Dating remains an elusive topic, but still decipherable. We’re not examining dating—as in the courting relationship between men and women which would require numerous experts’ opinions—but instead, we’re studying chronologies and eras of the Bible. And because we know you’re busy and I’m busy, we’ll make it quick.
Quick chronologies. Speed-dating, if you will.
Here’s MB, in front of the Canaanite gate at Tel Dan, dated to the 18th century BC. We will not ask you to guess which one is older– MB or the gate? Yes, don’t answer that!
The midwives of old did not issue birth certificates. Not every war was recorded in stone. Kings came and went and some pharaohs wiped out the names of other pharaohs on their monuments.
Take that!
Not very nice.
So, dating can be dicey. Both the male-female kind, which makes a strong case for being respectful to your parents and having them arrange a good catch for you, as well as the assigning of a time period to ancient people, places, and things.
To give you a quick overview in a very general way: Abraham lived around the year 2000 BC (or in some academic circles, we say, BCE = Before the Common Era). The Exodus from Egypt happened circa 1446 BC. King David came on the scene in approximately 1000 BC.
Jesus was born in Bethlehem… well… it actually wasn’t the year 0… because King Herod was already gone and that really messes things up. Close enough for all intents and purposes.
However, if you’re ever quizzed in the future, it was most likely a few years before 0, let’s say 4 or 5 BC. Herod died right before Passover which came in mid-April of 4 BC (thank the Jewish-Roman historian Josephus for this info). We know that the king wanted to kill all Jewish baby boys in Bethelehem from the age of 2 and younger. Herod might have added a year, just to cover his bases, and ensure that he eliminate the young King of the Jews.
After the year 0 (and this countdown calendar was invented not until 525 AD hence being off by a few years), we see the numbers growing larger. To recap the BC to AD timeline: Big numbers… smaller numbers… zero… smaller numbers… bigger numbers. That’s the continuum.
The century is always larger than the chronological year to which it refers. For instance: Biblical archaeologists often argue that the Exodus occurred in 1446 BC, which would be the 15th century BC. The Crusades to liberate the Holy Land from Muslim rule spanned a 200-year period, from 1095 to 1291 AD, or the 11th century to the 13th century AD. Another example would be that we are now living in the 21st century AD. And, lest any religious input be foisted upon the institutions of higher learning, in academic parlance, we refer to AD as CE = the Common Era.
I use both, depending on my audience, because you know what? You really can’t wipe Him out. Jesus (Yeshua) is still there, changing history, transforming lives, making the Common Era anything but common!
The good news in chronological studies is that old age is always 15-20 years older than we are! The even better news is that we can learn from history and we can learn from the Lord to make the most of our time on Planet Earth.
“So teach us to number our days, that we may apply our hearts unto wisdom” (Psalm 90:12).
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