at Genesis 5 and 11, elapsed time being calculated by the addition of the patriarchs' ages at death. The genealogies exist in three main manuscript traditions, the Masoretic (in Hebrew), the Septuagint (in Greek), and the Samaritan Torah (Hebrew). The three do not agree with each other, here or elsewhere. (The Septuagint is represented in this table by two manuscripts, Alexandrinus and Vaticanus; dates are Anno Mundi, or AM, meaning from the Creation):Data from G.F. Hasel, "Genesis 5 and 11: Chronogenealogies in the Biblical History of Beginnings"
Period 	Masoretic	Alexandrinus	Vaticanus 	Samaritan	Note
Year of the Flood 	1656 AM 	2262 AM 	2242 AM 	1307 AM 	The Masoretic, Alexandrinus and Samaritan chronologies puts the deaths of all the pre-Flood patriarchs except Noah either in or prior to the Flood, but Vaticanus has Methuselah outlive the Flood by 14 years.
Flood to Abraham 	292 years	1072 years 	1172 years	942 years	The year which the Flood takes up appears to be excluded from the count of the chronology: Noah's son Shem is born in his 500th year, the Flood begins in his 600th, and he leaves the Ark a little more than a year later; yet we are told that Shem, who should be 102 in the second year after the Flood, is only 100. This is presumably because the world has been "deconstructed" (returned to the state of tohu wabohu, chaos) and time does not exist for this period.Philippe Guillaume, "Tracing the Origin of the Sabbatical Calendar in the Priestly Narrative (Genesis 1 to Joshua 5)" JHS (vol.5 art.13), pp.10-13
Year of Abraham's birth	1948 AM 	3334 AM 	3414 AM 	2249 AM 	The two sets of patriarchs before and after the Flood are exactly symmetrical: there are ten in each group, and the final members of each, Noah and Terah, each have three sons who will begin the next section of the chronology.
== Creation to the Flood ==
Biblical dating commences with Creation, which is numbered year 0, and in Jewish tradition is immediately followed by year 1. The period to the Flood is derived using the genealogical table of the ten patriarchs listed in , and , called the generations of Adam. According to the Masoretic Text, this period consists of 1656 years, and this dating is also followed by Western Christian Bibles derived from the Latin Vulgate. J. Ussher agrees with the dating until the birth of Abraham, which he argues took place when Terah was 130, and not 70 as is direct reading of , thus adding 60 years to his chronology until the Egyptian experience.The Chronology Of The Old Testament (2005) by Floyd Nolen Jones. ISBN 9780890514160. p 278. However, according to the Samaritan texts the period is 1307 years, and according to the Septuagint it is 2242 years.Catholic Encyclopedia: Biblical Chronology There are no non-biblical sources which can assist in the dating.
The Jewish AM dates given below are those traditionally used by Rabbinic Judaism and found in Seder Olam Rabbah. The Septuagint AM dates are derived from the Septuagint. The Gregorian date of Creation is generally given as 3761 BCE, based on the Jewish reckoning. However, a year of 3924 BCE is sometimes given. The deviation of about 163 years is explained in the article the "Missing Years" in the Jewish Calendar.
