Biblical History and Chronology
Biblical History and Chronology tests your ability to place events, use biblical synchronisms, and handle the difference between traditional and critical dates.
Anchors
- 1 Kings 6:1: 480 years from the Exodus to Solomon's fourth year. If Solomon began ca. 970 BCE, his fourth year is ca. 966, giving an Exodus ca. 1446 (early date). The late date places the Exodus in the 13th century, often linked to Ramesses II; the Merneptah Stele (ca. 1208 BCE) already names 'Israel' in Canaan.
- United Monarchy: Saul, David, Solomon; the First Temple built ca. 966.
- Divided kingdom ca. 930 BCE (Rehoboam and Jeroboam).
- Samaria falls to Assyria in 722/721 BCE (2 Kings 17).
- Sennacherib besieges Jerusalem in 701 BCE (2 Kings 18–19; Isaiah 36–37).
- Jerusalem and the First Temple destroyed by Nebuchadnezzar in 586 BCE (2 Kings 25).
- Cyrus' decree ca. 538 BCE (Ezra 1); Second Temple completed 516 BCE (Ezra 6:15).
Worked example
Question: 'How would you defend the early Exodus date?' Reasoning: start from the explicit datum, 1 Kings 6:1 (480 years), add Solomon's accession date (ca. 970) and the four years, reaching ca. 1446. Then note the weakness: 480 is suspiciously schematic (12 x 40), and Egyptian evidence fits a 13th-century setting better. A good answer presents both and names the assumptions.
Traps
- Mixing 722 (Samaria) with 586 (Jerusalem).
- Treating biblical numbers as modern precision.
- Confusing Cyrus (538) with Darius (who permits the Temple rebuilding in Ezra 6).
- Sloppy century arithmetic, or counting centuries off by one.