The following table, which exhibits the statements of the chronographers regarding the Fourth age of the world, should be compared with Table X. in our first Part; as it contains the Critarchal Eras, and Intervals according to each chronographer. With regard to this period, we omitted to observe that the reading in most of the MSS. and editions of the Septuagint, in 1 Kings vi. 1, is 440 years instead of 480 years.

With regard to this much disputed period, the testimony of Josephus is, in several places of his works, highly satisfactory. First—In the title of the fifth book of his Antiquities, which records the history of the interval from the death of Moses to that of Eli, he states that it contains a period of 476 years; and in the title of the 6th book, which records the history of the interval from the death of Eli to that of Saul, he states that it contains a period of 32 years. These intervals taken together make a period of 508 years; to which, if we add the 40 years in the wilderness, the 40 years of David, and the three years of Solomon, we have 591 years; this period wants only about 20 years to make it correspond with the true chronology, and these 20 years appear to have been omitted in the Seventh Servitude; for the short period of 32 years is manifestly erroneous. The truth is, that the longer interval should be only 456 or 457 years, in order to correspond exactly with Acts xiii. 19, 20; and the shorter interval 72 years, in order to correspond with Acts xiii. 21, and 1 Samuel vii. 2.^[87] These intervals would then make together 529 years; to which, if the numbers above mentioned be added, the true amount is 612 years, as in the Table. Second,—That 612 years is the true Flavian Extent of the Fourth age of the world is evident from the 20th book of the Antiquities x. 1, where the author says “but the number of the years which the thirteen [high priests] ruled, from the day our fathers left Egypt, Moses being leader, until the foundation of the temple which Solomon the king built in Jerusalem, was 612 years.”^[88] From this distinct statement of the true extent of the Critarchal age, it is evident that the text of Josephus, in books 5th and 6th of the Antiquities, must have originally contained the true Scriptural numbers, although now we find the following errors have supervened. The first error is in Book vii. 5, 4, where, speaking of the form of the Hebrew Government under Moses and Joshua, he says, “but after his [or their] death, for the whole 18 years, anarchy ruled their people.”^[89] The words τοῖς πᾶσι, the whole, seem plainly to indicate that a connecting sentence has been omitted here; and that these 18 years must have been part of the government of Joshua and the Elders, which appears to have been so mild and Patriarchal, after the division of the land, when “the Lord had given rest unto Israel from all their enemies round about,” that humanly speaking, they were without government, although they were living under the best of all governments—a Theocracy. After the death of Joshua and the Elders, indeed, there must have been a short period of anarchy, perhaps about two years,^[90] when the children of Israel “forsook the Lord and served Baal and Ashtaroth,” and when “an angel of the Lord came up from Gilgal to Bochim” to reprove them for their Idolatry, (Judges ii. 1–5,) previous to their being “sold into the hand of the King of Mesopotamia;” (iii. 8.) This anarchal period of two years, with the 18 years of rest under Joshua, and the 7 years of his active government during the war and the allotment of the land, will clearly make up the number of 27 years, a period to which all the ancient chronographers bear the most distinct and unequivocal testimony;—“Frequens tamen opinio est 27 annis eum [Jesum] Hebræis præfuisse.”^[91] A further proof of the opinion we have here advanced respecting the 18 years, is that Josephus does not make the slightest mention of them at the proper place in the history, where he speaks of the death of Joshua, and the accession of Judah to power according to the Divine word, Judges i. 2; but incidentally introduces them into a reflection which he makes on the different forms of the Hebrew government, on the occasion of the renewal of the Kingdom to Saul at Gilgal; 1 Samuel xi. 14.

