of the KINGDOM

CHRONOLOGҮ
Christian Gedge
CHRONOLOGY of the KINGDOM ■ Vertical bars represent one year.
Copyright © E. C. GEDGE ■ Red dots indicate Sabbath year.
■ Overlapping bars show dual rule.
CHRONOLOGY of the
KINGDOM E. C. Gedge

Published by:
Five Loaves and Two Fishes
12 Prospect Street
PUTARURU 3411
NEW ZEALAND

Copyright © 2016 E. C. Gedge

(Revised 2018)
(Expanded 2022)
ISBN 978­0­9582516­4­8

This publication is protected by copyright

and therefore may not be altered, changed,
translated, or reproduced without prior
consent from the author.

Dedicated to the

Men of Issachar Everywhere

(1 Chronicles 12:32)
CHRONOLOGY of the
KINGDOM E. C. Gedge

INDEX

SECTION 1 CHRONOLOGY of the JUDGES of ISRAEL

Chapter 1 EARLY JUDGES and SABBATH CYCLE

1450 BC to 1300 BC
Chapter 2 THE MIDDLE JUDGES
1300 BC to 1170 BC
Chapter 3 LATE JUDGES to SAUL
1170 BC to 1110 BC

SECTION 2 CHRONOLOGY of the HEBREW KINGS

Chapter 4 DAVID and the CALENDAR

1010 BC to 930 BC
Chapter 5 DIVISION of the KINGDOM
930 BC to 840 BC
Chapter 6 ATHALIAH to UZZIAH
840 BC to 750 BC
Chapter 7 THE FALL of SAMARIA
750 BC to 690 BC
Chapter 8 THE FALL of JERUSALEM
690 BC to 590 BC

SECTION 3 CHRONOLOGY of the INTER­TESTAMENT ERA

Chapter 9 BABYLONIAN CAPTIVITY

590 BC to 460 BC
Chapter 10 CLOSING the PROPHETS
460 BC to 330 BC
Chapter 11 THE GREEK ERA
330 BC to 100 BC
Chapter 12 KINGDOM of GOD is at HAND
100 BC to 40 AD
CHRONOLOGY of the
KINGDOM E. C. Gedge

PREFACE
Piecing together the jigsaw of Bible chronology is not an easy task, so claims of pin­point accuracy
concerning ancient dates tend to get dismissed. Is it not more reasonable to say, "approximately?"
However, the internal chronologies of the Old Testament are more accurate than previously thought.
Beneath the surface of the Bible lies a timeline of incredible precision and I have traced these in three
stages from Moses to Messiah: ­ the Judges period, the Kings of Israel and Judah, and the Inter­Testament era.

One of the least researched topics in the Bible is the subject of Sabbatical years. It is generally thought
that, prior to Judah’s desolation, Sabbath years were spasmodic. Chronicles is quoted to make the point.

"He took into exile in Babylon those who had escaped from the sword … to fulfill the word of the
LORD by the mouth of Jeremiah, until the land had enjoyed its Sabbaths. All the days that it lay
desolate it kept Sabbath, to fulfill seventy years." (2 Chron. 36:20­21)

The claim is then made that Sabbatical years recorded in later eras cannot be connected to pre­captivity
times because there aren’t enough early examples to identify. However, we shouldn’t forget that the ‘70­
year catch up’, as bad as it was, accounted for about half of the appointed Sabbaths, so there must have
been others that were kept. And, although it is true that they were not explicitly mentioned, many can
be identified. Yes, they can be dated!

The following pages include charts displayed and saved in pdf format for ease of printing. Timelines
show each year, partial years, co­regencies (in the case of kings), foreign emperors, Sabbath years, and
major events, together with biblical references. They will be useful to anyone who wants a very accurate,
but visually simple, succession of timeframes covering Israel’s early historical time periods. An
examination of these charts will solve the long­standing difficulties of the Judges chronology then go on
to synchronise the reigns of kings with precision. Please take time to check the biblical narrative against
the continuous count of years as shown.

The Sabbatical and Jubilee cycles are taken from my other published book, 'The Atonement Clock.'
More information may be found at, www.5loaves2fishes.net/the­atonement­clock. By discovering the
Sabbatic­Jubilee system, we are given an unbroken sequence of dates backing up the historical record and
providing a dating framework upon which ancient dates can be cross­referenced. My above­mentioned
book has page size constraints which limit visibility so it was decided to publish this full­size manual of
supplementary charts separately. 'Chronology of the Kingdom' is available free on the Internet for
readers who wish to print and study the subject closely. Charts may be copied and distributed provided
no changes are made, and provided that copyright is acknowledged. It is my hope that these be
downloaded, printed, and made use of by Bible teachers.

Sincerely,

Christian Gedge
CHRONOLOGY of the
KINGDOM E. C. Gedge

INTRODUCTION
This book covers three significant eras: ­ the Judges period, the Kings of Israel, and the Inter­Testament era.

The history of the Judges bridges the time from the Exodus to the Kingdom, however, when we sum up
the rule of the Judges, a problem arises. Add them all up, plus the times of oppression such as the
Midianite period of seven years, then tack on the forty years in the desert plus the reigns of Saul and
David, and what do we get? 640 years! On face value, that’s about 160 years longer than the figure as
claimed in the book of Kings – a big difference!

There is a reason. Most oppressions were regional in nature with the rule of some Judges taking place in
tribal areas not affected by the invasions; they were ruling elsewhere during the same period. This matter
is clarified in the timeline diagrams.

I have built my Judges chronology on three given lengths of time: 480 years to the start of construction
on Solomon’s temple, 1 the 300 years quoted by Jephthah, 2 and the eighty­year peace between the first
eastern invasion by Moab and the second eastern invasion by Midian. 3 The first step is to establish
Solomon’s fourth year as an ‘absolute date.’ The next step is to track back to the Exodus per 1 Kings 6:1,
then forward to the settlement of east­Jordan in 1405 BC. This date marks the terminus­a­quo of
Jephthah’s letter to the king of Ammon. When we count forward 300 years from here, we are able to pin­
point the first year of Jephthah’s rule to 1105 BC.

When filling the gaps, it becomes obvious that the eighty­year peace refers to the eastern and southern
tribes and should not be applied to an excessively long rule of Ehud. Several events are happening in the
northern region concurrently, and when this is taken into account, the eighty­year peace meshes with
Jephthah’s 300 years and other data perfectly. Similarly, the rule of later Judges (except Samuel) are
regional and concurrent as shown in the charts.

The books of the Kings are structured in the form of a ‘combination lock’ which, going backward
unlocks the door to ancient history, and forward, tracks the messianic timetable. The books contain a
repeating formula where the accession of a king is synchronised with the reign of his contemporary in the
neighbouring kingdom (whether Judah or Israel) followed by the number of years that he reigned. Thus,
“In the (x)th year of king (A) of Israel, king (B) of Judah began to reign and he reigned (y) years.”

At first sight it seems simple ­ just do the math and the formula should work? It might have been that
easy if not for several little quirks in the Hebrew calendar. For example, the kings of Judah started their
reigns in the seventh month, Tishri, instead of Abib. I have generally followed the research of Dr. Edwin
Thiele, 4 albeit with refinements by recent scholars. His important work, first developed by Valerius
Coucke, 5 looked into these matters. They also realised Judah used an ‘accessional’ regnal system
whereas Samaria’s was ‘non­accessional’. In addition to these breakthroughs, Thiele proposed co­
regencies to solve apparent contradictions between the twin kingdom timelines.

Thiele established several ‘absolute dates’, confirmed by Assyrian and Hebrew records, from which we
may plot a reliable chronology of the Kings forwards and backwards from those points. They include the
last year of Ahab (853 BC) and the first year of Jehu. (841 BC) Nebuchadnezzar’s sack of Jerusalem in
587 BC also provides an absolute date – a one year refinement made by Roger Young. 6 However, I have
retained Thiele’s date for the division of the kingdom as 930 BC. My paper explaining this is found here
in chapter 5. Also, my chronology of the important Hezekiah period differs significantly from the
standard method. I do not find justification for a long co­regency with his father Ahaz, and I place the
forteenth year of Hezekiah in 712/11 BC. This is the subject of research done by Gerard Gertoux. 7

Like the internal chronologies of the Old Testament, the history of the Inter­Testament period has turned
up the same ancient calendar that was thought to be lost. The Sabbatical years (or Shemitah as they are
called by the Jews) is referenced in a variety of sources such as the books of the Maccabees and Josephus.

Credit goes to Rabbi Benedict Zuckermann who first published a table of the Shemitah. 8 He based his
conclusions on a number of examples from these sources, one of which he cites an exemption Alexander
the Great granted Jews concerning payment of tax every seventh year. With examples like this
Zuckermann charted the seven­year cycle but he did not guess the ‘Yovel’ ­ the Jubilee. It seems to have
been discontinued during the Inter­Testament period, so, although Zuckermann thought it to be a forty­
nine year cycle, he never assigned dates to it. I have plotted the Jubilee years (albeit not observed),
indicating it with a purple square.

My Inter­Testament timeline begins with the generally accepted reigns of the Persian kings as determined
by the astronomer, Claudius Ptolemy. It continues through the Greek Ptolemaic empire until the battle of
Panium, after which the Seleucid empire took Judea in 198 BC. It then follows the Seleucids and
Hasmoneans until becoming a possession of Rome in 63 BC.

The reason for my attention to the ancient calendar is because the continuous count of ‘sevens’ is a useful
tool when cross­checking dates. More importantly, they are the subject of an important Messianic
prophecy. 9 This matter is elaborated on in my other published book, ‘The Atonement Clock.’ 10

REFERENCES

1 1 Kings 6:1
2 Judges 11:26
3 Judges 3:20
4 Mysterious Numbers of the Hebrew Kings, Edwin Thiele, 1951
5 Chronologie biblique. In Supplément au dictionnaire de la Bible, Valerius Coucke, 1928
6 https://www.academia.edu/2158841/When_Did_Jerusalem_Fall, Roger Young, 2004
7 Dating the Sennacherib's Campaign to Judah, Gerard Gertoux
8 A treatise of the Sabbatical cycle and the Jubilee, Breslau, Zuckermann, 1859
9 Daniel 9: 24­27
10 https://www.academia.edu/12760428/The_Atonement_Clock, Christian Gedge
CHRONOLOGY of the
KINGDOM E. C. Gedge

SECTION 1

CHRONOLOGY of the
JUDGES of ISRAEL
CHRONOLOGY of the
KINGDOM E. C. Gedge

Chapter 1 EARLY JUDGES and SABBATH CYCLE

"In the four hundred and eightieth year after the people of Israel came out of the land of Egypt, in
the fourth year of Solomon's reign over Israel, in the month of Ziv, which is the second month, he
began to build the house of the Lord." 1

It would be fair to say that the key biblical link to ancient times is found in the above statement. Based
on Solomon's fourth year being 964 BC, I locate the Exodus date on 3rd April 1444 BC. 2 My claim is
an adjustment to the usually quoted date of 1446 BC, and an examination of this refinement may be made
later in these charts during the reigns of Solomon, Rehoboam, Jeroboam and Omni. 3

When the date is corrected as shown, and the Sabbatical and Jubilee years are factored in, an
extraordinary pattern of 'sevens' come into focus. These proceed in lockstep throughout the Judges era
and, although not always observed, they confirm key dates in the Judges and Kings chronology. The
continuous count of sabbatical years is perhaps the least researched aspect of Old Testament events even
though Moses had instructed the Israelites to start counting after entering the land. 4

My book shows these in a continuous timeline on the side of each page. Each little rectangle represents a
Hebrew year of Abib to Abib. (April approx.) 5 and a red square on every seventh year means it was a
‘Sabbath.’ The whole span of seven years was called a ‘Week.’ 6 When the Sabbath years are plotted
scrupulously from the first one, we reach and synchronize with the modern shemitah dates as plotted
from the Babylonian captivity.

So, to begin, let us establish a reliable starting date by fixing the first observed Sabbath after entering the
promised land. Since the Sabbaths relate to land, it should not be surprising that the count began straight
after the distribution of Israel’s tribal allotments. Please study the timelines and notice how Caleb
received his inheritance in the forty­seventh year after the Exodus. This would have been 1398 BC.
“Then the land had rest from war.” 7

After Caleb the tribes of Judah, Ephraim and Manasseh received their allotments. 8 By the time these
large tribes had received, clan by clan, town by town, it would have been 1397 BC. But at this point a
further seven tribes had not made progress appropriating their share,
and Joshua rebukes them for the delay. “How long will you put off
going in to take possession of the land, which the LORD, the God of
your fathers, has given you?” 9

We are not told explicitly, but a casual reading indicates that

distribution to the latecomers, establishing cities of refuge, and
provision for the Levites would have continued into the forty­ninth year.
Now, this is interesting because forty­nine is the length of a Jubilee
cycle and seems also to be the span between the Exodus and the
division. Therefore, the timeline of ‘sevens’ must have been operating,
unseen but in step, from when the calendar was first given to Moses.

