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  • From: Peter Kirk <peterkirk AT qaya.org>
  • To: Yigal Levin <leviny1 AT mail.biu.ac.il>
  • Cc: b-hebrew <b-hebrew AT lists.ibiblio.org>
  • Subject: Re: [b-hebrew] 1450 BCE Exodus ?
  • Date: Sun, 25 Jul 2004 20:14:36 +0100

On 25/07/2004 06:25, Yigal Levin wrote:

I don't dispute Thiele (though I disagree on some details). What I'm saying
is that the reason that Thiele and other had to postulate co-regencies,
differing ascension-year formulae and the like is because they HAD to MAKE
the biblical data fit the extra-biblical dates. ...


Is this true? As I understood it, the reason for all of these complications was to reconcile the different reign lengths given for kings of Judah and Israel in the books of Kings and Chronicles.

... They had to make all of the
kings from Rehoboam (year 5) to Hezekiah (or Ahaz) fit between Shishak (925)
and Tiglath-Pileser (733), and then again Sennacherib (701), Necho (609) and
Nebuchadnezzar (586/7). Had they disregarded Shishak at the "top" end, they
could have used the biblical regency-dates without any emendation, or
explanation. Now I don't dispute any of this: I'm just showing how much of
our "biblical" chronology is based on the equation of Shishak=Sheshonq I.


Well, this is not how I understood the situation. The dates from Tiglath-Pileser to Nebuchadnezzar may be independently attested, but I am almost certain that there is no good evidence outside the Bible to date Seshonq I's invasion anywhere near 925. Rohl's discussion suggests that Kenneth Kitchen has found some evidence to suggest this 925 date by adding up the known regnal years of the Pharaohs from Sheshonq I to Taharka, but that this evidence is very dubious and ignores the known phenomenon of parallel dynasties.

Indeed, Rohl's reconstruction of the rather limited extra-biblical evidence (having rejected the Shishak/Sheshonq link) dates Sheshonq's invasion to c. 800 BCE and identifies him with the "saviour" of Israel mentioned in 2 Kings 13:5. Sheshonq's campaign, according to his own campaign list, was almost all in the northern kingdom of Israel, in areas captured by Hazael of Aram, and so was a reassertion of traditional Egyptian authority over this area; Sheshonq does not mention capturing Jerusalem, which is rather surprising if in fact he did sack this important city as recorded of Shishak.


--
Peter Kirk
peter AT qaya.org (personal)
peterkirk AT qaya.org (work)
http://www.qaya.org/






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