The second error relates to the critarchate of Shamgar, which is usually reckoned at one year by those who undertake to expound the chronology of Josephus; but there is no warrant for this either in the Scriptures, or in Josephus; for he merely says, in v. 4, 3, that “Shamgar died in the first year of his government,” which might have been at the very commencement of it, and perhaps in the 80th year of Ehud. The next error of Josephus is the total omission, in the present text of the Critarchate of Tolah, who succeeded Abimelech, and preceded Jair; this omission amounts to 23 years; but it must have been reckoned by Josephus, otherwise he could not have recorded such numbers as he has done in every place for the whole length of the period. Again, the name and progeny of Abdon are mentioned in v. 7, 15; but the years of his critarchate are omitted, in the present text, evidently by mistake or oversight. Lastly, an error has been attributed to Josephus by some chronologers,^[92] in making Saul reign only 20 years; but this is a mistake on their part; for he distinctly states in vi. 14, 9, that “he reigned 18 years while Samuel was alive, and 22 years after his death,” which clearly makes 40 years in all. Further, he states in vi. 13, 5, that “after the death of Eli, the high priest Samuel alone ruled the people 12 years; and after Saul was king, 18 years;” thus plainly, as in the present text, omitting the Seventh Servitude, when the ark was at Kirjathjearim for the space of 20 years; 1 Samuel vii. 2. Third,—in his 2d Book against Apion, Sect. 2, Josephus says, “But Solomon himself built the Temple, 612 years after the Exodus of the Jews from Egypt.”^[93] This is a very important testimony, occurring as it does in an argumentative treatise concerning the “Antiquity of the Jewish Nation,” in opposition to the pretensions of the Greeks, Egyptians, and Chaldeans, to a vastly more remote origin than the Hebrews. Here, Josephus, or his transcribers, having no particular end to serve in reference to dates, has allowed the simple fact concerning the true length of the period to remain on record. Most likely it has escaped their notice, otherwise it might have shared the fate of the dates and periods of his Antiquities, which have been by wilful alteration, thrown into such inextricable confusion.

Having thus shown that Josephus originally held the true chronology of this period, we may select some other instances of the manner in which it has been misstated either by himself or others in the present text of his works, the error being in general a period of about 20 years, either above or below the truth. In the Antiquities vii. 3, 2, he says “But all the time from Joshua being commander of the expedition against the Canaanites, until David expelled them from Jerusalem, was 515 years.”^[94] Now adding to this number the 40 years in the Wilderness, the 33 years which David reigned in Jerusalem (2 Sam. v. 5, 6, 7), and the 3 years of Solomon, we have 591 years as before, a period which is deficient by about 20 years. Again, in viii. 3, 1, he says, “But Solomon began the building of the Temple in the 4th year of his reign, 592 years after the Exodus of the Israelites from Egypt;” but according to Tostatus, cited by Hudson, the number found in some copies was 612 years.^[95] Next, in ix. 14, 1, he says, “Therefore the Ten Tribes of Israel migrated from Judea 947 years after the time when their forefathers, having left Egypt, possessed the land; but after the time when, having rebelled against Rehoboam, the grandson of David, they transferred the kingdom to Jeroboam, 240 years, 7 months, 7 days;”^[96] now, if we reckon the captivity of the Ten Tribes from the Foundation of the Temple, by allowing, according to Josephus, viii. 7, 8, for the reign of Solomon 80 years, taking off 3 years, and adding the remaining 77 years to the latter interval above mentioned, neglecting the months and days, we have 317 years for the amount; and if we subtract this amount from the former interval, we have 630 years for the remainder, which is evidently the period here reckoned between the Exodus and the Foundation of the Temple, and it errs in excess by 18 years. Lastly, in x. 8, 5, he says, “But the temple was burned 470 years, 6 months, and 10 days after it was founded; and 1062 years, 6 months, and 10 days after the Exodus of the people from Egypt;^[97] hence it follows, that the period from the Exodus to the Foundation of the Temple is here reckoned 592 years, which is deficient as above by 20 years. The object of the author, or of his corrupters, appears to have been to make the chronology square as much as possible with the extended reign of Solomon, and to throw back upon this period a moiety of the surplus years which he has thought fit to add to the length of this reign; but we shall see more evidence on this point in the next section.

