Concise Chronological Table of Bible History
Concise Chronological Table of Bible History
Note.Most of the dates in Bible History, before the dedication of Solomon’s temple, are very uncertain. There are two chief systems of chronology: one based upon the Hebrew text of the Old Testament, and the other upon the Septuagint, or Greek text, and called the “short” and the “long” chronology. The dates in the margin of our English Bibles were computed by Archbishop Ussher (born 1580, died 1656), and based on the Hebrew or short chronology. Hales made a similar computation, based on the Greek text. The Septuagint text appears to make the patriarchal period 1466 years longer than the computations based on the Hebrew text, The following table shows the different dates according to Ussher and to Hales:
Ussher, or Hebrew Dates.Hales, or Greek Dates (nearly).Events.
b.c.b.c.
40045411Adam.
38746181Birth of Seth.
33824289″ ” Enoch.
33174124″ ” Methuselah.
29483755″ ” Noah.
23483155The Flood,
22332554Confusion of tongues.
21652362Birth of Nahor.
21262283″ ” Terah.
19962153″ ” Abram.
18962053″ ” Isaac.
18361993″ ” Jacob.
17061883Jacob moves to Egypt
16711728Birth of Moses.
14911648The Exodus.
11511608Canaan entered.
b.c.Events.
1280Settlement in Canaan under Joshua.
1258-1095The Judgesto Samuel and Saul.
1095Saul.
1055David.
1007Solomon’s Temple. (For table of kings of Judah and Israel, and of prophets, see next page.) Fall of Samaria.
722-721
606Assyrian captivity began.
588-7Jerusalem destroyed.
b.c.Events.
536First return of JewsZerubbabel.
516-5Second temple completed.
478Esther made queen by Xerxes I.
457Return of Jews (second company) with Ezra.
444Nehemiah appointed governor. Malachi, prophet.
432Nehemiah again governor at Jerusalem.
425Death of Artaxerxes, Xerxes II. (2 months).
Sogdianus, his half brother (7 months).
424Darius II. (Nothus, king).
End of Old Testament history.
CHRONOLOGY BETWEEN THE OLD AND NEW TESTAMENTS
405Artaxerxes II. (Mnemon).
359Artaxerxes III. (Ochus)
351-331Jaddua high priest at J.
339Arses (king).
336Darius III. (Codomannus).
332Alexander the Great.
323Alexander’s death.
320Palestine under Ptolemy Soter.
314″ ” Antigonus.
311(Era of the Seleucid.)
301Palestine under Ptolemies.
280Hebrew O. T. translated into Greek about this time.
205Palestine under Antiochus.
170Temple plundered by Antiochus Epiphanes.
167Mattathias, the Jewish patriot; father of the Maccabans.
165Judas Maecabus recovers Jerusalem.
141Simon Maccabus frees the Jews.
63Pompey conquers Juda.
64Temple plundered by Crassus.
47Antipater made governor of Juda by Csar.
40Parthians capture Jerusalem.
37Herod retakes Jerusalem.
17Herod begins to rebuild the temple.
5Birth of Christ. (The common Christian era was fixed four years too late.)