JewishDate (AM)	SeptuagintDate	Event 	Reference
0 AM 	0 AM 	The universe is created, including Adam and Eve. 	ff
130 AM 	230 AM 	Seth, son of Adam with Eve, born 	
235 AM 	435 AM 	Enosh, son of Seth, born 	
325 AM 	625 AM 	Kenan, son of Enosh, born 	
395 AM 	795 AM 	Mahalalel, son of Kenan, born 	
460 AM 	960 AM 	Jared, son of Mahalalel, born 	
622 AM 	1122 AM 	Enoch, son of Jared, born 	
687 AM 	1287 AM 	Methuselah, son of Enoch, born 	
874 AM 	1454 AM 	Lamech, son of Methusaleh, born 	
930 AM 	930 AM 	Adam dies 	
1042 AM 	1142 AM 	Seth dies 	
1052 AM 	1487 AM 	Enoch "walks with God" 	
1056 AM 	1642 AM 	Noah, son of Lamech, born 	
1140 AM 	1340 AM 	Enosh dies 	
1235 AM 	1535 AM 	Kenan dies 	
1290 AM 	1690 AM 	Mahalalel dies 	
1422 AM 	1922 AM 	Jared dies 	
1556 AM 	2142 AM 	Shem, son of Noah, born 	
1651 AM 	2207 AM 	Lamech dies 	
1656 AM 	2241 AM 	Methusaleh dies, the year of the Flood 	
1656 AM 	2241 AM 	On the seventeenth day of the second month, the Flood begins. 	
1656 AM 	2241 AM 	On the seventeenth day of the seventh month, Noah's Ark lands on "mountains of Ararat"	
1657 AM 	2242 AM 	On the twenty-seventh day of the second month, Noah and his family exit the ark 	
==Flood to Babylon==
Date(AM) 	Date(BCE)	Event 	Reference
===The Patriarchs===	
===The Patriarchs===	
===The Patriarchs=== 	
1658 AM 	2266 BCE 	Arpachshad, son of Shem, born 	
1693 AM 	2231 BCE 	Shelah, son of Arpachshad, born 	
1723 AM 	2201 BCE 	Eber, son of Shelah, born 	
1757 AM 	2167 BCE 	Peleg, son of Eber, born and the division of tongues 	
1787 AM 	2137 BCE 	Reu, son of Peleg, born 	
1819 AM 	2105 BCE 	Serug, son of Reu, born 	
1849 AM 	2075 BCE 	Nahor, son of Serug, born 	
1878 AM 	2046 BCE 	Terah, son of Nahor, born 	
1948 AM 	1976 BCE 	Abram, son of Terah, born 	. According to J. Ussher
Terah was 130 when Abram was born, and not 70.The Chronology Of The Old Testament. (2005) by Floyd Nolen Jones. ISBN 9780890514160. p 295. based on and .
1958 AM 	1966 BCE 	Sarai is born 	
1996 AM 	1928 BCE 	Peleg dies 	
1996 AM 	1928 BCE 	The Tower of Babel was destroyed 	
1997 AM 	1927 BCE 	Nahor dies 	
2026 AM 	1898 BCE 	Reu dies 	
2034 AM 	1890 BCE 	Ishmael, son of Abram with Sarai's handmaiden, Hagar, born 	
2047 AM 	1877 BCE 	Abram and Sarai are renamed Abraham and Sarah by God.Abraham is circumcised.Sodom and Gomorrah are destroyed	
2048 AM 	1876 BCE 	Isaac, son of Abraham with Sarah, born 	
2049 AM 	1875 BCE 	Serug dies 	
2083 AM 	1841 BCE 	Terah dies 	
2085 AM 	1839 BCE 	Sarah dies 	
2096 AM 	1828 BCE 	Arpachshad dies 	
2108 AM 	1816 BCE 	Jacob and Esau, sons of Isaac with Rebekah, born 	
2123 AM 	1801 BCE 	Abraham dies 	
<2126 AM 	1798 BCE 	Shelah dies 	
2158 AM 	1766 BCE 	Shem dies 	
2171 AM 	1753 BCE 	Ishmael dies 	
2187 AM 	1737 BCE 	Eber dies 	
2199 AM 	1725 BCE 	Joseph, son of Jacob with Rachel, born 	
2216 AM 	1708 BCE 	Joseph is sold by his brothers 	
2227 AM 	1697 BCE 	Joseph interprets the dreams of the butler and the baker while in prison 	
2228 AM 	1696 BCE 	Isaac dies 	
2229 AM 	1695 BCE 	Joseph is elevated to Pharaoh's second 	
2238 AM 	1686 BCE 	Jacob moves to Egypt at the age of 130After 7 years of plenty and 2 years of famineWhen Joseph was 39 	, ,
2245 AM 	1679 BCE 	Jacob dies 	
2309 AM 	1615 BCE 	Joseph dies 	
===Nationhood===	
===Nationhood===	
===Nationhood=== 	
2364 AM 	 	Aaron, son of Amram with Jochebed, born 	
2367 AM 	 	Moses, son of Amram with Jochebed, born 	
2448 AM 	1477 BCE?	The Israelites leave in a mass exodus from Egypt. 	, see also
2487 AM 	 	Moses and Aaron die 	
2488 AM 	 	The Israelites enter Canaan 	
2448–2884 AM	 	Period of Joshua, Judges and Saul, first King of Israel 	
 	 	 	
===The Kings===
Dates without biblical referencesThe Jerusalem Chronology of the Israelite Monarchies, by Brad Aaronson (1989)
JewishDate (AM) 	Date(BCE) 	Event 	Reference
2853 AM 	1071 BCE 	Jesse begets David 	
2883–2923 AM	1041–1001 BCE 	David reigns as king of Israel 	- reigns for 40 years
2890 AM 	1034 BCE 	David moves his capitol from Hebron to Jerusalem 	
2923–2963 AM	1001–961 BCE 	Solomon reigns as king of Israel 	
2927 AM 	997 BCE 	Foundation of Temple laid in the 4th year of Solomon's reign480th year after the Exodus	
2963 AM 	961 BCE 	Israel splits into two rival kingdoms: Israel (in the north) and Judah (in the south) 	
2964–2981 AM	961–944/3 BCE 	Rehoboam son of Solomon reigns as king of Judah 	
2964–2986 AM	961/60–939 BCE 	Jeroboam I son of Nebat reigns as king of Israel 	