The intervals of Theophilus, according to the text extant, must have been strangely corrupted, when we find that they make the extent of this age only 541 years. If we restore to the Critarchate of Ehud the period of 80 years instead of 8, a mistake which might easily occur in the Greek, by the writing of Η for Π, and omit the single year allotted to Samira,^[98] out of place, and void of authority, we shall at once have the true number 612 years. We can scarcely, however, attribute the corruption of the text of Theophilus to simple mistake in this manner; for we find that he reckons from the entrance of Israel into the promised land “till the [end of the] reign of David, all the years were 498:” now if to this interval, we add the 40 years in the Wilderness, and the 3 years of Solomon, we shall have the precise period inserted in the preceding Table, as his extent of the Fourth age. Theophilus has committed other errors, which however balance each other, and produce no effect on the whole period. After stating that “the Philistines ruled” the Israelites “40 years,” he says that “Samson judged them 20 years;” thus forgetting the Scriptures which says, that “he judged Israel in the days of the Philistines 20 years;” Judges xv. 20. He then says that “there was peace among them for 40 years,” an assertion wholly unauthorized by Scripture, and by the whole crowd of chronographers.^[99] These errors are compensated for by allotting to Eli only “20 years” instead of 40 years, by omitting the seventh servitude of 20 years, and by putting only “20 years” instead of 40 years, for the reign of Saul.^[100] Dr. Russell, in his “Connection,” vol. i. pp. 128, 129, gives a view of the chronology of this period according to Theophilus, where he strangely misdates the age in which he lived, and contrary to the copy of his work to which Mr. Clinton or ourselves have referred, makes out that his Extent of the Critarchal age is 612 years! He makes no remark whatever about the error of Theophilus in regard to the years of Ehud, but assumes them at once at 80; he retains the one year of Shamgar, and puts him in his proper place; and he makes the years of Tolah 22 instead of 23; thus he easily obtains the correct number, but by no means in a satisfactory manner, when compared with the text of the author. Indeed, trusting to the view which Dr. Russell has given in the passage referred to, we have at p. 71 stated, and at p. 92 considered, that the extent of this period is, according to Theophilus, 612 years; but we now have some doubts whether this was his genuine number, seeing that he has included the erroneous number of 541 years in his subsequent dates and intervals, as will be shown in another section.

In this age also, we have to regret the deficiency of the intervals of Africanus, owing to the fragmentary state in which his works have reached us. The testimony of Eusebius, both in his Chronicon and his Præparatio Evangelica, as well as that of Syncellus, enables us to exhibit the chief Intervals and the whole Extent of the Critarchal age according to this Chronographer. In the extracts of his third book, which have been preserved, he says “From the Exodus of Moses to Cyrus, who reigned after the Captivity, were 1237 years; for the remaining years of Moses were 40; the years of Joshua, who succeeded him as leader, 25; the years of the Elders, the Judges after Joshua, 30; the years of those contained in the book of Judges, 490; the years of the High Priests Eli and Samuel, 90; then, the years of the Kings of the Hebrews, 490; [and the years of the captivity, 70;] the last year of which was the first year of the reign of Cyrus, as we have before said.”^[101] The sum of these numbers is only 1235 years, instead of 1237 years, which shows that he must have originally written 27 years for Joshua instead of 25 years.^[102] From this passage we learn that the interval from the Exodus to the accession of Saul is, according to Africanus, 675 years. From Syncellus, we learn that “according to Africanus, the years from Adam till the last of the Judges and the first of Eli the High Priest, were 4292;” and that “from Adam till his [Solomon’s] 8th year, there were, according to Africanus, 4457 years.”^[103] Taking 5 years from the latter number, we have A.M. 4452 for the date of the Foundation of the Temple, being the 4th year of Solomon. The difference, therefore, between this date and the first year of Eli, is according to Africanus, 160 years; and the difference between the latter number, and the 90 years allotted by him to Eli and Samuel, is 70 years; hence, if we add this difference to the interval of 675 years above mentioned, we have 745 years for the Extent of the Critarchal age, according to Africanus. Eusebius in his Chronicon, cited by Mr. Clinton, p. 308, makes this period 744 years, the difference being “only a single year,” which may have arisen from a slight difference in the mode of computation, and accounts for its elongation by the addition of 100 years, which are wholly unauthorised by Scripture: viz.—the 30 years ascribed to the Elders who outlived Joshua, the 40 years of supposed anarchy after the death of Samson, and the 30 years of imaginary peace which succeeded the anarchy. The grand object of Africanus in the chronology of this age, appears to have been to make up at once for the deficiency of the generation of the Junior Cainan, and the two years after the flood, by the enlargement of the period from its true length 612 years, to his surreptitious length of 744 years; for the difference between these numbers is just 132 years, the precise difference between the dates of Africanus and the true dates of the epochs in the two former ages. By the manufacture of the intervals of the Fourth age, therefore, he has contrived to bring about the true date of the Foundation of Solomon’s Temple in his Chronology, and to compensate for his former errors in such a manner as to restore the ancient computation of Scripture at this important and well-known epoch.

