Posted by BibleChronology [Joshua1992] on November 15, 1999 at 03:40:12 {AS5l1tybL6f9UnUPxURUgm0mCI9FhA}:
(Skip to "CONCLUSION" near bottom of page for quick summary of this information!)
Wise critical Biblical chronologist are now getting tough with supporters of 587BCE for the fall of Jerusalem and are now asking "Show me the money!" when it comes to the documents from certain periods of the Neo-Babylonian period. That is, "Show me the CD-s!" -- the CONTEMPORARY DOCUMENTS..
That's because there is a gap in the consistency of the actual documents for the latter half of the Neo-Babylonian Period meaning the history for this period is based solely upon copied documents. And copied documents which are automatically considered to be suspiciously "revised" documents can't be a competent comparison of Neo-Babylonian records with that of the Bible. But one must understand this since many chronologists supporting 587BCE dating don't tell you that chronology is entirely based upon NON-CONTEMPORARY RECORDS.
Note this quote from the "Aid" Book under "Chronology--Babylonian Chronology":
However, for the final twenty-three years of Nebuchadnezzar's reign NO HISTORICAL RECORDS HAVE BEEN FOUND, aside from a fragmentary inscription of a campaign against Egypt in Nebuchadnezzar's thirty-seventh year. Thus, there is no Babylonian account of the destruction of Jerusalem in Nebuchadnezzar's [nineteenth year...]. The Bible is the sole source of definite information of this event."
That's why you've got to say "Show me the money!" when it comes to Neo-Babylonian records. That is, "Show me the CONTEMPORARY DOCUMENTS" when investigating this period. That is the FIRST question you must ask in examining any Neo-Babylonian records.
What about the "thousands of dated contract tablets"? Aren't those CONTEMPORARY?
You're right! They are. But their being "dated" is misleading. Since there is a difference between "relative dating" and "absolute dating." The only source of "absolute dating" for the ancient past is in ASTRONOMICAL TEXTS. Those "dated" contract tablets are not astronomically dated. And that means they are not specifically connected with any confirmed astronomical year and can fit into anybody's chronology! That's right. Those thousands of tablets can fit perfectly into 607BCE, 587BCE or 529BCE dating with no problem. That's because they are "relative dated" tablets. But that's good you asked: "Show me the CD!"
The 70-year Desolation Period
This is another quick way we learn 587BCE is totally a fake date. That's because of Josephus' own statement regarding exactly when a 70-year "desert" period began. In his "Antiquities" he is very specific that a 70-year "desert" period in which Jerusalem lay desolate for seventy years began in the 23rd year of Nebuchadnezzar II. That coincides with the Bible's account that the last deportation of those who ran down to Egypt occurred not until the 23rd year of Nebuchadnezzar. Thus there is harmony between Josephus confirming the 70-year period beginning in the 23rd year. That means there is a 74-year confirmed period from the fall of Jerusalem dated from the 19th year until the 1st of Cyrus when the Jews were released.
This is CONFIRMED by the Bible by the book of Zechariah. How so?
Because Zechariah was written for the period when the Jews were still in exile! You can tell from the context that the Jews had not yet returned to Jerusalem from several verses such as 8:3 where it says: "This is what Jehovah has said, 'I WILL return to Zion and reside in the midst of Jerusalem and Jerusalem will certainly be called the city of the trueness..."
This is a critical point since Zechariah mentions two periods of 70 years which expire in the second and the fourth year of "Darius." The first 70-year period expires after the "denunciation of the cities". Zechariah 1:12 says from the second year of Darius:
"O Jehovah of armies, how long will you yourself not show mercy to Jerualem and the cities of Judah, who you have denounced these SEVENTY YEARS."
You see! They cities had not been shown mercy yet, that is, they had not been reinhabited with people and it was already seventy years since their denunciation or destruction in the 19th year of Nebuchadnezzar. But this was the SECOND YEAR of Darius, the Mede! Darius, the Mede is the king being referred to here.
And then again, they are still in exile seventy years after they began mourning in the fifth and seventh months dated in the FOURTH YEAR OF DARIUS which means they began mourning for their king, Gedaliah, two years after the destruction of Jerusalem. So you have a confirmation that the Jews were still in exile at least 72 years after the destruction of Jerusalem.
Does this conflict with ancient history? No! Because Josephus, as mentioned, allows for a 74-year period from the fall of Jerusalem until the return of the Jews. The last deportation does not take place until the 23rd year! But that is a key reference to knowing exactly how long the rule of Darius, the Mede was! That's because the Jews returned in the 1st of Cyrus meaning they would be in exile only two more years!
So both Josephus and the Bible now confirm that there were 74 years from the fall of Jerusalem until the Jews return in 1st of Cyrus. And that completely destroys the 537BCE chronology which only allows for a 48-50 year period from the fall of Jerusalem in 587BCE and the returnin 537BCE.
