WAS JERUSALEM DESTROYED
IN 607 B.C.E.? (Part 1)
Much of the "good news" message of the Jehovah's Witnesses relies totally on the validity of the year 1914. The Watchtower Society says that it is the end of a 2520 year period of Gentile times which began in 607 B.C.E. Extra-Biblical historical data sets the date of the fall of Jerusalem at 587 B.C.; not 607 B.C.E.
The 'Gentile Times' as having been 2520 years beginning in 607 B.C.E. was not miraculously revealed to Society founder, Charles Russell. Instead, the idea had a long time of development. It had its origin in the "year-day" principle first posited by Rabbi Akibah ben Joseph in the first century A.D. The first to arrive at the period of 2520 years was apparently John Aquila Brown in 1823. Although his calculation was founded upon the "7 times" of Daniel ch. 4, he did not equate those periods with the "Gentile Times" of Luke 21:24. But this was very soon done by other expositors. Offered were different starting and ending dates, but some were very close to the 1914 date which was first published by Nelson Barbour in 1875. Barbour's calculation was accepted by Russell at their meeting in 1876.
THE MISSING 20 YEARS
SECTION 1:
NEO-BABYLONIAN KINGS LIST
Historical Data vs. Watchtower Data
| KING NAME
| HISTORICAL
| WATCHTOWER
|
| Nebuchadnezzar
| reigned 43 years
604-562 B.C.
| reigned 43 years
624-582 B.C.E.
|
| Evil-Merodach
| reigned 2 years
561-560 B.C.
| reigned 2 years
582 B.C.E.-
|
| Neriglissar
| reigned 4 years
559-556 B.C.
| reigned 4 years
(no dates given)
|
| Labashi-Marduk
| reigned 9 months
556 B.C.
| reigned 9 months
(no dates given)
|
| Nabonidus
| reigned 17 years
555-539 B.C.
| reigned 17 years
556-539 B.C.E.
|
(1) Historical calculation: 604 - 539 = ,FONT COLOR="#FF0000">65 regnal years
(2) Watchtower calculation: 624 - 539 = 85 regnal years
Yet, notice that BOTH historical and Watchtower data agree that Nabonidus reigned until 539 B.C., when Babylon fell to the Persians.
There are 20 years that are unaccounted for in the Watchtower data! This is because they give a faulty beginning date for the reign of Nebuchadnezzar. The 20 year difference is the reason why the Society does not provide dates for Neriglissar and Labashi-Marduk.
ALL Historical figures agree with the Biblical record that Nebuchadnezzar destroyed Jerusalem in his 18th regnal year which was: 604 BC - 18 yrs. = 587/586 B.C.; NOT 607 B.C.!
The Watchtower itself has claimed:
"We can open the Bible with full confidence that it is completely accurate, reliable and authentic. The historical happenings recorded in it are confirmed by secular history." WT 10-1-94 p.3
But, as you can see, this is not the case regarding the information given by the historical and Watchtower data given above for the Neo-Babylonian Kings.
SECTION 2:
Watchtower sources for their data in SECTION 1
| KING NAME
| YEARS REIGNED
| REGNAL DATES
|
| Nebuchadnezzar
| "43 years"
"Your Will Be Done
On Earth" p.114
Insight 2, pp. 480,481
| "624-582 B.C.E."
Insight 2, p. 480
|
| Evil-Merodach
| "2 years"
"Babylon the Great
Has Fallen," p.184
Insight 1, p.453
wt 1-1-65 p.29
| "582 B.C.E."
"Your Will Be Done
On Earth" p.115
|
| Neriglissar
| "4 years"
Insight 1, p.453
WT 1-1-65 p.29
"Babylon the Great
Has Fallen," p.184
| (no dates given)
|
| Labashi-Marduk
| "9 months"
"Babylon the Great
Has Fallen," p.184
WT 1-1-65 p.29
| (no dates given)
|
| Nabonidus
| "17 years"
Insight 2, p.457
"Babylon the Great
Has Fallen." p.184
| "556-539 B.C.E."
Insight 2, p.457
|
"Babylon was conquered in 539 B.C.E. by Cyrus the Persian."
Insight 1, p454
Insight 2, p.457
WT 1-1-65 p.30
BEROSSUS AND PTOLEMY
Up to the later part of the 19th century, the length of the Neo-Babylonian period had to be determined solely by consulting ancient Greek and Roman historians. They lived hundreds of years after the period and statements were often contradictory. The two held to be most reliable were Berossus and Claudius Ptolemy.
Berossus lived in the 3rd century B.C. Most of his writings are lost, but what we know about them comes from quotations or paraphrases of his work by other ancient writers. The longest quotations deal with the reigns of the Neo Babylonian Kings. He got his information from books that were preserved at Babylon. He used very reliable Babylonian chronicles.
Ptolemy was a scholar, astronomer, geographer, historian, and chronologist (70-161 A.D.) The Watchtower said that Ptolemy got his King list from the writings of Berossus, but this is unlikely because scholars have concluded that Ptolemy's Canon was written in different traditions that is independent of Berossus. There is some evidence that Ptolemy also used the Babylonian King lists.
