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From Magic City Morning Star R.P. BenDedek
This article is an abridged version of a a larger article at KingsCalendar, relating to the issue of the 480 years quoted in 1 Kings 6:1, in relation to the Exodus and the Building of Solomon's Temple. The Masorete and Septuagint versions of 1 Kings 6:1 provide different amounts of time [480 or 440 years] to elapse between Israelite entrance into Canaan [or the Exodus Event] and the commencement of the Building of Solomon's Temple. As I wrote in the article entitled: When was King Solomon's Temple Built:
1 Kings 6:1 According to the authorised version, 1 Kings 6:1 tells us that Solomon's 4th year is the 480th year since the Israelites came out of the land of Egypt. The Septuagint however tells us that it is the 440 th. Year. The usual explanation for this contradiction is that the Septuagint records only the years since entry into Canaan while the authorised version includes the Forty (40) years in the wilderness, and thus is a reference to the exodus itself. The issue of the 440 or 480 years in 1 Kings 6:1 has more significance than at first appears, when considered in tandem with information provided in the Book of Judges. (The Period of the Judges) The Book of Judges provides an incomplete list of the judgeships in, and periods of oppression against, Israel and yet still manages to record 450 years worth of seemingly consecutive data between the parameters of the 1 King 6:1 Reference. Whilst there are definite Biblical chronological references for David and Solomon, there are only extra-Biblical records upon which we can rely in determining the time periods for Joshua, Samuel and Saul. These indicate that Joshua was judge for up to 28 years; that Samuel was judge for 30 years; and that Saul reigned up to 22 years. A total of between 60 and 80 years. This increases the 450 years listed in the Book of Judges to between 510 and 530 years. To these 510 or 530 years must be added the 40 years for David and the first 3 or maybe 4 years of Solomon's reign, to give us a total of between 554 and 574 years to elapse between the Israelite entrance into Canaan and (incl.) the 4th year of Solomon. 1 Kings 6:1 says that either 440 or 480 years elapsed during these 554 -574 years. Whether one wants to follow the Septuagint or Masorete is irrelevant unless one can first deal with the contradictory nature of 1 Kings 6:1. Problem Number 1: 440 or 480 years? The Masorete Version of 1 Kings 6:1 says:
The Septuagint Version of 1 Kings 6:1 says:
Note in the Septuagint, the redundant reference to the 'fourth year'. Solomon's commandment to build a temple is given in the same listed year as the foundations were laid. Is that not odd? It is only because the two figures differ by 40 years, that it has been assumed, that the Septuagint is correct recording 440 years from Entrance into Canaan and that the Masoretic version has been altered to include the 40 years of wandering. But this does not take into consideration the discrepancy with the Book of Judges. The King's Calendar, which is an artificial calendar that bases itself on the 364 day Essene Jubilee calendar, demonstrates that Biblical years consist of 12 months of 4 weeks of 7 days, and consist of 336 days. In essence, For every 12 Jubilee calendar years, there are 13 artificial years. When the dates provided in the Masorete (Authorised) Version of 1 Kings 6:1 are measured out in artificial years, it is demonstrated that the two versions are talking about the same time period, even if they are not using the same measurement of time. It actually goes a step further and suggests that that the original (Masoretic) version read that 440 solar years transpired between Entrance into Canaan and Solomon's first year when he commissioned the building of the Temple and that later, when the redactors inserted the artificial chronological details into Israel's history, they changed not only the real solar years into artificial years, but shifted the originally recorded reference from Solomon's 1st year to his 4th year. Solomon's 4th year when the foundations of the Temple were laid, provided a neater more rounded figure of 480 years, than the artificial 477 years to his First year. It is believed therefore that at some point thereafter, having noticed the discrepancy between the Masorete and the Septuagint versions, someone corrected the Septuagint version, (changing 1st year to 4th year), having made the same assumption that many make today (that the Masorete includes the 40 years of Wandering). It is the contention of the 'King's Calendar' that there were:
Problem Number 2: Discrepancy between Book of Judges and 1 Kings 6:1? The inherent incongruence in the data contained in the Book of Judges, can succinctly be explained as one transcription error and one current day misapplication of the data. Ehud's judgeship was most probably 18 years not 80 years, (The Period of the Judges) and the Oppression listed in Judges Chapter 13 was obviously concurrent with the reign of Samson (including 20 years either side of his judgeship.) However it must be pointed out here, that the remaining balance of data in Solar years, is still excessive. Using the King's Calendar artificial construct however, the overall value of the data is reduced, and the period of the Judges does then compactly fit into 480 artificial years, just as the Masoretic version 1 Kings 6:1 actually states. I hope you have enjoyed this insight into Bible Chronology Problems.
The Principle of Linear Causality
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R.P.BenDedek Email: rpbendedek@kingscalendar.com
"The King's Calendar" [ on sale - while the economic recession is on], is a chronological study of the historical books of the Bible (Kings and Chronicles), Josephus, Seder Olam Rabbah, and the (Essene) Damascus Document of The Dead Sea Scrolls. See Chapter Precis page. Academic Articles at Magic City © Copyright 2002-2011 by Magic City Morning Star |