An earlier ‘placeholder’ cycle may or may not have been in mind by

the author of the Seder Olam but it fits well with its reference to
Joshua 18:1.

“Then the whole congregation of the people of Israel assembled

at Shiloh and set up the tent of meeting there. The land lay
subdued before them …” and adds ... “At that moment, they
started to count years for tithes, Sabbatical years, and Jubilee
years.” 10

“They started to count for Sabbatical years …” Moreover, the eastern

tribes who had received their lands early (but not yet cultivated them)
travelled home again at this time. 11

Respectfully, I do not accept the view of scholars who start counting

from initial entry into the land. By ‘entry’ they count from the crossing
of the Jordan, forgetting that ‘the land’ had been ‘entered’ on the
eastern side one year earlier. The instruction to count, given by Moses,
does not require a strict start from the day Israel crossed Canaan’s
border. I believe it implies logically a count starting when the land is
put into production, and of course, that could only happen when the
people had land given to them.

So, based on these observations, and based on my aforementioned

dates, I have placed the first year of the new cycle in 1395 BC and
counted to the first fallowed Sabbath year in Abib 1389 to Abib 1388 BC.

The Sabbatical years provide Bible history with an unexpected bonus

at the beginning of the Promised Land ­ the length of Joshua's rule.
After Canaan was divided among the tribes, his military role finished
but his leadership continued. 12 However, the length of Joshua's rule, and date of death is not clearly
given in the Bible, so it has made it difficult to construct a chronology of the Judges who came after him.

What is known is his final age of one hundred and ten and a brief comment concerning his 'youth' when
he began serving Moses. 13 Also, he spied out the land with contemporaries, all of whom died before the
land was divided, except Caleb who was eighty­five by then. So, Joshua was probably the youngest spy,
but by how many years is not said.

However, when we study the background of Joshua's final year, it becomes apparent that he died on a
Sabbatical. Moses had left instructions to assemble the people every seventh year:

“At the end of every seven years, at the set time in the year of release, at the Feast of Booths, when
all Israel comes to appear before the Lord your God at the place that he will choose, you shall read
this law before all Israel in their hearing. Assemble the people, men, women, and little ones, and
the sojourner within your towns, that they may hear and learn to fear the Lord.” 14

Just prior to Joshua's parting we see such an event taking place at Shechem. 15 This was his last public
exhortation to all Israel to keep God's law, so the event is clearly defined.

Joshua's age of one hundred and ten suggests the general time­frame so a precise year of his death can be
deduced from a careful count of seven from the when God instituted the calendar. 16 and by finding the
Sabbath year that fits. That year is 1368 BC. If we estimate an earlier Sabbatical, it would mean he
wasn’t a ‘youth’ at the Exodus. Also, the later date is confirmed by the Ancient Seder Olam which states
that Joshua judged for twenty­eight years. 17

After the death of Joshua, Judah and the men of Simeon, their near neighbours, fought against the
Canaanites and captured most of their appointed lands. It was one of a few bright spots in an otherwise
string of failure. The western tribes were afraid to confront the people of the coast because they had iron
chariots. 18 Then they began to backslide.

“The people served the LORD throughout the lifetime of Joshua and of the elders who outlived him
and who had seen all the great things the LORD had done for Israel … After that whole generation
had been gathered to their ancestors, another generation grew up who knew neither the LORD nor
 what he had done for Israel. Then the Israelites did evil in the
eyes of the LORD and served the Baals. They forsook the
LORD, the God of their ancestors, who had brought them out of
Egypt. They followed and worshiped various gods of the
peoples around them. Judges 2:7­12 … So, the LORD sold them
into the hands of Cushan­Rishathaim king of Aram Naharaim,
to whom the Israelites were subject for eight years.” 19

Aram Naharaim means ‘Aram of the two rivers’ referring to the Tigris
and Euphrates. It is mentioned in other scriptures. 20 It seems to be
the kingdom of Mitanni, or perhaps the middle Assyrian Empire. The
former is more probable, but in either case it is extraordinary that a
deliverer as little known as Othniel should drive out such a powerful foe.

Another point worth noting is how the invader came from the north
but was delivered from the south. (Othniel was from Judah) This
suggests that the entire country was overrun for some of the eight
years at least. I have shown this as a nationwide oppression in the
adjacent timeline. Othniel followed with a rule of forty years.

REFERENCES

1 1 Kings 6:1
2 Numbers 33:3
3 Chronology of the Kingdom, ch 5, E.C. Gedge
4 Leviticus 25:1­4
5 Exodus 12:2,17
6 Daniel 9:24
7 Joshua 14:15
8 Joshua 15­17
9 Joshua 18:3
10 Seder Olam Rabbah, chapter 11
11 Joshua 22
12 Joshua 24:31
13 Numbers 11:28
14 Deuteronomy 31:10­12
15 Joshua 24:1,25
16 Exodus 12:1
17 Seder Olam Rabbah, chapter 12
18 Judges 1
19 Judges 3:7­11
20 Genesis 24:10, Deuteronomy 23:4
An important distinctive of the Jubilee is how it always began with the sound of the trumpet on the
seventh month of the forty­ninth year. 21 All other years, including Sabbaths, began on the 1st of Abib. 22
In other words, the fiftieth year was superimposed over the last half of the forty­ninth year and the first
half­year of the next Jubilee cycle.

There is disagreement between the Sages and

Rabbis as to whether the Jubilee was
considered the first year of the new Shemitah
cycle or whether the new followed after a full
fifty years. 23 Other scholars consider the
‘fiftieth year’ to be synonymous with year
forty­nine of the previous cycle. Either case is
problematic because one would require an
announcement premature by six months, and
the other an announcement that had been
delayed for six months.

Their reasoning amounts to an objection that two years without planting is too long without starving. This
argument is not so. I will elaborate on it later. 24 I have also created an introductory video. 25

A Sabbath year is indicated when one of the follow ­

ing things happen. The probability is stronger if
several indicators are present at the same time: EXAMPLE SAB. YEAR REFERENCE

■ if all Israel is gathered together that year to one place. Joshua 1368 BC Joshua 24:1,25
Deut. 27:4,31:10­12
■ if a blowing of the shofar was heard from that location. Ehud 1298 BC Judges 3:27
Leviticus 25:8­9
■ if the season is late summer when Israel is assembled. Ehud 1298 BC Judges 3:15­18

■ if a kinsman­redeemer purchases a poor relatives land. Boaz 1150 BC Ruth 4:3­5,

Lev. 25:49­50
■ if it is the 7th month of Tishri when Israel is assembled. Solomon 955 BC 1 Kings 8:1­2

■ if a public reading of the law is made to all the people. Jeho'phat 871 BC 2 Chron. 17:7­9

■ if the seventh year is mentioned in the narative. Jehoida 836 BC 2 Chron. 23:1

■ if the season did not have the usual summer harvest. Hezekiah 710 BC 2 Kings 19:29

■ if the ‘day of fasting’ is at the time Israel is assembled. Jehoiakim 605 BC Jeremiah 36:6
Leviticus 16:29
■ if the release of debts/slaves takes place in that year. Zedekiah 591 BC Jeremiah 34:15
Deut. 15:12
■ if a notable religious revival followed the public reading. Nehemiah 444 BC Nehemiah 8­10

■ if the year is linked to other Sabbaths by multiples of 7. Nehemiah 430 BC Nehemiah 13:1
When we read Moses on this subject, there was to be a continuous
observance of these special years. They were supposed to be like
clockwork. However, when we go looking for examples in the Bible,
very few seem to be mentioned – on the surface anyway. In point of
fact there were more kept than first appears. They weren’t explicitly
mentioned, that’s all. We can recognise them by indicators.
Admittedly, these clues don’t guarantee that we have a Sabbath or
Jubilee, but the probability is very strong if several indicators are
present at the same time:

Here is a sample chart and, with these in mind, let us ask, are there
any examples of such an occasion in the history of the Judges? Yes!
When the rule of judges, the times of oppression, and the continuous
count of seven is laid down together, a Jubilee year is produced in
1298 BC in the year that Israel was set free from the Moabite oppression.

Please examine the timeline together with the Sabbath indicator table,
and notice these things:

1. Ehud's daring act happened late summer, because Israel's

'tribute' would have come from the harvest. 26
2. Ehud blew the shofar ­ the Jubilee trumpet ­ at which the
Israelites rallied and defeated their foes.
3. The trumpet was blown from “the hill country of Ephraim”
to where the people gathered. This location was where special
assemblies took place during the early Judges era. 27
4. The eastern tribes enjoyed a long peace of eighty years
indicating repentance and the Lord's favour.

Together with the sabbatical count, these factors confirm a 49/50 year
and provides 1298 BC as another benchmark to our Judges
chronology.

REFERENCES

21 Leviticus 25:8­10
22 Exodus 12:2
23 Nedarim 61a
24 Chronology of the Kingdom, ch 7, E.C. Gedge
25 https://vimeo.com/345375888
26 Judges 3:15­18
27 Joshua 8:30­34
CHRONOLOGY of the
KINGDOM E. C. Gedge

Chapter 2 THE MIDDLE JUDGES

The 'Eighty­year peace' came next, but it is a chronological detail that has been misunderstood. 1 It
refers to the period enjoyed by those tribes who were set free from the eastern invader, Moab, until the
next eastern invasion by Midian. A common mistake is to allocate the entire eighty to Ehud, but when it
is spanned to Gideon, the 'jigsaw pieces' slot neatly into place.

Yes, Jabin of Hazor oppressed Naphtali and Zebulun during this 'peace', but it isn't a contradiction. The
description, 'eighty­year peace', was meant to be understood in its regional context. Then, when Barak
and Deborah defeated Jabin, the era of peace was extended to the entire country.
It is worth noting how in Deborah’s victory song she made mention of
her predecessor Shamgar being a contemporary of Jael, the woman
who killed Jabin’s military commander. 2 This confirms our timeline
which overlaps Shamgar with the state of affairs in the north where
Jael was living.

“In the days of Shamgar son of Anath, in the days of Jael, the
highways were abandoned; travellers took to winding paths.
Villagers in Israel would not fight; they held back until I,
Deborah, arose, until I arose, a mother in Israel.” 3

It also describes a new situation on the coast. About this time the Sea
People were beginning to raid the Mediterranean between Egypt and
Israel, disrupting major trade routes. These people were a loose
confederation of marauders from Greek island locations who Bible
writers simply group together as, ‘Philistines’. An early group, which
the Egyptians called, ‘Sherden’,4 had at least one skirmish with
Shamgar, but failed to gain a foothold. 5 The next wave of Sea People
would be a branch known as ‘Peleset’ from which the name
‘Philistine’ is derived.

So, to sum up the 'eighty­year peace' insofar as it affects our

chronology, I have it beginning with Ehud’s first year spreading to the
whole land following the victories of Barak and Shamgar, and lasting
through until 1217 BC when the eastern hordes appeared again.
Reading between the lines, the invasions of the Judges middle period suggest drought­driven migrations
in search of food. Please notice how the Midianite incursions happened after crops were planted.
Moreover, they bought their livestock with them. When they left, they took other livestock too, leaving
nothing for Israel to eat.

“Whenever the Israelites planted their crops, the Midianites, Amalekites and other eastern peoples
invaded the country. They camped on the land and ruined the crops all the way to Gaza and did not
spare a living thing for Israel, neither sheep nor cattle nor donkeys. They came up with their
livestock and their tents like swarms of locusts. It was impossible to count them or their camels;
they invaded the land to ravage it. Midian so impoverished the Israelites that they cried out to the
LORD for help.” 6

Another point of note, is how the Midianite oppression was nationwide in scope – not localised as some
of the other oppressions were. The eastern invaders reached the Mediterranean Sea in the west 7 and
Jezreel in the north. 8 God’s deliverer, Gideon, was from a town called Ophrah in western Manasseh 9 and
his army was drawn from as far north as Asher. 10

It might be helpful to view the middle judges against a wider background of the Mediterranean world in
throes of collapse. Between 1250 BC and 1100 BC, the great Hittite Empire collapsed; Mycenaean
culture (early Greek) vanished, and vast people­migrations took place, driven by recurring droughts.
Historians call this dark period the 'Bronze Age Collapse.' 11
Israel's history accords with this scenario, fending off marauding sea
peoples from the west and desert peoples from the east. It should not
come as a surprise, therefore, that an Egyptian Pharaoh mentions
Israel by name on his famous Merneptah stele. It reads:

"Seized is Canaan with every evil, Ashkelon is conquered,

Gezer seized, Yenoam is brought to nought, Israel is wasted ­
their crops are not." 12

Merneptah's boast regarding the cities is not recorded in the Bible,

because the places mentioned were Canaanite ­ cities not occupied by
Israel but existing within her tribal boundaries. However, his
description concerning Israel's 'crops' is corroborated by the Bible. I
believe he was referring to the hordes of scavenging eastern people as
so vividly described in the Gideon account.