One important reason that historians know that the chronological information given in the Babylonian chronicles is that Ptolemy records a large number of ancient astronomical observations from the periods covered by the Canon King list. This reinforced the absolute chronology for the periods it covered.
But some astronomers disagree with Ptolemy's observations. He was accused of fabricating information. The most sensational protest was by Dr. Robert Newton. But a number of scholars disagree with Newton, accusing faulty methods and analysis. Newton even accused Ptolemy of inventing the King list. But Newton is not a historian and not an expert on Babylonian chronology. He has not studied sources other than Ptolemy. Ptolemy's Canon is in complete agreement with the list that Berossus made 400 years earlier.
Today, historians do not need Ptolemy's canon or astronomical data in order to fix the lengths of the Neo-Babylonian period. Its length is firmly established by at least 7 lines of evidence which are independent of Ptolemy's Canon. These have come from cuneiform clay tablets which have been unearthed during the last 100 years.
1. CHRONICLES AND OTHER HISTORICAL RECORDS
These are kept in the British Museum in London. Though these chronicles are incomplete for the entire Neo-Babylonian period, they do provide support for a portion of Berossus' and Ptolemy's lists.
2. THE URUK KING LIST
Unearthed during an excavation campaign in 1959/60. Portions of it are eaten away, but what is still preserved agrees with Berossus' and Ptolemy's lengths of reigns of the first two kings, Nebopolassar and Nebuchadnezzar.
3. ROYAL INSCRIPTIONS OF NABONIDUS
- NABON NO. 8
These help to establish the whole Neo-Babylonian era, since it states that from the 16th year of Nabopolassar to the ascension year of Nabonidus was a period of 54 years - in complete agreement with Berossus and Ptolemy.
4. ROYAL INSCRIPTIONS OF NABONIDUS
- NABON H1B
These give the lengths of reigns of all the Neo-Babylonian kings up to the 9th year of Nabonidus (except for Labashi-Marduk, whose short reign is ignored) The figures given are again in complete harmony with Berossus and Ptolemy.
5. BUSINESS DOCUMENT TEXTS
Thousands of these have come down to us from that period. There are dated tablets in existence from every year during the whole era. Included are economic and administrative items such as contract tablets, temple letters, and legal records. There exists dated tablets from every year during the whole Neo-Babylonian era. The records of a banking house covered in Babylon, the house of "The Sons of Egibi," verify each year of every king's reign during the period. The banking records discovered also verify all other evidences. A King List with regnal years could be developed from this evidence alone. This aligns exactly with Berossus, Ptolemy, the Chronicles, and the Royal records.
6. ASTRONOMICAL DIARIES
(A) The astronomical diary, VAT 4956, contains about 30 completely verified astronomical observations from Nebuchadnezzar's 37th regnal year. The combination of these astronomical positions is not duplicated again in thousands of years. Consequently, there is only one year that fits this situation - 586/7 B.C. If this was Nebuchadnezzar's 37th regnal year, as is twice stated on these tablets, then 587/6 B.C. must have been his 18th year, in which he desolated Jerusalem.
(B) The oldest preserved astronomical diary, B.M.32312, records astronomical observations that enable scholars to date this tablet to 652/51 B.C. A historical remark in the text shows this to have been the 16th year of Shamash-shuma-ukin. The diary, then, fixes his 20 year reign to 667-648 B.C., Kandalanu's 22 year reign to 647-626 B.C., Nabopolassar's 21 year reign to 625-605, and Nebuchadnezzar's 43 year reign to 604-562 B.C. This again sets his 18th year and the destruction of Jerusalem at 587/6 B.C.
7. CHRONOLOGICAL LINKS OF
EGYPT AND BABYLON
The independently established chronology of contemporary Egyptian kings provides an excellent test of the Neo-Babylonian era, as there are 4 synchronisms tied to it, 3 of which are given in the Bible. These synchronisms are of the utmost importance, as the contemporary chronology of Egypt has been established independently of the chronologies of the other nations of that time. Yet it is shown that it is in complete harmony with the data given by Berossus, Ptolemy, the Babylonian chronicles, the royal inscriptions, the business and administrative documents, and the astronomical diaries, while a comparison of the chronology of the Watchtower society shows a consistent difference of about 20 years. These 4 synchronisms to Egyptian chronology all refute the 607 B.C.E. date for the desolation of Jerusalem and once again upholds 587/6 B.C. as the correct date for that event.
The Watchtower magazine July 15, 1922 p.217 said this about "chronology."
"When a date is indicated by several lines of evidence, it is strongly established...when a thing is indicated in only one way, it may be by chance; if it is indicated in two ways, it is almost certain to be true, and if it is more than two ways, it is usually impossible that it is by chance or that it is not true, and the addition of more proofs removes it entirely from the realm of chance into that of proven certainty.