lii. 172

CHRONOLOGICAL TABLE

In the present stage of investigation of Old Testament Chronology, absolute accuracy cannot be claimed for such a table as the following. Hardly any, if any, of these dates are supported by a general consensus of opinion. On the other hand, the range of variation is, for the most part, not more than three or four years, and the table will furnish an approximately accurate idea of sequences and synchronisms. In other respects also the data admit of alternative interpretations, and the course of events is partly a matter of theory--hence the occasional insertion of (?).

------------+----------------------+-----------------+---------------+ CLASSICAL | JUDAH AND JEREMIAH | ASSYRIA | EGYPT | SYNCHRONISMS| | | | ------------+----------------------+-----------------+---------------+ Traditional | | | | date of the | MANASSEH (?) | | | foundation | |=Esarhaddon=, 681| | of Rome, 753| |=Assurbanipal=, | | | | 668 |XXVIth Dynasty | | | | Psammetichus | | Jeremiah born, | | I., 666 | | probably between 655 | | | | and 645 | | | | AMON, 640 | | | | JOSIAH, 638 | | | | |Last kings of | | |Jeremiah's call in the| Assyria, number | =Psammetichus=| | 13th year of Josiah, | and names |besieges Ashdod| | 626 | uncertain, |for twenty-nine| | Scythian inroad| 626-607-6 |years | | into Western Asia| | | |Habakkuk |-----------------| | |Zephaniah | BABYLON. | | | Publication of |=Nabopolassar=, | | | Deuteronomy, 621 | 626 | | |Josiah slain at | | =Necho=, | | Megiddo, 608 | | 612 | |JEHOAHAZ, 608 |_FALL OF | | |(xxii. 10-12, Ch. I.) | NINEVEH,_ | | | | 607-6 | | |Deposed by Necho, who | | | | appoints | | | |JEHOIAKIM, | | | | 608 | | | |(xxii. 13-19, xxxvi. | | | | 30, 31, VI.) | | | |Jeremiah predicts ruin| | | | of Judah and is | | | | tried for blasphemy | | | | (xxvi., II.) | | | | | | | |_FOURTH YEAR OF_ | _BATTLE OF CARCHEMISH_ | |_JEHOIAKIM_, 605-4 | (xlvi., XVII.) | | | | | |Nebuchadnezzar[1] | | | | advances into Syria,| | | | is suddenly recalled|=Nebuchadnezzar,=| | | to Babylon-- | 604 | | | _before_ | | | | subduing Judah (?) | | | | | | | |Baruch writes | | | | Jeremiah's prophecies| | | | in a roll, which is | | | | read successively to | | | | the people, the | | | | nobles, and | | | | Jehoiakim, and | | | | destroyed by the king| | | | (xxxvi., III.; xlv., | | | | V.) | | | | | | | |Nebuchadnezzar invades| | | | Judah (?), the | | | | Rechabites take | | | | refuge in | | | | Jerusalem (?), the | | | | Jews rebuked by their| | | | example (xxxv., IV.) | | | | | | | |Jehoiakim submits to | | | | Nebuchadnezzar, | | | | revolts after three | | | | years, is attacked by| | | | various "bands," but | | | | dies before | | | | Nebuchadnezzar | | | | arrives | | | |JEHOIACHIN, 597 | | | | (xxii. 20-30, VII.)| | | | | | | |Continues revolt, but | | | | surrenders to | | | | Nebuchadnezzar on his| | | | arrival; is deposed | | | | and carried to | | | | Babylon with many of | | | | his subjects. | | | | Nebuchadnezzar | | | | appoints | | | | | | | |ZEDEKIAH, 596 | |=Psammetichus= | | | |=II.=, 596 | |Jeremiah attempts to | | | | keep Zedekiah loyal | | | | to Nebuchadnezzar, | Ezekiel | | | and contends with | | | | priests and prophets | | | | who support Egyptian | | | | party (xxiii., xxiv.,| | | | VIII.) | | | | | | | Solon's |Proposed confederation| | | legislation,| against | | | 594 | Nebuchadnezzar | | | | denounced by | |=Hophra=, | | Jeremiah, but | | 591 | | supported by | | | | Hananiah; proposal | | | | abandoned; Hananiah | | | | dies (xxvii., | | | | xxviii., IX.), 593-2 | | | | | | | |Controversy by letter | | | | with hostile prophets| | | | at Babylon (xxix., | | | | X.) | | | | | | | |Judah revolts, | | | | encouraged by Hophra.| | | | Jerusalem is besieged| | | | by Chaldeans. There | | | | being no prospect of | | | | relief by Egypt, | | | | Jeremiah regains his | | | | influence and pledges| | | | the people by | | | | covenant to release | | | | their slaves. | | | | | | | |On the news of | | | | Hophra's advance, the| | | | Chaldeans raise the | | | | siege; the Egyptian | | | | party again become | | | | supreme and annul the| | | | covenant (xxi. 1-10, | | | | xxxiv., xxxvii. 1-10,| | | | XI.) | | | | | | | |Jeremiah attempts to | | | | leave the city, is | | | | arrested and | | | | imprisoned | | | |Hophra retreats into | | | | Egypt and the | | | | Chaldeans renew the | | | | siege (xxxvii. 11-21,| | | | xxxviii., xxxix. | | | | 15-18, XII.) | | | | | | | |While imprisoned | | | | Jeremiah buys his | | | | kinsman's inheritance| | | | (xxxii., XXX.) | | | | | | | |_DESTRUCTION OF | Siege of Tyre | | | JERUSALEM_, 586 | | | | | | | |Jeremiah remains for a| | | | month a prisoner | | | | amongst the other | | | | captives. Nebuzaradan| | | | arrives; arranges for| | | | deportation of bulk | | | | of population; | | | | appoints Gedaliah | | | | governor of residue; | | | | releases Jeremiah, | | | | who elects to join | | | | Gedaliah at Mizpah. | | | | Gedaliah murdered. | | | | Jeremiah carried off,| | | | but rescued by | | | | Johanan (xxxix.-xli.,| | | | lii., XIII.) | | | | | | | |Johanan, in spite of | | | | Jeremiah's protest, | | | | goes down to Egypt | | | | and takes Jeremiah | | | | with him (xlii., | | | | xliii., XIV.) | | | | | | | |Jews in Egypt hold | | | | festival in honour of| | | | Queen of Heaven. | |=Amasis=, | | Ineffectual protest | | 570 | | of Jeremiah (xliv., | | | | XV.) | | | | |Nebuchadnezzar invades Egypt, (?)| | | 568 | Pistratus, | |=Evil-Merodach=, | | 560-527 |Release of Jehoiachin | 561 | | | | | | |_CYRUS CONQUERS BABYLON AND GIVES_ | | |_THE JEWS PERMISSION TO RETURN,_ | | |_538_ | |

FOOTNOTE:

[1] For spelling see note, page 4

CONTENTS

PAGE

PREFACE v

INDEX OF CHAPTERS vii

CHRONOLOGICAL TABLE ix