So, Merneptah was not saying that Egypt did the damage; he was
simply observing (with satisfaction) how Israel's food supply was
'wasted.' With this in mind, please notice, his stele was engraved 13 at
the same time that the Bible said Israel's food source had been ruined!

REFERENCES

1 Judges 3:30
2 Judges 4:17­22
3 Judges 5:6­7
4 Tanis Stele
5 Judges 3:31
6 Judges 6:3­6
7 Ibid 6:4
8 Judges 6:33
9 Judges 6:11
10 Judges 6:35
11 Kaniewski D, Van Campo E, Guiot J, Le Burel S, Otto T, Baeteman C
(2013) Environmental Roots of the Late Bronze Age Crisis.
PLoS ONE 8(8): e71004. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0071004
12 Flinders Petrie – A life in Archaeology, Margaret Drower p.221
13 1208 BC
CHRONOLOGY of the
KINGDOM E. C. Gedge

Chapter 3 LATE JUDGES to SAUL

Following Gideon was Abimelech’s failed insurrection. 1 After that Tola judged Israel for twenty­three
years and after him came Jair. Now Jair is of interest to the chronologist. His brief description shows that
his jurisdiction was over the eastern tribes.

“He (Tola) was followed by Jair of Gilead, who led Israel twenty­two years. He had thirty sons,
who rode thirty donkeys. They controlled thirty towns in Gilead, which to this day are called
Havvoth (the villages of) Jair.” 2

The question arises therefore; who judged over the western tribes during the judgeship of Jair? Our
answer is Eli. Evidently, he performed a dual role as high priest and judge for forty years until his death
shortly after the battle of Aphek. 3 When we plot forty years back we find his early rule to be concurrent
with Jair.

This finding corresponds to a comment of Josephus concerning a terrible drought:

“Eli the High Priest was governor of the Israelites. Under him, when the country was afflicted
with a famine, Elimelech of Bethlehem, which is a city of the tribe of Judah, being not able to
support his family under so sore a distress, took with him Naomi his wife, and the children that
were born to him by her, Chilion and Mahlon; and removed his habitation into the land of Moab.” 4

Josephus is thus identifying the drought, and identifying the time of Naomi and Ruth, placing the events
in the early judgeship of Eli and Jair. 5 His timing is confirmed with a simple generational count from
Ruth, Naomi’s widowed daughter in law, until David.

“Boaz took Ruth and she became his wife … the LORD enabled her to conceive, and she gave birth
to a son … and they named him Obed. He was the father of Jesse, the father of David.” 6

So, Boaz and Ruth were the parents of Obed who, in turn, was the father of Jesse. Obed was born ten or
eleven years after the drought, during which his grandparents had fled to Moab in search of food. Jesse
was the father of David, and David was born in the middle of the 11th century BC. Therefore, assuming
average lifespans over several generations, the great drought would have been in the 12th century just as
Josephus said.

Also, if a famine was bad enough to drive people from their ancestral land, it might be worth exploring
extra­biblical sources to see if such conditions were prevailing during this period. Indeed they were! By
studying fossilized pollen samples beneath the Sea of Galilee, and in the Dead Sea basin, scientists at Tel
Aviv University noticed a succession of severe droughts from the time when the Bronze Age began
collapsing. Oaks, pines, carobs and olives began to be replaced by desert vegetation species, indicating
that horticulture was suffering serious climate change. These changes set off population migrations as
explained in our previous chapter, and the research found the worst years to be in the latter stages of the
12th century BC.
 “The Late Bronze Age, an interval whose pollen was for the
most part not preserved, was extremely arid towards the end of
the period (1300–1100 BCE), as is evident by the shore
sediment depositional environment which points to decreased
Dead Sea levels.” 7

Yes, 1140 to 1130 BC is approximately where the Bible places the

drought recorded in the book of Ruth. Biblical accounts such as these
fit comfortably with known history and this is another example of the
accuracy of the Judges era.

REFERENCES

1 Judges 9
2 Judges 10:3­5
3 1103 BC, 1 Samuel 4:18
4 Antiquities, Josephus, book V, ch 9:1
5 Ruth 1:1­4
6 Ruth 4:13­17
7 Dafna Langgut, Frank Harald Neumann, Mordechai Stein,

Allon Wagner, Elisa Joy Kagan, Elisabetta Boaretto &

Israel Finkelstein (2014): Dead Sea pollen record and history
of human activity in the Judean Highlands (Israel) from the
Intermediate Bronze into the Iron Ages (2500–500 BCE),
Palynology, DOI: 10.1080/01916122.2014.906001, page 18.
Perhaps the best examples of overlapping leaders and timelines come from the record of the last Judges.
In 1122 BC the Ammonites invaded from the east and in the same year the Philistines began to push from
the south­west.

“Again the Israelites did evil in the eyes of the LORD. They served the Baals and the Ashtoreths,
and the gods of Aram, the gods of Sidon, the gods of Moab, the gods of the Ammonites and the
gods of the Philistines. And because the Israelites forsook the LORD and no longer served him,
he became angry with them. He sold them into the hands of the Philistines and the Ammonites,
who that year shattered and crushed them.” 8

The Ammonites ruled for eighteen years on the east side of the Jordan in Gilead. They also crossed the
river and attacked Ephraim, Benjamin and Judah. The Philistines took control of large swathes of Dan
and Judah. They ruled for forty years. 9

This left a thin strip of hill country

where Eli continued tenuously as a
judge at Shiloh. Then Jephthah was
bought from Tob to deliver the
people of Gilead. His letter of
defence is a vital key to the
chronology of the Judges. In
writing his argument to the
invading king, Jephthah said:
 "For three hundred years Israel occupied Heshbon, Aroer, the
surrounding settlements and all the towns along the Arnon. Why
didn’t you retake them during that time?" 10

Sure enough, the deliverance from Ammon in 1105 BC was 300 years
after Israel had settled the eastern territories in 1405 BC. Moreover,
it confirms the overarching span of 480 years given in 1 Kings 6:1,
as well as fitting with the details in­between.

After Jephthah's death came several minor judges, but before dealing
with them, we need to step back to the west – to the situation in Dan
and Judah. Here Samson led his tribe from occupied Zorah. His
exploits spanned twenty years. 11 There is not much agreement among
commentators as to where in the Philistine occupation his narrative
belongs, but I place it in the first half. There are two reasons for this
conclusion: First, Josephus tells us that Eli was still alive after the
death of Samson. 12 Secondly, the crucial battle of Aphek occurred in
the middle of the Philistine oppression and the location was inside
Dan’s tribal boundary. (Aphek was the source of the Jarkon river.) 13 If
Samson had still been judging Dan, he most certainly would have
been involved in that battle, but there is no mention of him at all.

Now we can return to the minor judges who are mentioned after
Jephthah. 14 Ibzan judged from Bethlehem for a period of seven years.
Elon judged from Zebulon for ten years and Abnon from Ephraim for
eight years. None of these men are remembered for anything of
special note and their authority sounds to have been localised and
overlapping. I have placed then from Jephthah until Samuel whose
time to lead all of Israel came at the battle of Mizpah.

REFERENCES

8 Judges 10:6­9
9 Judges 13:1
10 Judges 11:26
11 Judges 15:20
12 Antiquities, Josephus, book V, ch 9:1
13 Joshua19:46
14 Judges 12:8­15
The start of Samuel's judgeship at the battle of Mizpah is fixed at 1082 BC as explained in the previous
chart. Simply count forty from the Philistine invasion. Likewise, the coronation of David in 1008 BC is
fixed by a systematic count of Kings going back from the fall of Jerusalem. (These are shown in Section
2 of my book. 15) However, Samuel's length of rule is not mentioned anywhere, and Saul's details are
obscure in the Torah. We have to go to the New Testament to find his forty years then we allocate the
difference to Samuel.

“After this, God gave them judges until the time of Samuel the prophet. Then the people asked for a
king, and he gave them Saul son of Kish, of the tribe of Benjamin, who ruled forty years.” 16

It is my view that the comment in Acts refers to the royal span of Saul's 'house' including the 71/2 years of
allegiance to his family up to when all the tribes accepted David as their king. Thus, Saul's personal
reign would have been thirty­two and a half years, but his dynastic 'house' was forty.

Our bigger problem comes from the awkward language of 1 Samuel 13:1 which literally says, “Saul
reigned as a son one year, and reigned two years in Israel.” Two years? Translators usually propose that
a preceding number was 'lost' through copyist errors and they insert their best guess. (often forty­two 17)
However, such assumptions are unnecessary.
What it more likely means is that he reigned one year as an untested
'son' under tutelage to Samuel, and then he earned his full respect
when he liberated the city of Jabesh. At that stage his kingdom was
confirmed 18 and he reigned another two years as King in his own
right. However, at the end of three years Saul failed the test because
of disobedience, and Samuel said:

"But now your kingdom shall not continue. The Lord has
sought out a man after his own heart, and the Lord has
commanded him to be prince over his people.” 19

In that very same year Samuel said that, 1038 BC, David was born!
Therefore, the "three years" of Saul were those years he was
recognised as God's king, and the earthly tenure beyond his rejection
was no longer recorded in Samuel's book.

REFERENCES

15 Chronology of the Kingdom, Section 2, E.C. Gedge

16 Acts 13:20­21
17 AMP, NASB, NCV, NIV, NLT
18 1 Samuel 11:14
19 1 Samuel 13:14
CHRONOLOGY of the
KINGDOM E. C. Gedge

SECTION 2

CHRONOLOGY of the
HEBREW KINGS
CHRONOLOGY of the
KINGDOM E. C. Gedge

Chapter 4 DAVID and the CALENDAR

The rise of David as king provides a clue to how the Tishri­to­Tishri year came about. The modern
Jewish calendar was created during the writing of the Talmud. It is attributed to Hillel II as having been
fully developed by 358 AD. 1 However, the Tishri New Year began in seed form with David.

What happened was that David was crowned in Ethanim (Tishri) and the house of David simply
continued counting reigns from there. The evidence for this is a special emphasis his chronology makes
of an extra six months ­ a forty­year reign described as seven and a half years in Hebron plus thirty­three
years in Jerusalem. Then, when we examine the last few months of his stay in Ziklag, it shows the
Philistine invasion taking place in the summer of 1008 BC. He moved to Hebron shortly afterward and was
anointed king shortly after that again. These series of events point to his coronation in the seventh month.
For an explicit reference to the start of his reign we may go to Kings or Chronicles.

“These six were born to David in

Hebron, where he reigned seven
years and six months. David
reigned in Jerusalem thirty­three
years.” 2

Does that mean a fully developed fall­to­fall calendar came into being? No! From Moses and the Exodus
Abib was the only calendar New Year. 3 From David the Judean kings counted their reigns from
Ethanim, but it was not until the Greek era that a dual ‘civil / religious’ calendar system started evolving
as we now know it. 4 First mention of ‘Rosh Hashanah’ appeared in the Mishnah ­ a Jewish code of law
compiled in 200 A.D. 5

Yes, each king’s 'regnal' count of years was measured from the seventh month, in the same way as our
modern 'financial' or 'school' years are reckoned today, but it is a mistake to conflate the king’s ‘regnal’
year with a separate ‘civil’ calendar. Dr. Leslie McFall goes beyond the natural meaning:

"Israel and Judah did not use the same calendar. The New Year began in September (Tishri) in
Judah, but in Nisan (March/April) in Israel. Because their New Year’s days were six months apart
this will often account for the synchronisms between them being one year out." 6

Wikipedia exaggerates further:

 “It seemed that David still used the Nisan­years in chronicling
his years, but King Solomon made it a national calendar
commemorating his great father. After the split of the kingdom
in 931/930 BC, Israel continued using Nisan­years, while Judah
used the Tishri­years.” 7

They are only partially correct! To find the balanced understanding I offer
the following quote from Dr. Edwin Thiele proving Solomon did indeed
use a Tishri count for his regnal years, but with a rider: His count was
from the seventh month of the single spring­to­spring calendar.

“That a Tishri­to­Tishri year was used in the reckoning of

Solomon’s reign is indicated by the data available concerning
the building of the temple. Work on the temple was begun in the
second month of the fourth year of Solomon, and it was
completed in the eighth month of Solomon’s eleventh year,
having been seven years in building … If Solomon’s regnal year
began in Nisan, then … the construction of the temple would
have occupied eight years instead of seven … The figure of
seven years for the building of the temple can be secured only
when regnal years are computed from Tishri­to­Tishri but with a
Nisan­to­Nisan year used for the reckoning of ordinary events.” 8

So, applying the Tishri regnal system to David’s next in line looks like
this: Solomon began sharing his father’s throne late 969 BC until the
end of his accession year. Then on the 1st Ethanim 968 BC he
commenced his first full year through to Ethanim 967 BC. His second
year was 967/6 BC and so on. Please note, the dotted lines represent
regnal years and the full vertical lines represent ordinary calendar
years starting in Abib.