Of the Extent of the Critarchal age, and the length of its Intervals, as Mr. Clinton remarks, Eusebius has three accounts. For the account taken from his Præparatio Evangelica, Lib. x. c. 14, and the account taken from his “Chronicon,” which we have placed side by side in the preceding table, we are partly indebted to Russell and partly to Clinton.^[104] As Dr. Russell has endeavoured to make the former account, by the correction of some of its intervals, speak the language of the “Chronicon” in a passage, for the citation of which we are indebted to Mr. Clinton;^[105] we have thought it right to restore the original numbers, in order to show what was the real opinion of Eusebius, respecting this age, on the occasion of writing his “Gospel Preparation.” According to his opinion, therefore, the Extent of the Fourth age was 613 years, the difference between this number and the Scriptural one, being only a single year! The author, however, commits a number of errors in detail, which balance each other, and in their summation, bring out almost exactly the true period. The chief errors are, the omission of the Seventh Servitude, 20 years; and of the Critarchate of Samuel, 12 years. In order to compensate for these omissions, he reckons the Critarchate of Samson, apart from the 6th Servitude, 20 years; he adds 10 years to the Critarchate of Othniel; and gladly seizes upon the 30 years for Joshua and the Elders instead of 27 years; in order to bring out the correct number for the whole period, as nearly as possible, as he well knew that it was 612 years. That this was his real opinion, is also evident from the following passage in his “Chronicon” already referred to: “The amount of the time during which the judges bore rule until Samuel, was altogether 450 years, our apostle himself testifying it by his declaration, [Acts xiii. 20]. There are, however, besides this reckoning, the periods of Moses and Joshua his successor, as well as of Samuel and Saul. But let us pass, in the meantime, the periods of Samuel, and Saul, and Joshua. Now from the testimony of the Apostle, the 40 years of Saul must be added to the 450 years of the judges, to which number the 40 years of David and the 4 years of Solomon being added, the sum of the years amounts to 534; which is, in fact, the apostolical tradition. Then, the 40 years which Moses led in the desert, and again the 27 years of Joshua the son of Nun, to which the Jews themselves agree, being added, the years amount to 600.” This is a very important and clear statement of the truth, with the exception of the 12 years of Samuel, “which,” Mr. Clinton says, “he supposed to be included in the years of Saul.” We do not agree with Mr. Clinton in this point; we think the passage bears evident marks that he had the separate period of Samuel in his mind; particularly, from his cunning “interim seponamus,”—“let us pass in the mean time.” In fact, he only pretends to forget it; for he knew that if he had added it, along with the periods of Joshua and Saul, he would have had the correct number at once, namely, 612 years! His accommodation to the spirit of the age in which he lived, by the insertion of the Hebrew chronology of this period in his Tables, instead of the Septuagint or ancient chronology which he has so clearly established by Apostolical tradition, exhibits a degree of vacillation and imbecility wholly unworthy the character of an able historian and chronographer, and quite unbecoming an ardent advocate of the Truth. We have sufficiently refuted this chronology in our first Part; and it is unnecessary to go over the same arguments, or attempt to strengthen them by the admissions of our opponents. Suffice it to remark that the Hebrew intervals of Eusebius amount only to 479 years, instead of 480 years, which it ought to reach according to 1 Kings vi. 1, and that even the Hebrew intervals of Usher amount only to 478½ years, p. 68; and although these amounts differ only by half a year, the details of their intervals exhibit a very surprising difference. Thus, Eusebius allows 27 years to Joshua and the Elders, Usher none, with the exception of 6⅓ years for the war and the division of the land; Eusebius reckons the Critarchate of Gideon at 40 years, Usher at 49⅙ years; Eusebius reckons the Critarchate of Tolah at 22 years, Usher at 23 years;^[106] Eusebius omits the Critarchate of Ibzan 10 years, and of Samuel 12 years; Usher admits the former, and reckons the latter 21 years; Eusebius reckons the Critarchate of Samson 20 years, and Usher omits it altogether. Eusebius and Usher are indeed very fit authors to be classed together: both no doubt pious men and exemplary Christians; but both too much given to yield to the pressure of the times as historiographers and chronographers; and too much influenced by the bold assertions of the Jews respecting the immaculate purity of the Hebrew Text.

