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Chronological Thread  
  • From: "Peter Kirk"<peter_kirk AT sil.org>
  • To: <b-hebrew AT franklin.oit.unc.edu>
  • Subject: Re: Chronology
  • Date: Sun, 30 Jan 2000 17:01:33 -0500


I think I pointed this out a few days or weeks ago in connection with
David Rohl: Josephus (the correct reference is "Antiquities" book 2,
chapter XV:2) gives 215 years as the time of the Israelite stay in
Egypt. Here is the passage:

"They left Egypt in the month Xanthicus, on the fifteenth day of the
lunar month; four hundred and thirty years after our forefather
Abraham came into Canaan, but two hundred and fifteen years only after
Jacob removed into Egypt."

This is in accordance with LXX of Exodus 12:40 which assigns 430 years
to the stays of Israel in Canaan and Egypt - MT refers to Egypt only
in this verse. So this just could be a textual matter.

Of course none of this is relevant to the date of the Exodus, only to
the dating of what went before it.

Peter Kirk


______________________________ Reply Separator
_________________________________
Subject: Chronology
Author: <alster AT comandcom.com> at Internet
Date: 29/01/2000 20:38


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.

<snip>




  • Chronology, Ruthy & Baruch, 01/29/2000
    • <Possible follow-up(s)>
    • Re: Chronology, Peter Kirk, 01/30/2000

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