When this method is applied to David's son, Solomon, the countback

to the Exodus will be tighter. When this method is applied to
the complete line of David unto
the Babylonian captivity, the
synchronisms in the books of the
Kings will click into place.
From Solomon's fourth year is calculated the date of the Exodus. Moreover, it frames the time of the
Judges, so that an order of the middle era can be built inside of it. The year is key to early Hebrew
history and is arguably the most important chronological detail in the Bible. It's mention is repeated in
1 Kings as well as Chronicles.

"In the four hundred and eightieth year after the people of Israel came out of the land of Egypt, in
the fourth year of Solomon's reign over Israel, in the month of Ziv, which is the second month, he
began to build the house of the Lord." 9

Our research locates Solomon's fourth regnal year from Ethanim (Tishri) 965 BC, which means the month
of Ziv would have been early 964 BC. But this date is two years later than the commonly quoted 966 BC.
Why the difference? It is because some commentaries treat his accession year as if it was his first year.
However, the house of David treated the first full year as 'number 1.' They had a system of dating where
the incomplete portion of months from a father's death to the end of the regnal year became the son’s
'accession' ­ not his 'first year.' (See diagram below and see next chapter)

Secondly, chronologies overlook an obscure synchronism in the reign of Omri. This fine point will be
dealt with in the next chapter. Another somewhat overlooked item in Solomon’s accession is when King
Hiram of Tyre made contact with the newly anointed King of Israel to wish him well. On that occasion
they made arrangement for, and began shipment of, materials from Lebanon for the upcoming
construction of the temple. This preparatory work is elaborated upon in the Hebrew writings 10 and it also
found its way into the official records of the Tyrian kings. They reference this event with great exactness,
dating it as happening almost one hundred and forty­four years prior to the founding of Carthage.

"There are then records among the Tyrians … Therein was recorded that the temple was built by king
Solomon at Jerusalem, one hundred forty­three years and eight months before the Tyrians built
Carthage; and in their annals the building of our temple is related; for Hirom, the king of Tyre, was
the friend of Solomon our king, and had such friendship transmitted down to him from his forefathers.
He thereupon was ambitious to contribute to the splendor of this edifice of Solomon." 11

Unfortunately, the founding of Carthage has two dates assigned to it. The respected Greek historian,
Timaeus, said it was thirty­eight years before the first Olympiad, in other words, 814 BC. His information
came from Menander of Ephesus who’s now lost history was quoted
by Dionysius. 12 The other date is 825 BC derived from Roman
historian, Pompeius Trogus who said “This city was founded seventy­
two years before Rome” 13 (Rome was founded in 753 BC)

However, recent scholarship 14 has solved the apparent contradiction,

synchronising all accounts as summarised here: The group who
colonised Carthage, led by Ellisa, departed from Tyre in 825 BC. They
established a bridgehead on the island of Cothos off the coast of Africa.
After negotiations with the native inhabitants, they were able to build
Carthage on the mainland and this goal was achieved by 814 BC.

The upshot for Bible scholars is a stunning agreement between the

chronology of the Tyrian kings, the Hebrew kings and the Assyrians.
In particular, when one hundred forty­three years and eight months is
counted back from 825 BC, it arrives at 968/9 BC. This was, as seen
before, Solomon’s accession year when shipments of building
materials began for the temple. Also, it counts forward to 964 BC to
the actual start of construction. 15

REFERENCES

1 R. Abraham bar Hiyya, Sefer Ha'ibbur, third maamar,

seventh shaar
2 1 Chronicles 3:4
3 Exodus 12:2
4 Chronology of the Kingdom, ch 12, E.C. Gedge
5 Tractate on Rosh Hashanah I,2
6 Has the chronology of the Hebrew kings been finally settled?

Leslie McFall, Four controlling factors.

7 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tishri­years#Origin
8 Mysterious Numbers, Edwin Thiele, ch 2, page 51­52
9 1 Kings 6:1
10 1 Kings 5
11 Against Apion, Josephus, 1.17
12 Dionysius of Halicarnassis, Antiquitates Romanae, 1,74
13 Pompeius Trogus, 18.6.9
14 An Interpretation of the Nora Stone, Bulletin of the American

Schools of Oriental Research 208, 1972, Frank M. Cross Jr;

https://www.academia.edu/34576318/
Solomon_And_the_Kings_of_Tyre, Rodger Young, 2017
15 Ibid
CHRONOLOGY of the
KINGDOM E. C. Gedge

Chapter 5 DIVISION of the KINGDOM

The distinction between 'accessional' and 'non­accessional' dating is more clearly noticed when the
kingdom split after Solomon's death in 930 BC. In both cases the part­year beginning and ending a kings
reign are counted as two of his years, even though they are less than twelve months. However, the non­
accessional system calls the first portion of a kings reign his 'first' year, whereas the accessional method
calls it his 'accession year' as explained before, with his 'first' year coming after that.

Please examine the diagrams. Jeroboam's northern kingdom was non­accessional and counted from Nisan
to Nisan, 1 So, his first year was from late 930 to Nisan 929 BC. 2 Rehoboam's southern kingdom was
accessional and counted from Tishri, (indicated by the dotted lines.) So, his accession year was from late
930 to Tishri 929 BC. 3

Notice how some kings appear one year less than the stated length of reign because of how they treated
part­years. When we count from Rehoboam’s first year, we reach his final year in 913 BC and it comes to
sixteen. But did it not say he reigned seventeen? Yes, but the seventeen­year tally includes his accession
year which was at the beginning. 4 Similarly, Abijah counts from his first full year, then his second year,
then his former accession year would have been gathered up and a total tally of three given. Asa is the same.

When these formulas are followed, we are able to locate key events such as Pharoah Shishak’s invasion
in 924 BC but, as interesting as such side­stories are, let us continue with the sons of Jeroboam and
Rehoboam. Nadab and Abijah may seem insignificant, but they provide the chronologer with useful
‘know­how’ when counting the reigns of the two kingdoms.

Nadab was installed as king late in the second year of Asa. Shortly afterward he was assassinated in the
third year of Asa. 5 Therefore, he had no full years to count – only two part­years equalling little more
than twelve months yet his reign is recorded as two years.
Never­the­less the Bible is right when we count ‘inclusively’ as
the Hebrews did, Nadab being an exaggerated case due to his
term being so short. Longer reigns were less noticeable until
Edwin Thiele discovered a gradual reduction of overall years
when building a consecutive timeline in the northern kingdom. 6

What about the southern kingdom? Being a family dynasty, they

tended to have longer reigns, one exception being Abijah who is
recorded as three years. My scheme shows him inheriting his
father’s throne early 913 BC until the end of his accession in the
same year. Then on the 1st Tishri 913 BC he commenced his
first full year through to Tishri 912 BC. His second year was
Tishri 912 BC to early 911 BC. That totals three years, but only
two years in ‘real time. (cf. Jesus ‘3 days’ conundrum) 7

This matter has resulted in considerable confusion when it

comes to plotting a date for the division of the kingdom. Almost
every scholar of the ‘Thielite’ persuasion have settled upon the
year 931 BC. 8 However, there is an extraordinary lack of
agreement when it comes to Abijah. How can it be that in one
single generation such a divergence of opinion should exist?

Below is my diagram illustrating the dates of Edwin Thiele,

Leslie McFall, Rodger Young, Kenneth Kitchen and Gershon
Galil, imposed upon my timeline. None of us agree sadly, save
Thiele and McFall.
Our “divergence of opinion” stems from various efforts to inflate Abijah’s reign so that it nudges his
father’s start­point into 931 BC. Hence Young, Galil, Thiele and McFall actually count four years while
glossing over one of the smaller years to make it appear as if three. I have searched for justification
concerning this expedient and found several comments:

“The accession­year system distinguished a king’s accession year (the incomplete calendar year in
which he began to reign) and reckoned by the number of New Year days a king lived in his reign.
In the non­accession­year system the remainder of a previous king’s last year is counted as the first
year of his successor, and then subsequent years are calculated.” 9

“Were the king’s years counted according to the accession system, in which the year he came to the
throne was his “accession” or zero year, and thus not counted in the total years for his reign, or
was the non­accession system in use, whereby that first partial year was counted in the sum?” 10

I’m not sure if I’m reading these men correctly but they seem to be saying accession years might not be
included in a kings final count. If so, I must disagree. Dr. Kitchen is different. He counts Abijah
inclusively as I do, but his southern timeline received its ‘nudge’ by stretching Ahaziah, grandson of
Jehoshaphat. 11 In all cases, the common denominator is an effort to force­fit the southern timeline to 931 BC.
Here is why:

Their conclusion is based on an absolute date, the battle of Qarqar in 853 BC, and extrapolated back until
the division of the kingdom. Happily, all of us agree this is the right thing to do, however 930 BC is the
more accurate date for the division. This detail may seem pedantic, but when realised, it trims Abijah’s
reign back to three years. Then it pins Solomon's important fourth year at 964 BC and the Exodus of
Israel from Egypt at 1444 BC ­ not 1446 BC.

In spite of our best efforts, an obscure synchronism seems to have been overlooked in the northern
timeline beside the southern case we have just been looking into. The oversight occurs at the founding of
Omri's dynasty, and arises from the old method of counting part­years as if they were full years. Omri
was said to have reigned twelve years, so that is treated by chronologists as ten plus two part­years at the
start and finish of his term.
At first sight it seems consistent with how other reigns are
counted in the Hebrew king records, but a careful examination of
the wording shows that Omri had more than two partial years.
His reign was four plus two part­years in Tirzah, and four plus
two part­years in Samaria. 12 This is indeed twelve years in
total according to the Hebrew system of counting, but when
reckoned by our system, it comes to less than eleven. Please
check it out in the expanded detail diagram opposite.

Before continuing to the fateful end of Omri's family, let us look

at an interesting piece of timeline between kings Asa and
Jehoshaphat. They were contemporary with Omri and Ahab and
remembered as two of the ‘good’ monarchs in Judah during the early
stages that we are dealing with. Thiele noticed a short co­regency
at the end of Asa’s reign, not explicitly mentioned, but of credible
likelihood. His observation has been of great help to our subject:

“In 2 Chronicles 12:12 we are told, “In the thirty­ninth

year of his reign Asa was afflicted with a disease in his
feet,” which was severe. Doubtless the cause for
Jehoshaphat’s having been raised to a co­regency at that
time was to carry on the affairs of state in behalf of his
stricken father.” 13

The next point of interest is an extraordinary revival recorded in

the third year (from his co­regency) of Jehoshaphat.

“In the third year of his reign he sent his officials ... to
teach in the towns of Judah. With them were certain
Levites … They taught throughout Judah, taking with
them the Book of the Law of the LORD; they went around
to all the towns of Judah and taught the people … He
went out again among the people, from Beersheba to the
hill country of Ephraim, and brought them back to the
LORD, the God of their fathers.” 14

What is so interesting is that this happened when the book of

the law was taken and taught to the people. The clue is the
public reading because that is what Moses said should be done
every seventh year, 15 and what the king did was to reinstitute
the practice. Was Jehoshaphat’s third year a Sabbath? Yes, it
was ­ 871 BC. Does Jehoshaphat’s Sabbath fit the same strict
cycle as established in the beginning? Yes, it does. 16
 Now, getting back to Omri’s dynasty: Bible historians are
fortunate to have absolute dates which anchor secular
events to the biblical timeline. For example, the Assyrian
Kurkh stele, discovered by archaeologist John Taylor,
records Ahab's presence at the battle of Qarqar in the
spring of 853 BC. 17 Notice also how Ahab’s son
Ahaziah, shared the throne from one year beforehand.
He probably was appointed co­regent so that his father
could leave for foreign wars. Then he became full­regent
later that summer when Ahab died at Ramoth Gilead. 18

Similarly, Jehu is shown paying tribute in 841 BC, on the

Black Obelisk of Shalmaneser. These two events are
dated to the sixth and eighteenth years of Shalmaneser III,
confirming the biblical count of twelve years from Ahab
to when Jehu slew Ahab’s family, along with the king of
Judah in 841 BC.

“In the eighteenth year of Jehoshaphat king of Judah,

Joram the son of Ahab became king over Israel in
Samaria, and he reigned twelve years.” 19

However, it needs to be pointed out, that early 841 BC

(January to March) is actually in the previous year insofar
as the Hebrew calendar is concerned. So, although 841
BC is correct on our Roman calendar, it seems that Jehu
destroyed the house of Ahab in his very short ‘first’ year,
and paid tribute to Shalmaneser in his second year.