The Extent of the Fourth age and the lengths of the Intervals, according to the Paschal Chronicle, are given by Mr. Clinton, but in such a rambling manner that we have had some difficulty to expiscate them from his extracts. As to the extent, the author of the Chronicle says “the whole time, from the 81st year of Moses, in which the Exodus from Egypt took place, to Solomon and the Foundation of the Temple amounts to 630 years.”^[107] We have seen that this is the number collected from Josephus Book viii. 7, 8; but the intervals given by the author of the Chronicle, amount to 632 years. The first error he commits is making the Critarchate of Othniel only 32 years; or, which is the same thing, including the 1st Servitude in the 40 years of that judge;^[108] the next is reckoning the years of Samson distinct from those of the 6th Servitude, and interposing an unauthorised period of 40 years peace between Samson and Eli;^[109] and the last is omitting the 7th Servitude, reckoning the critarchate of Samuel 20 years, and reducing the reign of Saul to 20 years.^[110] The author probably reckoned only 39 years of Moses and 2 of Solomon, when he calculated the whole period at 630 years. But from the Chronicon itself, the number of 632 years is clearly made out; for the 81st year of Moses is reckoned A.M. 3837, and the 3rd of Solomon A.M. 4469. The coincidence between its author and Josephus, which we have remarked above, is very singular, and seems to indicate that this error of putting 630 years for 612, on the part of both, had a common origin. Mr. Clinton also particularly investigates the statements of Clemens Alexandrinus, and Syncellus, regarding this period; but as we do not attach so much importance to their statements as to those we have already discussed, we have thought proper to omit them; suffice it to remark in general, that they strengthen and confirm the lengthened chronology of the older chronographers. The concluding observations of Mr. Clinton, p. 312, appear to us surprising, considering the mass of evidence he has brought forward in favour of the true period of 612 years. He says that “it fluctuates between the 600 years of Eusebius, and the 628 years arising out of the corrected numbers of Josephus. The truth lies somewhere between these points. We may assume 612 years as the most probable.” There appears to us to be no probability in the case; we have seen that the statements of Josephus, Theophilus, Eusebius, and the author of the Paschal Chronicle, when corrected for obvious errors, according to the authority of Scripture, all speak the same language and announce the invariable period of 612 years. The details of the period assigned by Africanus are lost; but his case is peculiar; he was evidently desirous to make this period compensate for former errors; and he has effected his purpose to a single year. His date, therefore, of the Foundation of the Temple is correct; and this appears to have been his chief aim. According to their estimate of the extent of the different ages of the world up to this epoch, their respective dates, according to the preceding Tables will stand thus:—

