Biblical Hebrew Forum

["Ruthy & Baruch" <alster AT comandcom.com>]

Shalom to all!

When we take into account the Bible's internal chronology, and Jewish
traditional chronology, there are a few things we need to remember:

1.  The Bible sometimes contradicts itself.  The better-remembered 400/430
years in Egypt does not go with the genealogical table in Ex 6.  Kehat
(who, according to Gen. 46:11, went down to Egypt) lived 133 years; Amram
137; and Moses was 80 at the time of the Exodus - for a total of no more
than 350 years in Egypt.  This brought the Rabbis to give a much lower
total - 210 in Seder Olam Rabba chap. 3).  Nachmanides (Ex 12:40) says
_approximately_ 220 years.  I seem to remember a 215-year midrashic total
(as the Israelites worked night and day, each year was counted twice).  In
any event, these figures are in accordance with the Bible's internal dating
as much as 400/430 years.

2.  It is wrong to talk about a 16th-cent. _traditional_Jewish_ dating for
the Exodus, because there are many discrepancies between the modern and
Rabbinic chronologies, the major difference being in the Persian period -
the Rabbis condensed over two centuries of the Achamenids as we know them,
into 52 years.  For an excellent (and long) article on the historical
validity of this opinion, see (in Hebrew) Chaim Chefetz, "Malkhut Paras
Umadai Bitkufat Bayit Sheni Ulefaneha - `Iyyun Mehudash", _Megadim_ 14
(1991), pp. 78-147; and its introductory article (which explains the issues
for those not versed in Persian chronology): Yaakov Medan, "Mavo
Le-Ma'amaro Shel Ch. Chefetz `al Malkhut Paras Umadai", pp. 47-77 in the
same issue of _Megadim_.  I don't agree with most of what he says, but he
definitely makes a strong point for at least questioning accepted
chronology.

According to Rabbinic tradition, the second Temple, destroyed in 70 (or 68)
CE stood for 420 years (built 350 BCE).  Add 70 years betwwen the Temples
(420 BCE), 410 years for the First Temple (830 BCE), and 480 years since
the Exodus, and we have a 14-th cent. _Jewish_Traditional_ date for the
Exodus (1310).

I am not arguing for any of the dates I mentioned.  I just feel that the
terms 'internal Biblical chronology' and 'traditional Jewish chronology'
have been misused in recent posts.

Kol Tuv,
Baruch Alster
Kochav Ya`akov, Israel