What about the theory of the "seventy years of servitude"?
Exactly. It's total nonsense! Directly disputed by Josephus and the Bible.
Using Absolute Dating - VAT4956, SK400
But using this information, we can actually calculate exactly when the 1st year of Cyrus was thanks to two astronomical texts which has double-dating to the original chronology. Remember, only astronomical texts can be used for absolute dating. Both the "VAT4956" and the "Strm.-K-400" have references to the original chronology. The VAT4956 dates Year 37 of Nebuchadnezzar in 511BCE and the SK400 dates the 7th year of Nebuchadnezzar in 541BCE, both thus dating his 19th year in 529BCE. Once we have that critical FIXED-DATE confirmed by astronomical text, it is simply a matter of subtracting 74 years. Thus 529BC-74=455BCE!
Of course, 455BCE is 483 years from 29CE which is when the Messiah was to appear at the beginning of the "70th week" based upon the "70 weeks" prophecy. That prophecy was to begin "when the word goes forth to rebuild Jerusalem" and that is exactly what happened in the seventh month of the 1st year of Cyrus. And that is exactly the specific time of the year that Jesus appeared, during the time of the "Festival of Booths." Thus, again, you have total coordination with secular chronology, coordinated with reliable Jewish historical information and the Bible all in agreement, totally dismissing the 587BCE dating for the fall of Jerusalem, which we now know was part of the revised chronology from the Seleucid Period.
The "7 Times" Prophecy
But another huge hint that 587BCE can't be correct if we are to rely upon the Bible is that it does not work out for the 2520 years from the fall of Jerusalem until the "end of the gentile times." That's because if you date the fall of Jerusalem in 587BCE then the "end of the gentile times" must end in 1934!!! That doesn't fit Bible prophetic parables which require the Messiah's Second Coming to occur near the very end of a generation that begins in 1914. But not beyond a generation which would end in 1994.
1934 is not sufficiently well enough along in that generation for all the signs to occur, particularly the most important sign of all which is the "great tribulation." As Matthew 24:29 shows, the Messiah doesn't appear until "AFTER the tribulation of those days...." That "great tribulation" was against "Judea" which refers to fleshly Israel, and that "great tribulation" like no other event in human history that had ever occurred and that would only occur once in world history, was the event we now call the "worst event in human history": THE HOLOCAUST.
Therefore, 587BCE would not qualify as the correct date for the end of the gentile times since it would be at least 45 years after the HOLOCAUST that the Messiah was to appear in order to fulfill the 1335 days prophecy. Daniel 12 indicates that the "1290 days" would not end until after the trampling and "dashing of the holy ones [the Jews] to pieces," that is, the HOLOCAUST. Then a period of 45 years would pass before the Messiah would come at the end of 1335 days. 1934 does not qualify.
But, of course, dating the fall of Jerusalem correctly in 529BCE does, since that would end the gentile times in 1992. 1992 is more than 45 years after the HOLOCAUST yet less than 80 years from 1914 and thus within a generation that ends in 1994.
So what have we learned? We've learned that the 587BCE chronologists have their own agenda and will not give you all the facts unless you insist. Therefore, you must say: "Show me the money!" to them for every document they present supporting the 587BCE chronology: "Show me the CONTEMPORARY DOCUMENTS!" If it is not a contemporary record, then you can presume it is "revised" and dismiss it.
We've also learned that Zechariah was written during the 6-year rule of Darius, the Mede during which two 70-year periods expired from the destruction of Jerusalem in his 2nd year and the mourning of Gedaliah in his 4th year. This agrees totally with Josephus who confirms that the Jews did not begin that 70-year "desert" period until the 23rd year of Nebuchadnezzar. Thus the Bible and Josephus both directly contradict the "70 years of servitude" theory and completely dismiss 587BCE as being any where near possible the date Jerusalem fell since it only allows for a 48-50 years period from the fall of Jerusalem in 587BCE and the return of the Jews they date in 537BCE.
This means that the 587BCE chronology is simply false and non-Biblical. This also means, however, that the 607BCE dating for the fall of Jerusalem is also false, since it also relies upon the revised chronology from the Seleucid Period which dates the fall of Babylon in 539BCE. The WTS presumed this was at least one reliable date coming out of the secular records but it has proven to be a false date as well.
Now the double-dating in astronomical texts the VAT4956 and the SK400 can confirm the Biblically correct dating for the fall of Jerusalem in 529BCE which confirms the "end of the gentile times" in 1992 and the 1st of Cyrus in 455BCE, making that year the correct fulfillment of the "70 weeks" prophecy.
So when it comes to ancient chronology from the Neo-Babylonian period, you've got to get tough! Don't let anybody fool you! Just say:
Cheers,
Josh