The line of Judah shows the same synchronism. Queen Athaliah usurped the throne at the same time Jehu
in the northern kingdom did, so her ‘first’ year would have been about Shebat (February) 841 BC to
Tishri 841 BC. I have expanded the timeline (next page) so these fine details can be displayed.
REFERENCES

1 From this time forward ‘Abib’ will be called

‘Nisan’ and ‘Ethanim’ will be called ‘Tishri’
2 1 Kings 12:16­20, 14:20
3 1 Kings 14:21
4 Chronology of the Kingdom, ch 6, E.C. Gedge
5 1 Kings 15:25­28
6 Mysterious Numbers, Edwin Thiele, ch 2,

page 48
7 https://vimeo.com/358945831
8 'Following Thiele’s revolutionary work, The

Mysterious Numbers of the Hebrew Kings, a

consensus has emerged that the kingdom under
Solomon divided at his death in 931 BC.
This date must be the starting point for any
chronological reconstruction of previous events',
Bibliotheca Sacra, Fixed Dates in Patriarchal
Chronology, Eugene H. Merrill
9 A Translation Guide to the Chronological Data

in Kings and Chronicles, Four Controlling

Factors, page 4, Leslie McFall
10 When did SolomonDie? Page 1, Rodger Young,

2003
11 Ibid, ch 6
12 1 Kings 16:23­24
13 Mysterious Numbers, Edwin Thiele, ch 5,

page 97
14 2 Chronicles 17:7­9, 19:4
15 Ibid, ch 1
16 Ibid
17 Kurkh Stela, British Museum,

Discovered AD 1863
18 1 Kings 22
19 2 Kings 3:1
CHRONOLOGY of the
KINGDOM E. C. Gedge

Chapter 6 ATHALIAH to UZZIAH

Queen Athaliah was mother of Ahaziah of Judah. 1 (not to be confused with Ahaziah of Israel) When her
son was killed, she proceeded to destroy the entire royal family, including her own grandchildren, except
Ahaziah’s infant son, Joash, who was hidden in the temple by an aunt. 2

As horrible as she was, Athaliah makes a contribution to chronology when it is realised that her reign
never actually reached seven years as claimed. The text requiring examination reads:

“He remained hidden with his nurse at the temple of the LORD for six years while Athaliah ruled
the land. In the seventh year Jehoiada sent for the … guards and had them brought to him at the
temple of the LORD. He made a covenant with them and put them under oath at the temple of the
LORD. Then he showed them the king’s son.” 3

Now, this “seventh year” is assumed to mean a last and additional year for Athaliah but, when we insert
it into the timeline, the following kings lose synchronism with each other. I believe rather, that her sixth
year also happened to be a sabbatical year. I believe it for several reasons:

1. It is likely that Jehoiada had chosen to stage his coup on a Sabbath during one of the major
religious festivals, when many from the realm who were loyal to the Lord would be in Jerusalem. 4
2. Athaliah’s sixth year lands in 836 BC, one of those years that step through Israel’s history in
multiples of seven. 5

These middle king records also have several confusing exceptions to the counting rules. The first case is
Joram, son of Ahab, who is referenced in connection with Ahaziah of Judah. “In the twelfth year of Joram
son of Ahab king of Israel, Ahaziah son of Jehoram king of Judah began to reign.” 6 Now, that was the usual
way for the northern kings to count, so we use this verse in our timeline. However, a little later it is written:

“In the eleventh year of Joram son of Ahab, Ahaziah had become king of Judah.” 7

A common explanation for this contradiction is that the second reference is an ‘accessional’ count as
opposed to the first method which was ‘non­accessional.’ Probably, but why so?

Our second case is Joash, who is referenced in connection with Jehoahaz of Israel. “In the twenty­third year
of Joash son of Ahaziah king of Judah, Jehoahaz son of Jehu became king of Israel in Samaria, and he
reigned seventeen years.” 8 This case is quite awkward because the twenty­third year of Joash only works
using a non­accessional count; his accession counting as 'number 1' and his first full year as 'number 2.'
Then the next synchronism in Joash’s reign reverts to accessional again:

"In the thirty­seventh year of Joash king of Judah, Jehoash son of Jehoahaz became king of Israel
in Samaria, and he reigned sixteen years.” 9

Bible historians have been very aware of these problems, one commentator even lamenting:
 “All is never plain sailing in things biblical! … with
regard to point two, this factor did not stay constant (oh
that it had!) Israel and Judah switched back and forth
between the two methods of counting regnal years.” 10

Some of the explanations have been quite convoluted, involving

multiple ‘switches’ throughout the king’s era. I have one such
observable period only. I think a reasonable assumption is that
the sons of Ahab and the sons of Jehoshaphat, having made
friends and inter­married among each other, experimented with a
unified calendar. Queen Athaliah attempted to make permanent
these changes because her six­year reign is also measured that
way. (See previous page timeline) However, Judah's original
method seems to have been reinstated later in the reign of Joash.
From there onward the original accessional and non­accessional
rules returned to how they were as at the beginning.

The third (apparent) exception is Joash's death which doesn't

give his son an accession year at all! Amaziah's accession year
actually was his first year because it began in the seventh
month. We deduce this from a term, "at the turn of the year,"
describing when Aram invaded Judah. Joash was wounded, and
then assassinated by traitors at this time. 11

Now, "turn of the year" is assumed to refer to the new calendar

year, so some date this event to Nisan. However, the 'turn' was
really a season­change term used for agricultural purposes. It
happened in autumn coinciding with Judah's regnal month.
 "Celebrate the Festival of Weeks with the firstfruits of the wheat harvest, and the Festival of
Ingathering at the turn of the year." 12

So, Joash died a mere week or two into his final 'year' in the month of Tishri 798 BC and Amaziah
became king in the same seventh month. Amaziah's first year began straight away and the 'exception' is
not really an exception at all!

It is not possible to calculate king lists without sooner or later running into occasions of dual rule. These
overlaps arise from co­regency arrangements between father and son, or years apportioned to rivals
during civil war. Examples include Jeroboam 2, and another, the classic example of Uzziah whose
unusually long tenure included most of his father Amaziah's reign. It seems odd that Amaziah wanted a
sixteen­year­old youth at his side when he had barely begun his own reign. More likely it was that he got
captured in battle and locked in Samaria for much of his time. Amaziah had got off to a good start until he
provoked Israel to a fight and lost. 13 Although the length of Amaziah's imprisonment is not explicitly stated,
Uzziah would have been standing in for his father in absentia.

One useful item that helps us position the reigns of the middle era is found in the latter half of Amaziah’s
life. He is said to have lived fifteen years after the death of Jehoash, king of Israel. This is shown in the
timeline. 14

As for dual counting of years when rivals were vying for leadership, these occurred in the days of David,
Omni, and Menahem. Menahem incurred the wrath of the wealthy classes in Samaria by imposing a tax
to 'buy off' Pul of Assyria who was threatening to invade. 15 The political situation in Israel at this stage
revealed two factions ­ one which favoured appeasement and the other advocating resistance against
Assyria.
Whether the northern kingdom actually split over the issue
during this crisis has been the subject of controversy. However,
it does seem that Pekah emerged during the reign of Menahem
as leader of the 'resistance' lobby, so his reign is measured from
there.

While looking at this section of timeline, we also run into

Zechariah and Shallum's very short reigns spreading over two
years. Such cases can be exasperating for chronologists, so I
have clarified it in the detail picture opposite.

REFERENCES

12 Kings 8:26
22 Kings 11:1­3
3 2 Kings 11:3­4
4 NIV study notes
5 Ibid, appendix
6 2 Kings 8:25
7 2 Kings 9:29
8 2 Kings 13:1
9 2 Kings 13:10
10 Has the chronology of the Hebrew kings been

finally settled? Two flexible factors, Leslie McFall, 1991

11 2 Chron. 24:23­26, autumn, Heb. Tequwphah
12 Exodus 34:22, Ex. 23:16
13 2 Kings 14:11­14
14 2 Kings 14:17
15 2 Kings 15:19­20, Pul was the pre­coronation name

of Tiglath Pileser 3
CHRONOLOGY of the
KINGDOM E. C. Gedge

Chapter 7 THE FALL of SAMARIA

Several more co­regencies occurred in Judah during the closing chapters of the northern kingdom.
Uzziah had become leprous, living away from the palace, and unable to perform his kingly role. It is
said, “and Jotham the king's son was over the household, governing the people of the land.” 1 Then
Jotham created a similar arrangement with his son, as noticed when an invasion in his day is alternatively
described as an attack on Ahaz. This indicates an overlap. Compare:

“As for the other events of Jotham’s reign, and what he did, are they not written in the book of the
annals of the kings of Judah? (In those days the LORD began to send Rezin king of Aram and
Pekah son of Remaliah against Judah.)”

“Rezin king of Aram and Pekah son of Remaliah king of Israel marched up to fight against
Jerusalem and besieged Ahaz, but they could not overpower him.” 2

The relationship between Jotham and Ahaz must have been difficult to say the least. They were
diametrically opposed religiously, and Jotham’s foreign policy leant toward opposition to Assyria,
whereas his son followed a policy of appeasement. I believe this led to a stage when Jotham was forced
to abdicate 3 because his reign was measured at sixteen years, yet another statement refers to his twentieth
year. It shows him as still alive. Compare:

“Then Hoshea son of Elah conspired against Pekah son of Remaliah. He attacked and assassinated
him, and then succeeded him as king in the twentieth year of Jotham son of Uzziah.”

“In the twelfth year of Ahaz king of Judah, Hoshea son of Elah became king of Israel in Samaria,
and he reigned nine years.” 4

These numbers are useful in helping us plot an accurate Jotham/Ahaz/Pekah/Hoshea timeline. I find
Jotham’s abdication as 732 BC, not coincidentally the same year his son begged help from the Assyrians.
I date the beginning of Hoshea’s reign as early 728 BC.

There were no more co­regencies in Judah. It is at this point that I part company with the many who posit
thirteen years of dual rule between Ahaz and Hezekiah 5 – an extraordinary stretch considering it extends
Hezekiah’s reign from twenty­nine to forty­two years with no such indication in scripture. Their effort is to
force Assyria's record of the fall of Samaria to a misunderstood reading of the Bible. Shalmaneser V laid
siege to Samaria, 6 so Bible scholars have assumed (wrongly) that he was the one who destroyed it too.
Hence, older commentaries date the event during this king's reign somewhere in between 723 BC ­ 721 BC.
This pushes back Hoshea ­ together with his Judean counterpart ­ obliging the chronologist to insert a
partnership between Ahaz and Hezekiah. However, Sargon II claims in his Khorsabad annals that he was
the one who conquered Samaria, not Shalmaneser:

"With the strength of my gods, I (Sargon) fought with and defeated the Samarians." 7
Assyriologists such as Tadmor,8 and chronologists such
as Galil,9 have explained how this must have been in
Sargon's first full year, in other words 720 BC. Since
the Bible says it was Sargon's predecessor who invaded
Samaria, many scholars have followed Tadmor’s
solution of two separate 'falls' in order to reconcile the
differences; but it is hard to imagine Samaria mounting a
second defence so soon after being sacked the first time.

Others simply say that the biblical record between

Ahaz and Hezekiah were in error, and preferring the
Babylonian Chronicles over the Assyrian record,
"He (Shalmaneser) ravaged Samaria",10 manipulate
the Bible's synchronisms to make the fall of Samaria
fit their 723 BC date.

The answer to these arguments, as already mentioned,

is that Shalmaneser initiated the campaign, and his
"ravaging" referred to his invasion of the country,
Samaria. Its fortified capital, from which the region
derived its name, fell later in 720 BC after Sargon had
taken over, taking the credit for its conquest. Actually,
the Bible allows for such an interpretation, because the
details are reported as a progressive development with
the later event simply saying, "the king of Assyria."
Thus, the 'king' in verses three to five of chapter
seventeen was Shalmaneser, but the 'king' in verse six
would have been Sargon. 11

A related date, also misplaced, is the invasion of Judah

during the third campaign of Sennacherib. It has been
placed in 701 BC by historians but this contradicts
information we have of Hezekiah whose fourteenth
year equates to 712/11 BC.

I have several items of evidence to prove the earlier

date. First, Samaria’s collapse occurred in Hezekiah’s
sixth year. If, as determined, that was 720 BC, then his
fourteenth year was only eight years after that.

“So Samaria was captured in Hezekiah’s sixth

year, which was the ninth year of Hoshea king of
Israel.” 12
Second, Hezekiah received a gift from the king of Babylon shortly after his deliverance. At that time
Babylon was independent from Assyria. Marduk­Baladan’s reign was from 722 to 710 BC, fitting
comfortably with the dates put forward here.

