Anno Mundi

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By Nectarius of the Dyercord.

According to the book of Genesis Gen.5:3-31, Adam lived 230 years & begat Seth; Seth lived 205 years & begat Enos. 190 years later Enos begat Cainan; in 170 years Cainan begat Mahalaleel; in 165 years Mahalaleel begat Jared; in 162 years Jared begat Enoch; in 165 years Enoch begat Methuselah; in 187 years Methuselah begat Lamech; in 188 years Lamech begat Noah. And Noah was five hundred years old: & Noah begat Shem, Ham, & Japheth (Gen. 5:32). Inasmuch as Shem is older than Ham & Japheth (Gen. 9:22-24; 10:21), at age 500 years Noah begat Shem. Thus, Shem was born in the year 230+205+190+170+165+162+165+187+188+500=2162 from the day of the creation of man.

And Noah was six hundred years old when the flood of waters was upon the earth.

And Noah lived after the [beginning of the] flood three hundred & fifty years. And all the days of Noah were nine hundred & fifty years: & he died.

The correctness of the inserted words is confirmed by the sum 600+350=950. By analogy, Shem was an hundred years old (as the flood came upon the earth), and begat Arphaxad two years after the (beginning of the) flood, that is, at the age of 102. Further (Gen. 11:12-25), Arphaxad live 135 years & begat Cainan. After 130 years Cainan begat Salah; in 130 years Salah begat Eber; in 134 years Eber begat Peleg: in 130 years Peleg begat Reu; in 132 years Reu begat Serug; in 130 years Serug begat Nahor; in 79 years Nahor begat Terah. It follows that Terah was born in year 2162+102+135+130+130+134+130+132+130+79=3394 from the creation of man.

And Terah lived seventy years, & begat Abram, Nahor, & Haran; the eldest of them was Haran.

Inasmuch as Terah died in Haran at the age of 205, when Abram was 75 (Gen. 11:31-32; 12:4-5), then Terah begat Abram at the age of 205-75=130. Abram-Abraham begat Isaac at age 100 (Gen. 17:1-6; 21:5). Isaac begat Jacob at age 60 (Gen. 25:25-26; 35:28); that is, in the year3394+130+100+60=3554 from the creation of man.

Jacob begat Joseph (Gen. 30:22-24). At age 17 Joseph was sold by his brothers into Ægyptian slavery (Gen. 37:2-28): Prof. A. P. Lopukhin designates that at age 30, Joseph had been a slave for 13 years. At age 30, Joseph was presented to Pharao (Gen. 41:14-16, 46); after seven years of plenty & two years of hunger (Gen. 41:25-30; 45:4-11) Joseph sent his brothers to bring his father, “giving them wagons, according to the commandment of Pharao, & … provision for the way.” (Gen. 45:21) Jacob, arriving in Ægypt with his family, was presented to Pharao at age 130 (Gen. 47:7-9). It follows that Jacob-Israel (Gen. 32:28) begat Joseph at age 130—(30+7+2)=91. And inasmuch as his brothers who came to Ægypt at Joseph’s request called themselves Pharao’s slaves (Gen. 46:33-34; 47:3-4), then the beginning of captivity of the future people of Israel should be considered the year 3554+91+17=3662 from the creation of man.

In the book of Exodus, the length of Ægyptian slavery is repeated twice (Exo. 12:40-41):

Now the sojourning of the children of Israel, who dwelt in Ægypt, was four hundred & thirty years. And it came to pass at the end of the four hundred & thirty years, even the selfsame day [the first of the month], it came to pass, that all the hosts of the Lord went out from the land of Ægypt.

It follows that the exodus of the people of Israel from Ægypt took place in the year 3662+430=4092 from the creation of man.

And it came to pass in the four hundred & eightieth year after the children of Israel were come out of the land of Ægypt, in the fourth year of Solomon’s reign over Israel, in the month Zif, which is the second month, that he began to build the house of the Lord.

And the time that Solomon reigned in Jerusalem over all Israel was forty years.

After the death of Solomon, his kingdom was divided into Judæa & Israel (3 Kings 11:30-32; 12:20-24). This event took place in the year 4092+480+(40-4)=4608 from the creation of man.

Precisely in the year 4608 from the creation of man Rehoboam (son of Solomon) ascended the throne in Judæa (3 Ki. 12:17); 14:21; 2 Chr. 12:13), & Jeroboam in Israel (3 Ki. 12:20; 14:20). Here & further on the names of the Israelite kings are marked in italics, the length of the reign in round parentheses after the kings’ names, & more reliable underlined dates used in the following calculations of the year of becoming king from the year of the division of Solomon’s kingdoms.

In the books of Kings & Chronicles come not only the years of the reign of 20 Judæan & 20 Israelite kings, but also the agreement in the years of their coming to reign. Thus, Asa became king: after Rehoboam (17) & Abia (3), 17+3=20 years; And in the twentieth year of Jeroboam king of Israel (3 Ki. 15:9). In the second variation, the ascent to the throne could have happened at the beginning, thus also at the end of the twentieth year of the reign of Jeroboam, & therefore the year of Aca’s ascent to the throne should be considered year 19.5 with a margin for error of ±0.5 years, that is, 19.5(±0.5).

