III. PERIOD. The Chronology of the Kings of Judah in a Lineal Succession, from the beginning of the reign of David, to the end of Zedekiah's: containing about 467 complete years, and the additional time from the spring of the year, to August 27. The precise adjustment of the years of this period, with the reigns of the several kings of Judah and Israel, is encumbered with so many great perplexities, as have exercised the wits of the most sagacious men, as much as any other part of scripture chronology. Whether Mr. Whiston's surprising hypothesis may be allowed with safety, who solves them by supposing, that Jeroboam diminished the year for the observance of the ten tribes, by one month, while the kings of Judah kept to the former computation, I may not venture to determine. But among all the systems I have met with, Bishop Usher's seems the clearest; which Swan, Whiston, Lloyd, Marshal, and Dr. Prideaux almost entirely follow; and which is nearly the same with Petavius's lately followed by Le Clerc and Perizonius. And here I must observe upon a strict examination, that Bishop Usher's English annals being printed after his decease, have many errors of the press in figures; whereas his Latin annals being published in London while he was living there, and no doubt corrected by himself, do very rarely need amendment. But whereas that learned writer begins the year of the creation at the fall, and we rather choose to follow those who raise it to the spring before in the same year of the Julian Period 710; it therefore happens that our numbers of the Mundane æra assigned to the same events which came to pass in the spring and summer, are more by one than his, both in this and the other periods; though those events which happened in the fall and winter will coalesce in the same year of the world as his; with this only difference, that they are in the former part of his year, but in the latter of ours. Rehoboam dies. And his son Begins to reign, 3 years. Begins to reign, 41 years. Begins to reign, 25 years. Homer born, 420 year before Herodotus.* Jehosaphat going against the Syrians, makes his son Jehoram viceroy. 7112 b22. 1 Jehoram Made copartner in the kingdom, upon Jehosa. phat's going against Moab. Jehoram reigns alone, 4 years more. Reigns one year, and is slain by Jehu. Ahaziah's mother begins to reign six years. She is slain by Jehoiada. And Son to Ahaziah, begins to reign 40 years. He is killed. And his son Begins to reign, 52 years. July 23,† the first Olympiad restored by Iphitus, when Varro's historical age begins. (b) Uzziah dies. And his son Begins to reign, 16 years April 21, in the third year of the VI Olympiad, Rome founded by Romulus and Remus, according to Varro. (c) a In the year of the Julian Period 3710; and before the real birth of Christ 1000, but according to the common account 1004. * So says Herodotus himself; and agreeably Sir I. Newton says, that both Hesiod and Homer flourished 870 years before the Christian era, which Bishop Usher sets in the Y W 3135. + So Calvisus and Alsted. b An Olympiad contains the space of 4 years, was commonly celebrated at the first full Moon after the summer solstice, and the first Olympiad begins in the year of the Julian Period, 3938, and before the christian æra 776; so Calvisius, Helvicus, Petavius, Usher, Swan, Cary, Newton, &c. c Approved by Cicero, Pomponius, Atticus, Augustus, Plutarch, Pliny, Paterculus, &c. in the year of the Julian Period, 3961, and before the christian æra 753. The ancient Assyrian empire, under Sardanapa- Begins to reign, 16 years. Son to Ahaz made partner with him in the kingdom. Ahaz dies. Shalmanesar, king of Assyria, takes Samaria, and carries the 10 tribes into captivity. Hezekiah dies. And his son Begins to reign, 55 years. Esarhaddon, or Asnapper, king of Assyria seizes Thales, the father of the Greek astronomers, Josiah's second son, reigns 3 months, Necho Josiah's eldest son, sometime this summer begins to reign, 11 years. This summer, Nabopollaser makes his son Nebuchadnezzar partner in the empire, and sets him at the head of his armies. (f) Whence the scripture calls this the first year of Nebuchadnezzar. d In the beginning of the year of the Julian Period 3967, and 747 before the vulgar æra of the birth of Christ, by the consent of all astronomers. Whether he began to reign before, seems uncertain; but this to be sure is the first Egyptian new year day of his reign. Ptolemy. * According to Ptolemy's mathematical canon. + Sir I. Newton places the birth of Solon 10 years after. e According to Ptolemy. f So Berosius in Josephus. INTRODUCTION. Whereupon, Nebuchadnezzar beats Necho's army at the Euphrates, retakes Carchemish, and marches to Judea. IX m. Chislieu, Nebuchadnezzar takes Jerusa- Nabopollaser dying this summer, Nebuchadnez- Reigns 3 months 10 days; and then with Eze- Josiah's third son, succeeds in the Kingdom, and IV month, 9 day, that is, July 27, Nebuchad- In the Which is in the nineteenth year of Nebuchad- g But Jan. 21, at the end of this year, which is at the beginning of the year of the Julian Period 4110, being the first Egyptian new year day of his reign; Ptolemy therefore begins his reign from thence, according to his usual method. h Sometimes called Coniah, Conias, Jeconias, and Jehoiachin. IV. PERIOD. The Chronology of the Babylonian, Persian, Grecian, and Egyptian monarchs successively, from the destruction of the kingdom of Judah by Nebuchadnezzar, to the destruction of the kingdom of Egypt by Octavius Cæsar; containing exactly 558 years. Thus far the Hebrew and inspired guides alone have led us in a continued path from the creation. But the succession of the kings of Judah failing, we must now look to the Grecian histories for the following course of time to the beginning of the Roman empire. And here the most knowing inquirers have been in a perpetual strife till the common year of Christ 1613; when the famous Mathematical Canon of Claudius Ptolemy (a) was happily discovered entire in England. Which being founded on astronomical appear'ances and calculations, drawn from the records of the Chaldean and Egyptian historians and astronomers, was received with great joy by the learned world, and soon became the decisive umpire among Chronologers, as agreeing with Scripture, with the best ancient history, and with astronomy; to which they have therefore, almost ever since, appealed as to an uncontested oracle. It begins with the reign of Nabonasser, king of Babylon, on the first day at noon of the first Egyptian month, called Thoth, (b) which then was Feb. 26th of the Julian Period 3967; accounts by Egyptian years of 365 days, continually, without intercalations; reaches down through the reigns of the Babylonian, Persian, Grecian, a He was a great astronomer of Alexandria in Egypt. b Thoth was the Egyptian Mercury; and as the first day of their years were devoted to him, both the day and the month were named from him. Gregory. |