Note. —Most of the dates in Bible History, before the dedication of Solomon's temple, are very uncertain. There are two chief systems of chronology: one based upon the Hebrew text of the Old Testament, and the other upon the Septuagint, or Greek text, and called the "short" and the "long" chronology. The dates in the margin of our English Bibles were computed by Archbishop Ussher (born 1580, died 1656), and based on the Hebrew or short chronology. Hales made a similar computation, based on the Greek text. The Septuagint text appears to make the patriarchal period 1466 years longer than the computations based on the Hebrew text, The following table shows the different dates according to Ussher and to Hales:
Ussher, or Hebrew Dates.
Hales, or Greek Dates (nearly).
Events.
b.c.
b.c.
4004
5411
Adam.
3874
6181
Birth of Seth.
3382
4289
" " Enoch.
3317
4124
" " Methuselah.
2948
3755
" " Noah.
2348
3155
The Flood,
2233
2554
Confusion of tongues.
2165
2362
Birth of Nahor.
2126
2283
" " Terah.
1996
2153
" " Abram.
1896
2053
" " Isaac.
1836
1993
" " Jacob.
1706
1883
Jacob moves to Egypt
1671
1728
Birth of Moses.
1491
1648
The Exodus.
1151
1608
Canaan entered.
b.c.
Events.
1280
Settlement in Canaan under Joshua.
1258-1095
The Judges—to Samuel and
Saul.
1095
Saul.
1055
David.
1007
Solomon's Temple. (For table of kings of Judah and Israel, and of prophets, see next page.) Fall of Samaria.
722-721
606
Assyrian captivity began.
588-7
Jerusalem destroyed.
b.c.
Events.
536
First return of Jews—Zerubbabel.
516-5
Second temple completed.
478
Esther made queen by Xerxes I.
457
Return of Jews (second company) with Ezra.
444
Nehemiah appointed governor. Malachi, prophet.
432
Nehemiah again governor at Jerusalem.
425
Death of Artaxerxes, Xerxes II. (2 months).
Sogdianus, his half brother (7 months).
424
Darius II. (Nothus, king).
End of Old Testament history.
CHRONOLOGY BETWEEN THE OLD AND NEW TESTAMENTS
405
Artaxerxes II. (Mnemon).
359
Artaxerxes III. (Ochus)
351-331
Jaddua high priest at J.
339
Arses (king).
336
Darius III. (Codomannus).
332
Alexander the Great.
323
Alexander's death.
320
Palestine under Ptolemy Soter.
314
" " Antigonus.
311
(Era of the Seleucidæ.)
301
Palestine under Ptolemies.
280
Hebrew O. T. translated into Greek about this time.
205
Palestine under Antiochus.
170
Temple plundered by Antiochus Epiphanes.
167
Mattathias, the Jewish patriot; father of the Maccabæans.
165
Judas Maecabæus recovers Jerusalem.
141
Simon Maccabæus frees the Jews.
63
Pompey conquers Judæa.
64
Temple plundered by Crassus.
47
Antipater made governor of Judæa by Cæsar.
40
Parthians capture Jerusalem.
37
Herod retakes Jerusalem.
17
Herod begins to rebuild the temple.
5
Birth of Christ. (The common Christian era was fixed four years too late.)