2981–2984 AM	944/3–941 BCE 	Abijam son of Rehoboam reigns as king of Judah 	
2984–3025 AM	941–900 BCE 	Asa son of Abijam reigns as king of Judah 	
2986–2987 AM	939–938 BCE 	Nadab son of Jeroboam I reigns as king of Israel 	
2987–3010 AM	938–915 BCE 	Baasha reigns as king of Israel 	
3010–3011 AM	915–914 BCE 	Elah son of Baasha reigns as king of Israel 	
3011 AM 	914 BCE 	Zimri reigns as king of Israel 	
3011–3012 AM	914–913 BCE 	Tibni reigns as king of Israel 	
3011–3022 AM	913–903 BCE 	Omri reigns as king of Israel 	
3022–3042 AM	903–883/2 BCE 	Ahab son of Omri reigns as king of Israel 	
3025–3050 AM	900–875 BCE 	Jehoshaphat son of Asa reigns as king of Judah 	
3042–3043 AM	883/2–882/1 BCE 	Ahaziah son of Ahab reigns as king of Israel 	
3047–3054 AM	878/7–871/70 BCE	Jehoroam (Joram) son of Jehoshaphat reigns as king of Judah 	
3043–3054 AM	875–871/70 BCE 	Joram (Jehoram) son of Ahab reigns as king of Israel 	
3054–3055 AM	871/70–870 BCE 	Ahaziah son of Jehoram reigns as king of Judah 	
3055–3061 AM	870–864 BCE 	Athaliah wife of Jehoram rules over Judah 	
3054–3084 AM	871/70–841 BCE 	Jehu son of Nimshi reigns as king of Israel 	
3061–3101 AM	864–824 BCE 	Joash (Jehoash) son of Ahaziah reigns as king of Judah 	
3084–3100 AM	841–825/4 BCE 	Jehoahaz son of Jehu reigns as king of Israel 	
3098–3114 AM	827/6–811 BCE 	Jehoash (Joash) son of Jehoahaz reigns as king of Israel 	
3100–3129 AM	825–796 BCE 	Amaziah son of Joash reigns as king of Judah 	
3103–3154 AM	822–771/70 BCE 	Jeroboam II son of Jehoash reigns as king of Israel 	
3117–3168 AM	808–757/6 BCE 	Uzziah (Azariah) son of Amaziah reigns as king of Judah 	
3154–3155 AM	771/70–770 BCE 	Zechariah son of Jeroboam II reigns as king of Israel 	
3155–3155 AM	770 BCE 	Shallum reigns as king of Israel 	
3155–3166 AM	770–759 BCE 	Menahem son of Gadi reigns as king of Israel 	
3166–3168 AM	759–757 BCE 	Pekahiah son of Menahem reigns as king of Israel 	
3168–3184 	757/6–741/40 BCE	Jotham son of Uzziah reigns as king of Judah 	
3167–3188 AM	758–737 BCE 	Pekah son of Remaliah reigns as king of Israel 	
3184–3200 AM	741/40–725 BCE 	Ahaz son of Jotham reigns as king of Judah 	
3188–3206 AM	737–719 BCE 	Hoshea son of Elah reigns as king of Israel 	
3200–3229 AM	725–696 BCE 	Hezekiah son of Ahaz reigns as king of Judah 	
3206 AM 	719 BCE 	Northern kingdom of Israel falls to Assyria 	
3229–3284 AM	696–641 BCE 	Manasseh son of Hezekiah reigns as king of Judah 	
3284–3286 AM	641–639 BCE 	Amon son of Manasseh reigns as king of Judah 	
3286–3317 AM	639–608 BCE 	Josiah son of Amon reigns as king of Judah 	
3317 AM 	608 BCE 	Jehoahaz son of Josiah reigns as king of Judah 	
3317–3327 AM	608–598 BCE 	Jehoiakim son of Josiah reigns as king of Judah 	
3327 AM 	598–597 BCE 	Jehoiachin (Jeconiah, Coniah) son of Jehoiakim reigns as king of Judah 	
3327–3338 AM	597–587 BCE 	Zedekiah (Mattaniah) son of Josiah reigns as king of Judah 	
3338 AM 	587 BCE 	Kingdom of Judah falls to Babylon 	
==Second temple period==
*516 BCE Second Temple completed by Zerubbabel under Persian rule
*515 BCE Second Temple dedicated
*458 BCE Ezra brings law to Jerusalem
*446 BCE Nehemiah inquired about the Jews and Jerusalem
*445 BCE Nehemiah stood before the king and was made governor
*444 BCE Nehemiah built the wall of Jerusalem
*332 BCE Alexander the Great conquers Israel 
*323 BCE Alexander the Great dies in Babylon
*250 BCE-100 CE Septuagint written in Alexandria over a long period of time.
*168-165 BCE Hasmonean uprising 
*80 BCE Roman defeat of the Maccabees 
*65 BCE Syria becomes a Roman province
*63 BCE Roman conquest of Judea
*37-4 BCE Herod the Great is ruler of Judea, appointed by Rome
==See also==
*Anno Mundi
*Chronology of the Ancient Orient
*Chronology of Babylonia and Assyria
*Dating creation
*History of ancient Israel and Judah
*Timeline of Christianity
*Outline of the Bible
*Bible Numerics
*Ancient Israel and Judah
==Sources==
*Mattis, Kantor, The Jewish time line encyclopedia: a year-by-year history from Creation to present, Jason Aronson Inc., Northvale, N.J., 1992
* Handbook of Biblical Chronology by Jack Finegan (Revised edition, 1998), ISBN 1-56563-143-9.
* 
* The Jerusalem Chronology of the Israelite Monarchies by Brad Aaronson (1989)
==References==
== External links ==
* Tabular summaries of biblical chronologies
Category:Bible
Category:Chronology
Category:Religion timelines