Ahab became king after Jeroboam (year 22), Nadab (2), Baasha (24), Elah (2), Zimri (7 days), Omri (12), & Tibni (6, at the same time as Omri); in the 38th year of Asa (cf. 3 Ki. 16:29), that is, in the (19.5±0.5)+(37.5±0.5)+(37.5±0.5)=57(±1) year. Jehoshaphat became king in the fourth year of Ahab (cf. 3 Ki. 22: 41-42): (57±1)+(3.5±0.5)=60.5(±1.5); after Asa (41), (19.5±0.5)+41=60.5(±0.5). Jehoram became king: after Ahab (22) and Ahasja (2); in the 18th year of Jehosaphat (cf. 4 Ki. 3:1), (60.5±0.5)+(17.5±0.5)=78(±1). Jehu killed Ahasja & Jehoram (cf. 4 Ki. 9:23-28) & ascended the throne: Gophelia after Jehosaphat (25), Jehoram (8) and Ahasja (1) & Jehu after Jehoram (12) in year (78±1)+12=90(±1).

Joash became king: in the seventh year of Jehu (cf. 4 Ki.12:1), (09±1)+(6.5±0.5)=96.5(±1.5); after Gophelia (6), (90±1)=96(±1). Jehoash became king after Jehu (28) & Jeoahaz (17); in the 37th year of Joash (cf. 4 Ki. 13:10-11) - (96±1)+(36.5±0.5)=132.5(±1.5). Amaziah became king: after Joash (40); in the 2nd year of Joash of Israel (cf. 4 Ki. 14:1-2), (132.5±1.5)+(1.5±0.5)=132(±2). Jeroboam (the second) became king: in the 15th year of Amaziah (cf. 4 Ki. 14:23), (134±2)+(14.5±0.5)=148.5(±2.5); after Joash (16), (132.5±1.5)+16=148.5(±1.5). Azariah-Oziah became king 15 year after the death of Joash (16), (132.5±1.5) (cf. 4 Ki. 14:17; 2 Chr. 25:25), (132.5±1.5)+16+15=163.5(±1.5); after Amaziah (29), (134±2)+29=163(±2). Pekah becam king: after Jerobaam (41), Zacharia ( months), Salum (1 month), Menael (10) & Pekah (2); in the 52nd year of Azariah (cf. 4 Ki.16:1-2), (214.5±2.5)+(16.5±0.5)=231(±3); after Amaziah-Oziah (52) & Joapham (16), (163±2)+52+16=231(±2). Hoshea became king after Pekah (20); in the 12th year of Ahaz (cf. 4 Ki. 17:1-2), (231±2)+(11.5±0.5)=242.5(±2.5). Hezekiah became king after Ahaz (16); in the third year of Hoshea (cf. 4 Kings 18:1-2), (242.5±2.5)+(2.5±0.5)=245(±3)

Sedekiah became king after Hezekiah (29), Manasses (55), Amon (2), Josiah (31), Jehoahaz (3 months), Joachim (11) & Jeconiah (3 months) in the (245±3)+29+55+2+31+0.25+11+0.25=373.5(±3) year (from D.S.K.). It should be noted that according to 4 Kings 21:1, Manasses reigned 50 years, while the number 55 used in the calculation is cited in 2 Chr. 33:1, in the book by Prof. Lopukhina & in two books of the Tanach. The Babylonian captivity began when Nabuchodonosor resettled Jehoiachin (& his family) from Jerusalem to Babylon, taking “princes, mighty men of valor, carpenters, artisans, builders… with the treasures of the house of the Lord & the royal house (cf. 4 Ki. 24:11-16; 2 Chr. 36:6-7). In enslaved Jerusalem Nabuchodonosor made Zedekiah king (cf. 4 Kings 24:17-18), taking an oath from him that he would serve him loyally (cf. 2 Chr. 36:11-13), & therefore the beginning of the Babylonian captivity should be considered the year 4608+(373.5±3)=4981.5(±3).

According to the prophecy of Jeremiah (cf. Jer. 25:11-12; 29:10-14) & according to the chronicles (cf. 2 Chron. 36:20-21), the Babylonian captivity lasted 70 years. The captivity ended with the decree by Cyrus, emperor of Persia, for the building of a temple in Jerusalem, after which the captives returned to “their cities” along with the returned treasures (cf. 2 Chr. 36:22-23; 1 Esd. 1:1-11, 2; 2 Esd. 2:1-15). This event happened in year (4981.5±3)+70=5051.59±3).

The period between the liberation from Babylonian captivity & the giving over to death of Christ the Savior predicted by the prophet Daniel is repeated twice:

Seventy weeks [in translation, semiletiy] are determined upon thy people & upon thy holy city… Know therefore & understand, that from the going forth of the commandment to restore & to build Jerusalem unto the Christ the Prince shall be seven weeks, & threescore & two weeks… And He shall confirm the covenant with many for one week: and in the midst of the week He shall cause the sacrifice & the oblation to cease.

Jesus Christ began His ministry at the age of 30 years (Lk. 3:23) and ministered 3.5 years, accepting death on the Cross at age 33.5—thus writes Abp. Averky in his book the Four Gospels. Thus, the Birth of Christ occurred in year (5051.5±3)+(70x7)-33.5=5508(±3) from the day of the creation of man.

Thus proving the Orthodox view that the earth is 7530 years old.