Proposal
Fundamental to the Creation movement is belief in the inerrancy of Scripture. This permits the position that the original manuscripts of the Old Testament provided a precise outline of history and an equally accurate chronology. The words in our Bibles closely reflect the original text, but some of the chronological numbers in the Massoretic Hebrew text on which our Bibles are based, appear to have been deliberately reduced. The Greek translation of the Old Testament used by the Early Church, called the Septuagint, seems to more accurately present the chronological numbers of the original text. This would date Creation about 5500 B.C. The numbers for the pre-Flood patriarchs add to at least 2200 years, placing the Flood about 3300 B.C. Chronological information from Creation down to the Exodus is found by adding the age of successive patriarchs at the birth of the next in line. The Exodus is dated by conservative scholars within a year or two of 1446 B.C.
Champollion, after translating the hieroglyphs of Egypt, proposed a highly exaggerated date, 5867 B.C., for the First Dynasty of Pharoahs. Although reduced , secular Egyptian history still appears to be inflated. Comparing the collapse of Egypt's culture and power at the end of the Old Kingdom with the catastrophes which accompanied the Exodus may indicate that Egypt's history should be revised and shortened. When revised, the background in Egyptian history seems to emerge for every contact between the Hebrews and Egyptians. We have the record of the Bible, but also what appears to be an accurate chronology for much of Egypt's history in the Sothis King list.
Keywords
Biblical History, Biblical Chronology, Egyptian History, Stone Ages
Print Reference
Pages 291-302
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Recommended Citation
Honeyman, James R.
(1998)
"Biblical Chronology and Egyptian History,"
Proceedings of the International Conference on Creationism: Vol. 4, Article 24.
Available at:
https://digitalcommons.cedarville.edu/icc_proceedings/vol4/iss1/24