“At that time Marduk­Baladan son of Baladan king of Babylon sent Hezekiah letters and a gift,
because he had heard of Hezekiah’s illness.” 13

Third, information is now coming to light that shows Sennacherib was co­regent with his father Sargon.
In that case, his campaign against Judah would have been closer to the time when Sargon conquered
Ashdod. This has been the subject of researcher, Gerard Gertoux, who provides comprehensive
archaeological detail in his paper, ‘Assyrian and biblical chronologies are they reliable?’ 14 In short, he
demonstrates how Sennacherib’s third campaign – the conquest of Lachish and siege of Jerusalem – was
undertaken at the same time as the tenth campaign of Sargon, that is to say, 712 BC.

Hezekiah’s fourteenth year is also significant because it describes a rare Jubilee Sabbath. It shows how
reaping was disrupted by the invasion, after which the land would lay fallow two more years before
planting and reaping resumed in the third year. So, not only did the people have to believe God for
deliverance, but for sustenance during the upcoming Sabbath as well.

The invasion began late 712 BC. This fits with Assyria’s conquest of Ashdod earlier that year. Then
Jerusalem came under siege in 711 BC followed by a sabbatical, then a ‘fiftieth’ year; and God gave the
king a sign:

“This shall be the sign for you: this year eat what grows of itself, and in the second year what
springs of the same. Then in the third year sow and reap and plant vineyards, and eat their fruit.” 15

No doubt Hezekiah was glad to hear it, but for us today it might be a greater sign than it was for him; it is
tantamount to a guaranteed date! A ‘seven’ is indicated by the fact that sowing and reaping were not
permitted that year. A ‘forty­nine’ is indicated by the fact that no sowing and reaping was permitted the
next year either. God promised the people there would be enough
fruit growing wild to feed them for more than two. So, the sign
locates Hezekiah’s 14th, 15th and 16th years as 712 BC to 709 BC.

Some scholars have questioned a Sabbatic/Jubilee combination on

the grounds that it would have been impracticably long. The damage
done by the invasion with a double fallow on top sounds unfeasible.
Others see it as I have shown, and I quote here the footnote of
William Whiston, translator of the 'The Works of Josephus.'

“It seems to me plainly to design a sabbatick year; a year

of Jubilee, next after it; and the succeeding usual labours
and fruits of them on the third and following years. From
which may be determined the sabbatick year … part of
the 710th and 709th years before the Christian Era.” 16

REFERENCES

12 Kings 15:5
22 Kings 15:36­37, 16:5
3 Mysterious Numbers, Edwin Thiele, ch 6, page 132
4 2 Kings 15:30, 17:1
5 Leslie McFall, Siegfried Horn, Kenneth Kitchen,

Rodger Young, T.C. Mitchell, and others

6 2 Kings 18:9
7 Annals 10­18
8 Campaigns of Sargon, Hayim Tadmor, 1958
9 Galil, Gershon. “The Last Years of

the Kingdom of Israel and the Fall of Samaria.”

The Catholic Biblical Quarterly, vol. 57, no. 1,
1995, pp. 52–65. JSTOR, www.jstor.org/
stable/43722052. Accessed 11 Sept. 2021.
10 Babylonian Chronicles 1:27­31
11 2 Kings 17:3­6
12 2 Kings 18:10
13 2 Kings 20:12
14 Gerard Gertoux. Assyrian and biblical chronologies

are they reliable? 4th Oxford Postgraduate Conference

in Assyriology 2015, Apr 2015, Oxford,
United Kingdom. hal­03207471v2.
15 2 Kings 19:29
16 Antiquites, Josephus, book 10, footnote 2,

and Dissertation 5, 39­42

CHRONOLOGY of the
KINGDOM E. C. Gedge

Chapter 8 THE FALL of JERUSALEM

Hezekiah died in 697 BC and Josiah was killed in battle in 609 BC. The intervening monarchs appear to
fit the gap, so most timelines place Hezekiah's son, Manasseh, from 697 to 642 BC, Amon from 642 to
640 BC, and Josiah from 640 to 609 BC. 1

There are no cross­reference dates until Josiah, so the overarching chronology works reasonably enough.
For that reason, I am reluctant to make issues about it. However, the mapping of this period is based on
flaws of the period that preceded it. Yes, many timelines place Manasseh’s reign as starting then, but
with a proviso. It is claimed that his was another coregency. This positioning is in order to fit Hezekiah’s
fourteenth year to 701 BC.

I have already shown how his fourteenth year was 712 BC 2 so, 697 BC marked his death – not a co­
regency with Manasseh. Unfortunately, few are willing to question the 701 BC status quo, even claiming
it an ‘absolute date’ and denying kingly records that contradict. Thiele declares:

“Full confidence can be placed in 701 as the fourteenth year of Hezekiah, and complete confidence
can be placed in any other dates for either Israel or Judah reckoned from that date … In a
discussion of the regnal data of Hezekiah, it is of paramount importance that the synchronisms
between him and Hoshea be recognized as late and artificial … There was no overlap between
Hoshea and Hezekiah. Hoshea was dead and the kingdom of Israel was no longer in existence
when Hezekiah took the throne.” 3

No, full confidence cannot be placed in dates reckoned from 701 BC! Hoshea was most certainly alive
when Hezekiah became king of Judah; so, if 701 doesn’t fit, let us explore options that do!

Also, although the generally accepted chronology is convenient, it is not consistent with what we know
about inclusive dating. As we have seen up until here, the part­year at a king's death is counted as a full
year and the left over 'accession' is counted as another full year for his son. 4
Inclusive counting was a key element to Thiele’s system during
the early kings, so why has he (and others) given Amon a full
two years? Why have they given Josiah a full thirty­one years?
(See the detail diagram.) We ought to apply the same rule to
each of the above­mentioned kings, but when we do, the gap
widens at Manasseh’s end and he doesn't fit as perfectly after all!

As an alternative, I would like to propose an interregnum

between Hezekiah's death and Manasseh's coronation in 695 BC.
An interregnum is defined as a period of discontinuity, or 'gap' of
time between the reigns of one monarch and the next. It is not
particularly uncommon in history. So, since Manasseh was ten
years old when his father died,5 we might fairly suggest
Hezekiah had left instructions for his son's royal responsibilities
to be delayed until he had reached an appropriate level of maturity.

We cannot prove this of course, but it is a reasonable theory.

Jesus understood his twelve­year old status when he began his
pre­adult ministry. The conversation with his parents in Luke
2:42­49 casts some light on the significance of this age in
Hebrew tradition. My proposal, then, is that Manasseh's
coronation was delayed until Tishri, 695 BC, sometime after he
had turned twelve years old.

Manasseh’s reign was long and wicked, but at the end he

repented. 6 The circumstance of his repentance followed being
taken in shackles to Babylon by an Assyrian king. No mention of
the event occurs in extrabiblical records except for a mention by
Ashurbanipal of him being a vassal. It has been suggested that
his imprisonment may have associated him with the Shamash­
Shum­Ukin rebellion which took place from 652 to 648 BC.

Amon followed with a reign of two part­years ending with his

assassination in 639 BC and Josiah, his son, reigned in his
stead.7 As we follow the accession year guidelines his first year
is charted to 639/638 BC. This enables us to find the great
‘renewal of covenant’ that occurred in Josiah’s eighteenth year.
It comes to 622/621 BC.

Josiah was killed after an unfortunate decision to attack the

Egyptian army at Megiddo. They were passing through on their
way to aid the Assyrians against Babylon and he tried to prevent
them. Unfortunate as it was for him, it provides us with useful
dates for our final section of Judaean kings. Necho of Egypt proceeded to the Euphrates River where he and
his Assyrian allies attacked the Babylonians at Harran. The struggle lasted from Tammuz to Elul (July­Aug)
of 609 BC. Josiah was therefore killed about July 609 when the Egyptians were on their way to Harran.

Jehoahaz took his father’s throne and reigned three months. That would have been July to October 609 BC.
Since he was a younger son of Josiah it is thought the Judeans chose him because shared his father’s
opposition to Egypt. In any case Necho, on his return march, deposed Jehoahaz and replaced him with his
older brother Jehoiakim. Necho brought Jehoahaz back to Egypt as a prisoner, where he ended his days. 8

Jehoiakim’s subservience to the Egyptians lasted four years. However, when they were defeated by the
Babylonians at the battle of Carchemish in 605 BC Jehoiakim quickly switched allegiances. The
ignominious retreat of the Egyptian army left none alive and a power vacuum that Nebuchadnezzar was
quick to take advantage of. He moved west and south taking large swaths of Hatti­land (Syria­Palestine) 9

The Babylonian Chronicles are brief concerning this period but a useful reconstruction has been made by
Professor Siegfried Horn.

“No exact date is given for this battle in the Chronicles. We merely learn that it took place in the
21st year of Nabopolassar before he died on Ab 8 (Aug. 15, 605). Since the Babylonian year had
begun April 12 in 605, and Nebuchadnezzar before the end of August (when word of his father's
death reached him) had defeated the Egyptians not only at Carchemish, but also at Hamath in
Syria, and had 'conquered the whole area of the Hatti country,' it cannot be far amiss to assume
that the Battle of Carchemish took place early in the Babylonian year, perhaps before the end of
April ­ most probably not later than in May." 10

The diagram below extends this logical argument to show the first deportation to have happened between
June and August ­ after Carchemish but before Nabopolassar’s
death. Nebuchadnezzar attacked; Jehoiakim submitted;
Jehoiakim paid tribute from the treasury in Jerusalem, some
temple artifacts, and handed over some of the nobility as
hostages. Daniel and his friends were among these. 11

Jehoiakim continued for three years as a vassal to the

Babylonians, until an opportune moment, then switched
allegiance back to the Egyptians. 12 It was a tactical blunder
because, in 598 BC, Nebuchadnezzar invaded Judah again,
laying siege to Jerusalem for three months. Jehoiakim died
during the siege. It is not known exactly when and neither was
his body found. 13

The last two kings of Judah and the eventual destruction of the
temple are well documented. Jehoiachin reigned three months
and ten days, beginning 9th December, 598 BC and ending
16th March, 597 BC, when he was replaced by his uncle,
Zedekiah. 14 He too proved unreliable to his overlords, so
Babylon laid siege to Jerusalem yet again, this time in the
nineteenth year of Nebuchadnezzar. Jerusalem was utterly
destroyed, including the temple, on the 29th July, 587 BC. 15

REFERENCES

1 697­55=642­2=640­31=609
2 Ibid, ch 7
3 Mysterious Numbers, Edwin Thiele, ch 9, page 174
4 Ibid, ch 5
5 See timeline
6 2 Chron. 24:10­19, Prayer of Manasses
7 2 Kings 21:19­25
8 2 Kings 23:31­34
9 Babylonian Chronicles, ABC5, British Museum.
10 The Babylonian Chronicle and the Ancient Calendar

of the Kingdom of Judah, Siegfried Horn, 1967, page 20

11 2 Chron. 36:5­8, Daniel 1:1­2
12 2 Kings 24:1
13 Jeremiah 22:18­19
14 2 Chron. 36:9­10, Babylonian Chronicles
15 2 Kings 25:8­10
CHRONOLOGY of the
KINGDOM E. C. Gedge

SECTION 3

CHRONOLOGY of the
INTER­TESTAMENT ERA
CHRONOLOGY of the
KINGDOM E. C. Gedge

Chapter 9 BABYLONIAN CAPTIVITY

Perhaps the most fascinating evidence found in support of biblical chronology is the existence of a
continuous sequence of Sabbatical years. Although they were often neglected, the intended years
(observed or not) can be traced in an unbroken timeline from Moses. An explicit example of these is
mentioned during the reign of Zedekiah, shortly before the invasion by Nebuchadnezzar. It is a fine
example of the 'slave­release' regulations which were provided for in Sabbath law. 1

“The word came to Jeremiah from the LORD after King Zedekiah had made a covenant with all the
people in Jerusalem to proclaim freedom for the slaves. Everyone was to free their Hebrew slaves,
both male and female; no one was to hold a fellow Hebrew in bondage. So all the officials and
people who entered into this covenant agreed that they would free their male and female slaves and
no longer hold them in bondage. They agreed, and set them free. But afterward they changed their
minds and took back the slaves they had freed and enslaved them again.

Then the word of the LORD came to Jeremiah: “This is what the LORD, the God of Israel,
says: I made a covenant with your ancestors when I brought them out of Egypt, out of the land of
slavery. I said, ‘Every seventh year each of you must free any fellow Hebrews who have sold
themselves to you. After they have served you six years, you must let them go free.” 2

The actual year during his reign is not stated, but it can be pinned to 591 BC by a simple count of
'fourteen' from an earlier Sabbath, the date of which is identified as the "fourth year of Jehoiakim." 3

Jehoiakim's fourth year was 605 BC. 4 In that year, in addition to our information in the Kings section,
Jeremiah instructed his secretary to read his scroll on the "day of fasting." This fast was strictly observed
each year on the 10th day of Tishri, so the event may be dated precisely. 5 Moreover, on this occasion, in
addition to fasting, a public reading was made in the hearing of
all the people who had assembled from the towns and cities of
Israel. Public readings of this kind happened on the same
month of Tishri, but only on the seventh year. 6 Of such was
this occasion, and it explains why Jeremiah was so insistent on
the reading being made at that time. 605 BC (and by extension,
591 BC) must have been Sabbatical years!

