Re: Biblical numbers and the chronology of the Bible
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Hi Guys,
I've only just noticed this thread. I certainly did not intend to use a flame thrower on Phil. It is not possible to convey tone in print! I was referring to the kings of the divided kingdom. If you add the three kings of the united monarchy then there are 23. The 20 kings of each house are listed in Thiele, appendix B. The kingdom of Judah lasted 135 years longer than Samaria (Thiele's numbers) so it is surprising that each kingdom had 20 monarchs. More interesting is that Israel's list included Zimri who only held power for a week, Tibni who did not appear to rule over the whole of Samaria and Shallum who only ruled a month. Judah’s list includes the usurper Athaliah while conflating the two kings Jehoahaz and Ahaziah. I thought that the kings and their reigns had been manipulated to serve another purpose but the underlying reign lengths have been preserved. They are not the overt reigns so a straight count will not reveal them. Stenring in The Enclosed Garden, interpreted by Larsson, clarifies what the 3rd century BC redactors were trying to achieve. Unless you recognise how the numbers have been used I don’t think you can calculate historical dates from them. As for Baal Zephon, I try not to speculate. It is hard enough trying to make sense of biblical records.
Daphne
I've only just noticed this thread. I certainly did not intend to use a flame thrower on Phil. It is not possible to convey tone in print! I was referring to the kings of the divided kingdom. If you add the three kings of the united monarchy then there are 23. The 20 kings of each house are listed in Thiele, appendix B. The kingdom of Judah lasted 135 years longer than Samaria (Thiele's numbers) so it is surprising that each kingdom had 20 monarchs. More interesting is that Israel's list included Zimri who only held power for a week, Tibni who did not appear to rule over the whole of Samaria and Shallum who only ruled a month. Judah’s list includes the usurper Athaliah while conflating the two kings Jehoahaz and Ahaziah. I thought that the kings and their reigns had been manipulated to serve another purpose but the underlying reign lengths have been preserved. They are not the overt reigns so a straight count will not reveal them. Stenring in The Enclosed Garden, interpreted by Larsson, clarifies what the 3rd century BC redactors were trying to achieve. Unless you recognise how the numbers have been used I don’t think you can calculate historical dates from them. As for Baal Zephon, I try not to speculate. It is hard enough trying to make sense of biblical records.
Daphne