Had we corrected these dates on grounds already stated, and which by many would have been deemed sufficient, we could have shown a much nearer coincidence between them and the true date; but our object was to show what the details of the different authors really are as exhibited in their works now extant. It is satisfactory, however, to observe that the difference between the latter and either of the former, is very small, and in the case of the greatest magnitude, is very easily accounted for on the principle of Rabbinical authority and influence.

The following remark of Mr. Clinton, p. 313, is much more in point than the former above cited; our only wonder is that he seems to think the extent of the period itself not sufficiently established: “This extended term of 612 years is inconsistent with the date in the Book of Kings (1 Kings vi. 1), which reckons the foundation of the Temple in the 4th year of Solomon to be in the 480th year after the children of Israel were come out of the land of Egypt. But the computation of Paul, delivered in a solemn argument before a Jewish audience, and confirmed by the whole tenor of the history in the Book of Judges, outweighs the authority of that date; and we may agree with Jackson and Hales in rejecting it.” To this he might have added, and we ought rather to agree with the whole Christian Church in adopting the extended period, than with the Jews, the persecutors and vilifiers of that Church, in adopting the curtailed period, and thus giving countenance to their interpolations of Scripture.

5.

Table VI. Containing the statements of the chronographers relating to the Fifth age of the world—The errors of Josephus peculiar—His elongation of the reign of Solomon—Disagreement of his titulary periods with the summation of the reigns in Books Eighth, Ninth, and Tenth—Proof that the former is nearly correct—Table VII. Monarchal Periods of Josephus—Comparison with the True Chronology—Evidence that these periods have been manufactured—The true Chronology of this age detected in his works—Table VIII. True Flavian Periods, showing the Scriptural extent as originally held by Josephus—Proof that he knew the true epoch of the Captivity—The errors of Theophilus in this age few—He is also mistaken as to the epoch of the Captivity—Africanus diminishes the true extent of this age—He is misrepresented by Syncellus—The statements of Eusebius taken from the Hieronymian and Armenian versions of his Canon—Those of the author of the Paschal Chronicle from that work itself—Their errors pointed out—The difference between their Extent of this age and the true Extent only 3 years.

The following Table which exhibits the statements of the Chronographers regarding the Fifth age of the World, should be compared with Table XII. in our First Part; as it contains the Monarchal Eras and Intervals according to each chronographer.

The principal errors of Josephus in this age, are his addition of 40 years to the reign of Solomon, and his omission of the interregnum between Amaziah and Uzziah. The former error appears to have been peculiarly his own; the latter he seems to share in common with most, if not all, the ancient chronographers. In his Antiquities, Book x. 8, 5, he says, “the temple was burned 470 years 6 months and 10 days after its foundation;”^[111] and this period is clearly made out from the summation of the years of the reigns of the kings of Judah as laid down by him, in Books Eighth, Ninth and Tenth. Moreover, these books contain the history of the Jews from the accession of Solomon to the end of the Babylonish captivity; but we find, by the summation of the titulary periods prefixed to them, that the whole amount of this period is only 502½ years; and, deducting from this amount, the first 3 years of Solomon’s reign and the 70 years of the Captivity, we have 429½ years for a remainder, which is a totally different result. In order to arrive at the proper explanation of the difference between this number and the former, we shall exhibit the comparison of the summation of his periods and his reigns in these Books with the true chronology in the form of a table; premising, that the history of the VIIIth Book extends from the accession of Solomon to the death of Ahab, in the 19th year of Jehoshaphat’s reign; of the IXth Book, from the same year to the Captivity of the Ten Tribes of Israel, in the 6th year of Hezekiah’s reign; and of the Xth Book, from this same year to the end of the Babylonish Captivity. In the following Table, the first column exhibits the periods announced in the titles of the different books, the second the amount of the years of the different reigns they contain, and the third the amount of the same years according to the true chronology:

Here the discrepancy between the amount of the Periods and the amount of the Reigns is manifest; and the cause of the discrepancy is plainly the 40 years surreptitiously added to Solomon’s reign; for if this number be subtracted from 470½ years, the result of the reigns, the remainder is 430½ years, which agrees with the result of the periods to a single year, and this year may have been added for the 1st of Cyrus. The latter amount, however, still differs from the true period by 10 years; and this difference evidently arises from the omission of the interregnum of 12 years, and the addition of 2 years to the reign of Jehoram. The extraordinary want of agreement between the different periods and the corresponding amount of the reigns, shows that the former must have been manufactured to serve some particular purpose, the most probable being the concealment of the error of 40 additional years in the reign of Solomon. This is so far ingeniously done, and might deceive a cursory reader; for the first period of 163 years is his exact interval from the Foundation of the Temple to the end of Jehoshaphat’s reign; the second period of 157 years is exactly 40 years less than his interval from the end of Jehoshaphat’s reign to the end of Hezekiah’s reign; and the third period of 182½ years is only 2 years more than his interval from the end of Hezekiah’s reign to the end of the captivity.

That this tortuous chronologer and historian must have originally reckoned his periods in this age according to the true system of chronology, is manifest from the following passage in Book x. 4, 4; where, speaking of the fulfilment of the prophecy concerning the idolatrous altar at Bethel (1 Kings xiii. 1), he says, “and he [Josiah] burned the bones of the false prophets upon the altar which Jeroboam first built,” and “these things were fulfilled after a period of 361 years.”^[112] Now, according to the testimony of Scripture (2 Chronicles xxxiv. 3), cited by Josephus (x. 4, 1),^[113] we find that this fulfilment took place in the 12th year of the reign of Josiah; and from the 1st year of Jeroboam, when the altar was built, to the epoch in question, the interval, according to the chronology of Josephus in the preceding Table, is only 351 years; but, according to the true Chronology, it is exactly 361 years. It is plain, therefore, that Josephus in this passage, must have reckoned an interregnum of 10 years between Amaziah and Uzziah: and, if we reckon the reign of Jehoram only 6 years as in the true chronology, instead of 8 years as in that of our author, and add the surplus of 2 years to these 10 years, we shall have the correct Interregnum of 12 years, as stated at p. 74, under the head of the Septuagint; see 2 Kings xv. 1.^[114] It is true that the 10 years which we have thus detected in the Antiquities, might have been added by Josephus, as by Theophilus and Clemens, to the reign of Amaziah, but this would not alter the total amount. Some chronologers, as Polyhistor cited by Eusebius,^[115] have added 10 years to the reign of Amon instead of to that of Amaziah; but in either case the effect is still the same,—to make the whole period more consistent with the true chronology. Thus we have expiscated the truth concerning this period even from the unwilling pages of Josephus; for the rest of the computation concerning the Fifth age will be clearly seen from the following Table, which harmonizes with the previous result:

