4. PERIOD D.—FROM THE FOUNDATION OF THE FIRST TEMPLE TO THE FIRST DESTRUCTION OF JERUSALEM AND THE TEMPLE. 347. The importance of the above-named events in themselves is sufficient to evince the propriety of making them the termini of one of our main divisions; and the many chronometrical lines in Josephus, which begin or end with them shew that Jewish chronologers adopted the same division. In the present instance, it will be the most convenient method to exhibit the several computations of this Period and its chief Divisions, before proceeding to the consideration of the particulars. TABLE No. 4. 1st building to 1st Duration of 348. We shall take, in the first place, those of destruc tion. Judah. Israel. Josephus. Ant. X. iv. 4 would confirm this, if the 361 years might be reckoned to the 1st of Josiah, and 51 years thence. But computing it to 92 ..410 the 18th of Josiah, this passage would give. *Ant. X viii. 4 gives for 21 kings of David's race 514y. (deducting for Solomon 40+ 4 and for David 40 === - 84 (deducting for Solomon, for David 40, for Saul 20) (deducting for Solomon 40 + 4, for David 40, for Saul 20) * Ant. XI. iv. 8. The kings from Saul and David 532- (Saul 40, D. & S.) 824...450 - (Saul 20, D. & S.) 62...470 Ant. XX. x. 1. ...280 .240 ...392... ...370 396 ...434 ......394 ...414 ... ......412 (361+ 12+ 223 =)| 44.470 - 104...410 434 High Priests in Solomon's Temple Ant. X. viii. 5. From the building to the burning of the Temple. Sum of particulars, as collected by Brinch and Clinton, (Sol. 77 +3934)...470......3934... as collected in following Table (complete 371y.) current...431......394... Ant. IX. xiv. 1. K. of Israel 2404y. Ant. X. ix. 7. Judah afterwards, 130 y. Solomon say 37 TABLE No. 4-Continued. 1st build ing to 1st 349. In the 2nd place we give a list of the com-destrucputations of divers Chronologers. N.B. The duration of the kingdom of Judah only has been taken from these writers. For the sake of comparison 37 years have been added to each to give that from the first building, and 130 subtracted to obtain that of Israel. Other amounts will be derived in the following pages. To all the kings Africanus assigns 490 years. Duration of tion. Judah. Israel. Eusebius..................442 J. Africanus ...419 ...441 ...430 ...275 ...405 ...404......274 ...393 ...263 ...428 ...391 ... Volney Scaliger Clinton ...424 Petavius ...261 ...259 ...258 387 ...257 ... ...423 ...386 ......256 ...373.....243 ..363 ...233 358 ...228 (2). DIVISION A. THE Bagiλeía OF JOSEPHUS CONTINUED. 2. DAVIDIC RACE OF KINGS CONTINUED. 350. Our first Division will consist of the remainder of the years of Solomon, the separation of Israel and Judah at his death making it necessary to terminate the Division at the latter event. The time of Solomon's reign being ordinarily reckoned (on the authority of 1 Kings ii. 42) at 40 years; and 3, 3, or 4 years having been assigned to the period previous to the foundation of the Temple, the remainders will be the lengths of our present division. But as Josephus (Ant. VIII. vii. 8) attributes 80 years to Solomon's reign, intending we have no doubt to double each division of it, the durations will on this view become 72, 73, and 74. The applicability of these must remain to be shewn. At present we shall only add further that the divisions made in this reign, in 1 Kings and in Josephus, are the following:-1. To the building of the Temple 3 years; i. e. "in the 4th year, the 2d month of the year." This might be reckoned at 4 years, following the Jewish method of including the first and the last, however small a portion of each there might be; or at 31, as exceeding 3; or at 3, as commonly reckoned and as the Septuagint more explicitly asserts; or even at 2, as being actually little more than this time; since it is possible that Solomon might have ascended the throne on the last day of the twelfth month of the year a, and have begun to build on the first day of the second month of the year d, in which case, while the actual duration of his reign would have been only 2 years, 1 month, and 2 days, he might have been said after the Jewish manner to be in the 4th year of his reign, because his reign had entered into four calendar years. 2. To the completion. of the Temple 7 years or 7. 3. Thence to the completion of the King's-house, 13 or 14 years, making in all from 22 to 25 years. 4. Hence the remainder left (when the statement which makes the reign to have lasted 40 years is accepted), will be 18 to 14 years. We are not aware that any ancient writer has followed Josephus in assigning 80 years to Solomon's reign. But it must not on this account be hastily inferred that Josephus' text has been corrupted. For, right or wrong, it is evidently what he wrote and meant, as the age he attributes to Solomon-94 years, (observe the difference* 948014) and the whole course of his narrative plainly shews. (3). DIVISIONS B to D. TABLE (No. 5). OF KINGS OF JUDAH AND ISRAEL. 351. This table will shew-the number of years attributed to each king in the Hebrew and Greek of 1st and 2d. of Kings and Chronicles and in Josephus' Antiquities-how a reduction of the years by means of joint periods of reign has been effected so as to produce a conformity with the statements of Josephus which make the whole time (Israel, 240 years, 7 months, 7 days + remainder of Judah 130 years, 6 months, 10 days) 371 years, 1 month, 17 days,-what kings reigned contemporaneously, and the dates of death or deposition B.C. according to Usher and Newman. GENERAL REMARKS ON THE TABLE OF KINGS. 352. (1). Attention has already been directed to the remarkable coincidence that a score of kings is assigned to each kingdom, while, if to the duration of the kingdom of Israel be added one-half its own amount, it will not then equal that of the kingdom of Judah. The difference between the two durations is 130, the favourite numbers 60+ 70. (2). The first three kings of Judah extend over nearly the same space of time as the first eight of Israel; and the first twelve of the former exceed the twenty of the latter. (3). Half the kings of Israel were usurpers, and there were as many as ten changes of dynasty; while in Judah there was no change of dynasty, and no recognised usurper. (4). The average of *N.B. This divides David's reign into 6 +20 + 14 = 40. |