The Bible’s account of the Babylonian captivity is linked to the

Sabbath years. A few years after the Assyrian Empire collapsed,
a prediction was made by the prophet Jeremiah. He said that the
incoming empire of Babylon would last seventy years then it too
would end. 7 His word came true to the very year! Babylon fell
to the Medes and Persians in October 539 BC, seventy years after
the demise of Assyria in 609 BC. (Nineveh was lost in 612 BC
but Assyria's last stand was the city of Harran in 609 BC)

That is not all. A dual fulfilment aspect to the prophecy had

Babylon's duration as described, but also had Jerusalem lying
desolate for a concurrent seventy years. These were to make up
for all the past occasions when Israel failed to give the land its
required rest. 8 Now, the two predictions were offset from each
other because Babylon's start was 609 BC, whereas the siege of
Jerusalem started in December 589 BC. So, there are actually
two counts of seventy, the second count lasting until 520 BC
when Darius endorsed a decree to commence the rebuilding of
the temple. His decree was made Oct/Nov 520 BC, and on
December 18th, Haggai marked it as the end of Jerusalem's punishment.

"The vine, the fig tree, the pomegranate, and the olive tree have yielded nothing, but from this day
on I will bless you." 9

When we count from the beginning of the siege to Darius's decree, once again there are seventy years.

Actually, the decree to rebuild Jerusalem had originally gone out from Cyrus at the time Persia replaced
Babylon and an initial migration home began. 10 However, progress on the temple was obstructed until
Darius. So, the two spans of seventy, offset at the beginning, were also offset at the ending. Then from
Darius the main goal of rebuilding the temple was realized. It was finished in 515 BC. 11

For those of us seeking the Bible’s chronology through the reigns of Cyrus to Darius to Xerxes to
Artaxerxes 1, we find ourselves toggling between the books of Ezra, Esther and Nehemiah. They are not
in chronological order, so I will summarise the sequence of events here:

1. Ezra 1­3 is the foundational decree made by Cyrus in 538 BC. “In the first year of
Cyrus king of Persia, in order to fulfill the word of the LORD spoken by Jeremiah,
the LORD moved the heart of Cyrus king of Persia to make a proclamation throughout
his realm and also to put it in writing.” 12
2. Ezra 5­6 is the complaint made to Darius, his decree upholding the Jews rights, and
the completion of the temple. 520 BC. 13
3. Ezra 4:1­23 is a parenthetical summary of each accusation against the Jews to the
various Persian emperors.14
4. Esther describes the times of Xerxes (Ahasuerus), his wife Esther, and the genocide
plot during that time. 474 BC. 15
5. Ezra 7­8 is the decree of Artaxerxes concerning another wave of emigration,
temple worship, and semi­autonomy for the Jews. 457 BC. 16
6. Nehemiah 1­4 describes the last intervention of Emperor Artaxerxes and the
building of Jerusalem’s wall. 444 BC. 17

Now, there is an additional point that helps our understanding of this period and has particular implication
for our next chapters ­ the closing of the prophets to the Kingdom of God. The above­mentioned decrees
were not separate after all. They were actually the same decree as that of Cyrus, but upheld and
pronounced again by those who followed in accordance with the law of the Medes and Persians. This is
confirmed in a key verse. Please note how “decree” is attributed to God, not man; and written as
singular, not plural.

“And the elders of the Jews built and prospered through the prophesying of Haggai the prophet
and Zechariah the son of Iddo. They finished their building by decree of the God of Israel and by
decree of Cyrus and Darius and Artaxerxes king of Persia.” 18
REFERENCES

1 Deuteronomy 15:12
2 Jeremiah 34:8­14
3 Jeremiah 36:1
4 Ibid, ch 8
5 Jeremiah 36:6, Leviticus 16:29­31
6 Deuteronomy 31:10­12
7 Jeremiah 25:8­14
8 Leviticus 26:28­35, 2 Chron. 36:21
9 Haggai 2:19
10 Exra 1­3
11 Ezra 6:15
12 Ezra 1:1, Jeremiah 29:10
13 Ezra 6:8
14 Ezra 4:5­7
15 Esther 3:7­9
16 Ezra 7:12­13
17 Nehemiah 2:1­8
18 Ezra 6:14
CHRONOLOGY of the
KINGDOM E. C. Gedge

Chapter 10 CLOSING the PROPHETS

On which of the Persian era events should we now focus? Which decree holds the key to inter­testament
chronology? The answer is in the writings of Daniel and his famous prediction of an emperor’s decree
that would mark the closing of the prophets, the silent years, and the coming of Messiah. 1

The prophecy required sixty­nine ‘weeks’ of years (483 years) from a decree until Messiah. As can be seen
from the diagrams, the correct decree to count from is Artaxerxes first decree. It counts from 1st Nisan
457 BC to 1st Nisan AD 27. A detailed explanation may be found in my other book. 2

One thing concerning Artaxerxes accession and the count of regnal years needs to be explained now. The
Persian New Year began in Nisan, (Mar/Apr) as did the Hebrew calendar. Therefore, when Xerxes was
assassinated later in 465 BC, and the murderer, Artabanus, became regent for several months, his son's
accession would have been late that year to Nisan 464 BC, and his first full year to Nisan 463 BC.

However, once every forty­nine years the Hebrew calendar inserted a fiftieth year beginning in Tishri. (See
diagram) Such a 'Jubilee' coincided with Artaxerxes' accession to the throne. Therefore, the Bible measured
Artaxerxes reign from Tishri to Tishri in keeping with the rare New Year in force when he took office.

This arrangement is noticed comparing Nehemiah 1:2 with 2:1. The writer references the month of Kislev
of Artaxerxes' twentieth year followed by the month of Nisan. Instead of switching to his twenty­first, it
says that it was still his twentieth year.

This 'fine point' becomes important when finding the date of the king's decree and Ezra's journey to
Jerusalem. It was on the 1st day of Nisan in his seventh year. 3 Now, the seventh year fell in 458/457 BC
if we follow the Tishri start, not 458 BC as reckoned on the regular calendar.
The 1st of Nisan, 457 BC, is a significant day for other reasons too. It was the first day of a new
Sabbatical cycle. That is not all: It was the first day of an even rarer 490­year cycle. The early part is
recorded in great detail fourteen years into the cycle. On the 30th of Tammuz, 444 BC, Nehemiah arrived
in Jerusalem. After resting three days they began building the wall. Fifty­two days later, on the 25th of
Elul, 444 BC, the wall was finished. 4 This date is confirmed because it was the 20th year of king
Artaxerxes' reign.

Then, from the 1st of Tishri, 444 BC, during the festival of Tabernacles, an extraordinary revival broke
out. 5 It was a Sabbath year, as indicated by the practice Moses laid down to assemble all Israel in the
seventh month of the seventh year, to publicly read the law, cancel debts, and to release all slaves. 6

Now, this is very significant, because it means we can calculate increments of seven from a confirmed
date and uncover the rest of the seven­year cycle. Please count the 'weeks' before and after this date. We
are looking at actual, original Sabbath years here! Students of prophecy have assumed Daniels’s count
to be a separate stand­alone count of ‘sevens’, not realizing that they were one and the same as those
instituted by Moses. Now scholars are beginning to make the connection. For example, Dr. Peter Gentry
identifies the weeks in his book, ‘Kingdom through Covenant’ here quoted:

“Thus the “sevens” or “weeks” are periods or units of seven years, or sabbaticals. Understood
this way, the “seventy sevens” constitute ten jubilees, the last (the seventieth seven) signifying the
ultimate Jubilee. In Luke 4 when Jesus reads from the scroll of Isaiah, he sees the ultimate Jubilee
promised in Isaiah 61:2 as being fulfilled in his own life and ministry.” 7

Another Sabbath is described in Nehemiah 13:1­6, but the last years of Nehemiah are not as precise as
our earlier example. It was probably 423 BC, as he was back in Babylon by then. What can be estimated,
however, is the ministry of the prophet, Malachi. He was contemporary with Nehemiah. The
'intermarriage with foreign wives' issue is prominent in both of their writings, a prime example
concerning Joiada, son of the high priest. This crisis enables us to place the last of the Old Testament
prophets during the reign of the second Darius, the Persian. 8
The history of Israel steps through four eras of 490 years from
Jacob's Bethel experience to Messiah. We have reached the
fourth era and this is the one featured in Daniel's Seventy­week'
prophecy. He said:

"Know therefore and understand, that from the going

forth of the command to restore and build Jerusalem until
Messiah the Prince, there shall be seven weeks and sixty­
two weeks ... Then he shall confirm a covenant with many
for one week ..." 9

The term ‘week’ is translated directly from ‘shabuwa’ (heb)

meaning, ‘seven’. Although it can mean seven days, it also
means seven years and that is what it was in this case, a heptad
of seven years. But from the start of the count this curious
description has puzzled Bible students. Daniel uses the wording,
“seven weeks, plus sixty­two, plus one.” Why doesn’t he simply
say seventy and be done with it?

A simple overview explains the breakdown. It took forty­nine

years till when the prophets fell silent. Then, 434 years elapsed
(sixty­two weeks) until the prophetic voice resumed in John the
Baptist. The year was 26 AD.

Not much date information is available during the 'silent years',

but what is known is that they kept the 'Shemitah'. For
example, it was 332 BC when Alexander the Great granted a tax
exemption to Jews on Sabbatical years. Hence, a count of
'seven' can be followed throughout the era.

REFERENCES

1 Daniel 9
2 The Atonement Clock, ch 9 and ch 14, E.C. Gedge
3 Ezra 7:8­9
4 Nehemiah 6:15
5 Nehemiah 8­9
6 Deuteronomy 15:1, 31:10­12
7 Kingdom through Covenant, ch 15, page 55,

Peter J. Gentry, 2018

8 Nehemiah 12:22, 13:28
9 Daniel 9:24­27
CHRONOLOGY of the
KINGDOM E. C. Gedge

Chapter 11 THE GREEK ERA

Apart from the systematic count of ‘sevens,’ there is another source of chronological data through the
Persian Empire down to the beginning of the Greek era. It comes from the genealogy lists of the
Levitical High Priests after the Babylonian captivity.

“Azariah the father of Seraiah, and Seraiah the father of Jozadak. Jozadak was deported when the
LORD sent Judah and Jerusalem into exile by the hand of Nebuchadnezzar.” 1

Seraiah was executed when Jerusalem was sacked, so we can date the high priesthood of Jozadak (albeit
minus the temple) starting 587 BC. 2 The next in line was Joshua who assisted with the temple
foundations and building the altar shortly after Cyrus’ decree. This date was Tishri, 537 BC.

“When the seventh month came and the Israelites had settled in their towns, the people assembled
together as one in Jerusalem. Then Joshua son of Jozadak and his fellow priests and Zerubbabel
son of Shealtiel and his associates began to build the altar of the God of Israel to sacrifice burnt
offerings on it, in accordance with what is written in the Law of Moses the man of God.” 3

The Persian king Darius, and the prophets Haggai and Zechariah are also placed relative to Joshua the
priest, 520 BC. 4 Then came: ­
 “Joshua was the father of Joiakim, Joiakim the father of
Eliashib, Eliashib the father of Joiada, Joiada the father
of Jonathan, and Jonathan the father of Jaddua.” 5

During the time of Jaddua came the blitzkrieg conquests of

Alexander the Great. 6 Josephus relates an interesting account
concerning Alexander when his army arrived at Jerusalem, 331
BC, after conquering Tyre and Gaza. A procession of priests
came out of the city to greet him, led by High Priest Jaddua. He
showed Alexander Daniel's ancient predictions. He could not
have failed to recognise the goat from the west, symbolizing
Greece, with its conspicuous horn representing himself. 7

Of course, the ram with two horns was the twin power of
Media­Persia, but it was struck down and its two horns broken.
This prophecy had just become reality in the battle of Issus in
333 BC. Alexander was more than impressed with the sacred
writing, and Jerusalem was spared.

This story is usually dismissed by liberal scholars because it

contradicts their preferred theory that Daniel was written by
different authors after Alexander's lifetime. If the book was
written when it says it was, the predictions falling due through
the inter­testament era simply appear too good to be true.
Another example reads:

"Then the goat became exceedingly great, but when he

was strong, the great horn was broken, and instead of it
there came up four conspicuous horns toward the four
winds of heaven." 8

Indeed, after Alexander's untimely death, his huge empire split

between his four generals. Can we believe that God knew these
things in advance? The Diadochi (successors) were:

• Lysimachus took Thrace and Asia Minor.

