A Difficulty with the Chronology of St Jerome?

A Difficulty with the Chronology of St Jerome? · A Partial Solution with More Difficulties

Some attentive or even casual by now readers of this blog may know, my Biblical chronology is neither Ussher's, nor the one by George Syncellus (though I have used his for some tables), but the one by St Jerome ...

Now, you may think post-Flood patriachs would be the problem - no. I don't think so.

Anno a creatione mundi, quando in principio Deus creavit caelum et terram, quinquies millesimo centesimo nonagesimo nono; a diluvio autem, anno bis millesimo nongentesimo quinquagesimo septimo; a nativitate Abrahae, anno bis millesimo quintodecimo; a Moyse et egressu populi Israel de Aegypto, anno millesimo quingentesimo decimo; ab unctione David in Regem, anno millesimo trigesimo secundo; Hebdomada sexagesima quinta, juxta Danielis prophetiam; Olympiade centesima nonagesima quarta; ab urbe Roma condita, anno septingentesimo quinquagesimo secundo; anno Imperii Octaviani Augusti quadragesimo secundo, toto Orbe in pace composito, sexta mundi aetate, Jesus Christus, aeternus Deus aeternique Patris Filius, mundum volens adventu suo piissimo consecrare, de Spiritu Sancto conceptus, novemque post conceptionem decursis mensibus (Hic vox elevatur, et omnes genua flectunt), in Bethlehem Judae nascitur ex Maria Virgine factus Homo.

From Creation

5199th year

From Flood

2957th year

From Abraham born

2015th year

From Moses and Exodus

1510th year

From Anointing of King David

1032nd year

In Daniel's prophecy

65th week of years

In Olympiads

194th Olympiad

From Rome's Founding

752nd year

From Accession of Octavian

42nd year

Anointing of King David would have been about 50 years before completion of the Temple. Or 44 years ...

Now, look at this:

III Kings 6:[1] And it came to pass in the four hundred and eightieth year after the children of Israel came out of the land of Egypt, in the fourth year of the reign of Solomon over Israel, in the month Zio (the same is the second month), he began to build a house to the Lord. This is Douay Rheims, translated from Vulgate. Here: [1] Factum est ergo quadringentesimo et octogesimo anno egressionis filiorum Israel de terra Aegypti, in anno quarto, mense Zio ( ipse est mensis secundus), regni Salomonis super Israel, aedificari coepit domus Domino.

(Some call the book I Kings, and they call I and II Kings I and II Samuel, Jews call both these "book of Samuel", and call III and IV Kings "book of Kings")

Since David reigned 40 years, since King Solomon took over after he died, this verse refers to 44 years after King David's anointing.

1032 BC
-044
=978 BC

But ....

1510 BC
-480
1030 BC

So, if there is a problem in the chronology of St Jerome, it would be whether 1032 BC was the Anointing of King David or the Beginning of the Temple. If 1032 BC was the beginning of the Temple, this matches fairly well with Exodus in 1510 BC. Here is the LXX with translation of same verse:

ΚΑΙ ἐγενήθη ἐν τῷ τεσσαρακοστῷ καὶ τετρακοσιοστῷ ἔτει τῆς ἐξόδου υἱῶν ᾿Ισραὴλ ἐξ Αἰγύπτου, τῷ ἔτει τῷ τετάρτῳ ἐν μηνὶ τῷ δευτέρῳ βασιλεύοντος τοῦ βασιλέως Σαλωμὼν ἐπὶ τὸν ᾿Ισραήλ, (Κεφ. Ε´ 31 ) 1α καὶ ἐνετείλατο ὁ βασιλεὺς ἵνα αἴρωσι λίθους μεγάλους τιμίους εἰς τὸν θεμέλιον τοῦ οἴκου, καὶ λίθους ἀπελεκήτους. (Κεφ. Ε´ 32 ) 1β καὶ ἐπελέκησαν οἱ υἱοὶ Σαλωμὼν καὶ οἱ υἱοὶ Χιρὰμ καὶ ἔβαλαν αὐτούς. 1γ ἐν τῷ ἔτει τῷ τετάρτῳ ἐθεμελίωσε τὸν οἶκον Κυρίου ἐν μηνὶ Νισώ, καὶ τῷ δευτέρῳ μηνὶ 1δ ἐν ἑνδεκάτῳ ἐνιαυτῷ, ἐν μηνὶ Βαὰλ (οὗτος ὁ μὴν ὁ ὄγδοος) συνετελέσθη ὁ οἶκος εἰς πάντα λόγον αὐτοῦ καὶ εἰς πᾶσαν διάταξιν αὐτοῦ. - 1 And it came to pass in the four hundred and fortieth year after the departure of the children of Israel out of Egypt, in the fourth year and second month of the reign of king Solomon over Israel, that the king commanded that they should take great [and] costly stones for the foundation of the house, and hewn stones. And the men of Solomon, and the men of Chiram hewed [the stones], and laid them [for a foundation]. In the fourth year he laid the foundation of the house of the Lord, in the month Ziu, even in the second month. In the eleventh year, in the month Baal, this [is] the eighth month, the house was completed according to all its plan, and according to all its arrangement.

Vulgate has quadringentesimo et octogesimo, translating as 480th, LXX has tessarakostô kai tetrakosistô, translating as 440th.

So, how is this important ... well, Syncellus has King David in 1072 BC and King Solomon in 1032 BC - and Exodus in 1685 BC

1685 BC

the Syncellus date for Exodus.

...

1189 BC

Agamemnon becomes king of Mycenae and of Argives

1172 BC

Syncellus' date for taking of Troy.

1166 BC

Orestes becomes king of Mycenae and of Argives

1161 BC

Aeneas becomes king of Latins

1158 BC

... and three years later Ascanius follows him

1151 BC

Eli is Judge

1128 BC

Samuel is Judge

1112 BC

Syncellus places the election of Saul

1072 BC

King David

1032 BC

King Solomon

Table extract cited from here:

About 5300 Years Ago There was a World Wide Flood? Iffy ...
http://creavsevolu.blogspot.com/2017/03/about-5300-years-ago-there-was-world.html

Now, we have a similar problem for Syncellus since 4 years after 1032 is 1028:

1685 BC
-440
1245 BC

There is a discrepancy between 1245 and 1028 or is it just me? And Syncellus is supposed to base his chronology from normal LXX texts, since he has a II Cainan and has Peleg born 529 after the Flood. Now, Beatles had a song "with a little help of my friends" ... and I have some friends and acquaintances on FB.

Hans Georg Lundahl
Cergy
Seven Dolours of the Blessed Virgin
15.IX.2018

Erratum in subtraction 1032 - 44 = 978, actually, = 988. 1032 - 40 = 992. 992 - 4 = 988.

English name of the feast is actually Seven Sorrows.