• Cassander had Macedonia and Greece.

• Ptolemy I ruled Egypt and Palestine.

• Seleucus I ruled from Mesopotamia to India.

 CHART of KNOWN SABBATH YEARS

1389 BC 591 BC
First observed Sabbath after division of land Release of slaves failure
Leviticus 25:2­4 Jeremiah 34:8­15, Deuteronomy 15:12

1368 BC 562 BC
Death of Joshua Jehoiachin released on Jubilee
Joshua 24:1, 25, Deut. 31:10­12 2 Kings 25:27­30

1298 BC 458 BC
Ehud’s Jubilee shofar Sabbath preceding last cycle of 70 weeks
Judges 3:27, Leviticus 25:8­9 Ezra 7:7­26, Daniel 9:24­27

997 BC 444 BC
David brings back Ark of God Religious revival following the public reading
2 Samuel 6:5,15 Nehemiah 8­10

955 BC 423 BC
Temple dedication Jubilee Nehemiah returns for another Sabbath reading
1 Kings 8:1­2 Nehemiah 13:1

871 BC 332 BC
Jehoshaphat takes the law to all the people Alexander grants Sabbath tax concessions
2 Chronicles 17:7­9 Josephus, Antiquites 11 ch. 8

836 BC 164 BC
Joash announced king on Sabbath year Siege of Bethsura references a Sabbath
2 Kings 11:4 1 Maccabees 6:49­53

724 BC 38 BC
Hezekiah consecrates house of the Lord Herod’s first year references a Sabbath
2 Chronicles 29:3 Josephus, Antiquites 14 ch. 16

710/9 BC 24/23 BC
No planting for 2 years. Hezekiah’s Jubilee Sabbath/Jubilee according to William Whiston
2 Kings 19:29, Leviticus 25 Josephus, Antiquites 15 ch. 9, footnote

612 BC 26 AD
Nineveh destroyed on Jubilee John the Baptist begins on Sabbath year
(Coincidence?) Luke 3:1­3

605 BC 27 AD
Day of fasting and people assembled Jesus begins ministry on Jubilee year
Jeremiah 36:6, Leviticus 16:29 Luke 4:18­19
The long ‘silent years’ provide us with an opportunity to insert
several items of interest. On the adjacent page is a chart of
known and probable Sabbath years throughout this book from
the Judges of Israel to the Inter­testament era. On this page is a
brief explanation of how the original Hebrew calendar worked
prior to changes made during the Greek era as a result of
‘Hellenisation’

In 432 BC Meton of Athens developed the nineteen­year

Metonic calendar cycle, and from about the Greek empire
onwards other calendars began to adopt Meton's system. The
Jews were no exception. During these years they compromised
their ancient Sabbath­based system, changed New Year to Tishri,
and stopped observing Jubilee. Shemitah continued but began in
Tishri, rather than Nisan when New Year was supposed to be. 9

It begs the question; how did the Hebrew calendar synchronise

the Sun and Moon before Meton? The answer is found in the
Bible. They used a forty­nine­year Sabbatic cycle starting
New Year, 1st of Nisan, immediately following the previous
block of forty­nine.

From there they intercalated months as required until the tenth

day of the seventh month of the forty­ninth year, upon which a
special fiftieth year was announced. 10 This might seem strange
until it is noticed how an astronomical formula is at work. The
gap between the two events comes to 17718 days ­ a figure
equaling exactly six hundred months. (lunar months average
29.53 days) This gap is always the same.

Now, six hundred months equal fifty lunar years which explains
why the Jubilee year is superimposed over the other years. In
short, 481/2 solar years equal fifty lunar years, so the 'overlaid'
Jubilee is a device that equalises the solar and lunar cycles to
fifty years each, after which the new cycle began afresh. 11
As explained, Israel's old luni­solar system was lost, and the New Year offset from Nisan to Tishri. The
Jubilee fiftieth year was done away with altogether. These changes appear to have happened during the
Greek or late Persian era. Hecataeus of Abdera, a Greek historian who lived during the conquests of
Alexander, is credited with saying, “Under the rule of nations during latter times, namely, Persians and
Macedonians ... the Jews greatly modified the traditions of their fathers.” 12

Edersheim adds, “after their return from exile, the Jews dated their years according to the Seleucidic
era.” 13 It is known that the Seleucid New Year was Dios, the Greek equivalent to Tishri. Also, the Dead
Sea Scrolls reveal a serious debate concerning changes to the inter­testament period calendar.

“All the children of Israel will forget and will not find the path of the years, and will forget the new
moons, and seasons, and Sabbaths, and they will wrongly determine all the order of the years. For
this reason the years will come upon them when they disturb the order ... they will go wrong as to
the months and sabbaths and feasts and jubilees.” 14

From these quotes, I estimate the New Year change happened in the 3rd century BC. In any case, the
vertical bars in our timeline continue to measure years from Nisan to Nisan.

Consequently, some recorded inter­testament Sabbaticals tip into the wrong year, making our count of
'sevens' hard to follow. For example, the siege of Bethsura 15 happened in the summer of 163 BC during
the last half of a 'year of rest' when food was running low. However, it was supposed to have finished in
spring. (See diagram below) This fine point needs to be taken into account when trying to trace the
original Sabbatic timeline as given by Moses.

Also, when searching for this particular Sabbath, it is necessary to remember how there were two battles
fought at Bethsura. The first one was two years earlier in 165
BC when Judas Maccabeus repulsed Israel's enemies, and
rededicated the temple. Insofar as prophecy is concerned, the
first event is more interesting because it was an exact fulfilment
of Daniel's prediction that sacrifice would be stopped by a
Greek oppressor.

Insofar as chronology is concerned, the second battle is even

more interesting because it confirms another date in the ancient
seven­year cycle. Does 164 BC tie in with other known
Sabbath years? Yes, it does!

REFERENCES

11 Chronicles 6:14–15
22 Kings 25: 18–21
3 Ezra 3:1­2
4 Haggai 1:1
5 Nehemiah 12:10­11
6 1 Maccabees 1:1­3
7 Daniel 8, Antiquites 11.8.4­5
8 Daniel 8:8
9 Exodus 12:2
10 Leviticus 25:8­9
11 https://www.academia.edu/8989370/

Reconstruction_of_Pre­Metonic_Hebrew_Calendar
12 Diodorus Siculus 40:31
13 The Temple, ch 10, page 204, Alfred Edersheim
14 Jubilees 6:33­37
15 1 Maccabees 6 48­50
CHRONOLOGY of the
KINGDOM E. C. Gedge

Chapter 12 KINGDOM of GOD is at HAND

Following the Maccabean revolt, Judah gained autonomy from the Greeks and continued being led by the
Maccabean family. They usurped the honour of 'high priest', and their dynasty became known as the
Hasmonean Kingdom. They became king­priests when, in fact, they should not have been either. High
priests were supposed to be from the line of Zadok and kings from the line of Judah. 1 This led to a
division between conservative Jews who saw their rule as an ‘abomination’, and Hellenized Jews who
approved.

“While these Hasmoneans were very successful in expanding the kingdom, they fell away from the
faith of their spiritual fathers. The Hasmoneans gradually departed from the strict observance of
the Law of Moses, becoming thoroughly Hellenized in religion, culture, and way of life. For
instance, they adopted Greek names instead of the traditional Hebrew names. As with Hasmoneans,
so with the people. The nation was divided spiritually.” 2

The independent kingdom lasted until 63 BC; then as Hasmonean vassals of the Romans until Herod was
installed as a new line of vassal kings in 37 BC. The slide to Roman subordination happened like this: In
64 BC Pompey was completing his campaigns against Seleucid Greece in Syria and Asia minor.
Simultaneously, the two sons of Salome, Aristobulus 2 and Hyrcanus 2, were squabbling as to who
should be king of Judah. Unable (or unwilling) to resolve their differences, they invited Pompey to
arbitrate, which he did gladly. Pompey backed Hyrcanus and in 63 BC he laid siege to Jerusalem
installing Hyrcanus as a puppet of Rome. Loss of sovereignty was not what Hyrcanus meant or wanted,
but that is what he got.

Then in 37 BC Jerusalem was conquered again, this time by Herod. After conniving to get the Roman
senate to approve him as king of the Jews, he obtained a Roman army and came back to Jerusalem to
enforce his claim to the throne. The city capitulated in the
summer of 37 BC, and Antigonus, the last Hasmonean, was sent
to Rome where he was executed. Herod's conquest of
Jerusalem provides us with another example of how inter­
testament Sabbaticals tip into the wrong year. Josephus relates:

"Now the Jews that were enclosed within the walls of the
city, fought against Herod with great alacrity and zeal …
It was summer time, and ... they met each other, and
fought there: and making use of brutish courage, rather
than of prudent valour, they persisted in this war to the
very last. And this they did while a mighty army lay round
about them; and while they were distressed by famine,
and the want of necessaries: for this happened to be a
Sabbatic Year." 3

However, the ancient Sabbatical Year should have been six

months earlier. The proper Sabbath year was from Nisan as
mentioned in chapter eleven, and as shown by the red dotted
lines in the adjacent diagram. Therefore, my timeline tracks the
Shemitah as it was supposed to be observed (nisan to nisan)
and, when it is followed thus, an unbroken sequence of 'sevens'
comes into focus from Moses to Christ. 4

Before leaving the date of Herod’s first year, we need to

challenge a modern group of scholars 5 who have questioned the
traditional date of 37 BC in favour of one year earlier. Their
reasoning appears to be motivated by a desire to manipulate the
life of Jesus into preferred timelines. However, Herod's first
year is linked to one of history’s best remembered military
events. Josephus writes of it: “At this time it was, that the fight
happened at Actium, between Octavius Cesar and Antony; in
the seventh year of the reign of Herod” 6 Rick Lanser, in a
series of detailed chronological papers on the ‘Associates for
Biblical Research’ website comments:

“Here we have a universally accepted date solidly anchored

in history in the Battle of Actium, when Octavian defeated
Antony’s naval forces and cemented his sole rule over the
Romans. This is known from multiple Roman historians to
have taken place on September 2, 31 BC. Taking 31 BC
as the seventh year of Herod, by inclusive reckoning,
makes 37 BC his first year yet again.” 7
Having confirmed Herod’s reign, we may now proceed to a linchpin date that anchors the life and
ministry of Jesus. To ingratiate himself to the Jewish people, and to create a memorial to his name, Herod
began to rebuild the temple in 20 BC. Josephus says:

“And now Herod, in the eighteenth year of his reign, and after the acts already mentioned,
undertook a very great work; that is to build of himself the temple of God, and make it larger in
compass, and to raise it to a most magnificent altitude: as esteeming it to be the most glorious of
all his actions, as it really was, to bring it to perfection; and that this would be sufficient for an
everlasting memorial of him." 8

This date takes on a new significance when we hear the indignant comment of the temple authorities on
the first occasion Jesus cleared the temple.

"Jesus answered them, “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.” The Jews then
said, “It has taken forty­six years to build this temple, and will you raise it up in three days?” 9

By adding forty­six to Herod's eighteenth year, we arrive at AD 27, and it was just before Passover at the
change of the Hebrew year. Moreover, it happened on the forty­ninth year when a fiftieth year was added
in order to syncronise the lunar and solar cycles. The Jubilee was super­imposed over the last and first
years of the cycle. 10

Thus God's calendar came to the "year of the Lords favor," when John the Baptist announced the
'Kingdom'! God's 'Anointed' was revealed, his disciples chosen, and the ministry of Christ began.
REFERENCES

11 Chronicles 6:8­15, Genesis 49:10

2 Herod the Great, ch 2, page 6, Jerry Knoblet
3 Antiquities, Josephus, book 14, ch 16.2
4 Ibid, ch 1
5 W.E. Filmer, Andrew Steinmann, Walter Martin,

Rodger C. Young, and others.

6 Antiquities, Josephus, book 15, ch 5.2
7 John 2:1­21 and Herodian Chronology,

Associates for Biblical Research, Rick Lanser, 2019

8 Antiquities, Josephus, book 15, ch 11.1
9 John 2:20
10 The Atonement Clock, ch 2, E.C. Gedge
CHRONOLOGY of the
KINGDOM E. C. Gedge

Thank you for using my Bible timelines. The chronology of the Kingdom was reaching its climax when
John the Baptist exclaimed, "The Kingdom of Heaven is at hand!" (Matthew 3:2) It undoubtedly had
messianic implications. However, until recently there was little agreement about the date of the Cross of
Christ. Experts differed from approximately AD 27 to AD 36 as to when it happened, and followers said
it didn't matter much anyway. It does matter!

Please read my other book, 'The Atonement Clock.'

Sincerely,

Christian Gedge

Get 'The Atonement Clock'

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