Although Josephus in his “Antiquities” has generally reckoned the 70 years of the Captivity from the Destruction of the Temple to the 1st year of Cyrus, which is contrary to the true chronology and to the Canon of Ptolemy, yet we have evidence in his “Jewish War” that he was perfectly acquainted with the correct period of 52 years, which we have shown in our first Part, at pp. 80, 81, to be the true interval. Thus, in Book vi. 4, 8, of the latter work, when speaking of the Destruction of the Temple, he says, “and from the first foundation which King Solomon laid, till the present destruction, which happened in the 2d year of the Emperor Vespasian, are reckoned 1130 years 7 months and 15 days; but from the second, which Haggai effected in the 2d year of Cyrus the king, till the destruction under Vespasian, 639 years and 45 days.”^[116] Not to dwell on the glaring anachronism of referring the foundation of the temple in the 2nd year of Cyrus (Ezra iii. 8), to the renewal of the work of building it in the 2nd year of Darius (Ezra iv. 24, and v. 1), it is plain that the difference between the two periods mentioned in this passage, viz. 491½ years, is the true interval from the destruction of Solomon’s temple to the foundation of the second Temple in the 2nd year of Cyrus; for omitting the half-year, as the 2nd year had just commenced at the latter epoch (Ezra iii. 8), and subtracting the 52 years above mentioned, from 491 years, we have the remainder 439 years, for the true Extent of the Fifth age as before. The proof, however, that he was acquainted with the true interval, at least within a year or two, is manifest from a passage which occurs in his 1st Book against Apion, sect. 21; where he says, “For it is written in them [the Hebrew Scriptures] that Nebuchadnezzar destroyed our temple in the 18th year [the 19th year, 2 Kings xxv. 8] of his reign, and it was in ruins for 50 years; but in the 2nd year of the reign of Cyrus, the foundations were laid, and in the 2nd again of the reign of Darius they were finished.”^[117] The difference of 2 years is easily accounted for by supposing that he took the reign of Cyrus in Babylon at 9 years, according to some copies of the Canon of Ptolemy, instead of 7 years, according to Scripture, that is, by supposing his reign to have begun 2 years earlier than the true period. He appears, however, to have tacked these two years to the true interval in question, in another chapter of the same book, viz. “Jewish War,” vi. 10; where, speaking of the destruction of Jerusalem, he says “David, King of the Jews, having expelled the people of the Canaanites, made his own inhabit it; and 477 years 6 months afterwards, it was destroyed by the Babylonians.”^[118] Now as David reigned 33 years in Jerusalem, and the temple was founded in the 4th year of Solomon, if we subtract 36 years from the preceding number, we obtain 441½ years for the period from the foundation of the temple to its destruction, which is only 2½ years more than the true period, a surplus which appears to have arisen from his unwarrantable addition to the true period of the 10th Book of the Antiquities. The last passage which we shall adduce from this extraordinary historical production, so full of chronological errors, is from the 20th Book, where speaking of the High Priests, he says, Nebuchadnezzar “took Josedek the High Priest captive; and the time of their hierarchy was 466 years, 6 months, and 10 days, during the reigns of the Jewish kings.” Now Josedek was taken captive, not when the temple and city were burned, as Josephus erroneously says in the context, but when the “king of Babylon took Jehoiachin in the 8th year of his reign,” and “carried away all Jerusalem, and all the princes, and all the mighty men of valour, 10,000 captives, and all the craftsmen, and all the smiths; none remained, save the poorest sort of the people of the land;” 2 Kings xxiv. 11–16, and 1 Chronicles vi. 15. But as Nebuchadnezzar destroyed Jerusalem in the 19th year of his reign (2 Kings xxv. 8), the difference of time between the first, or Jehoiachin’s captivity, and the second, or Zedekiah’s captivity, is evidently 11 years, which being added to the preceding period, makes a total of 477½ years as before. In these two passages, therefore, Josephus is consistent with himself, and he differs from the true chronology in this period only by the small interval of about 2 years; a difference which, as we before remarked, may be due to his mistake in reference to the Scriptural commencement of the reign of Cyrus, King of Babylon. For a more extensive inquiry into this period of the Chronology of Josephus, we refer to Mr. Cuninghame’s “Fulness of the Times,” pp. 27–60, to which we have been indebted for some suggestions in the preceding discussion.

The errors of Theophilus in the intervals of the Fourth age are few, and chiefly of a compensating nature; and his error in its extent amounts only to about 6 years. He states the reign of Abijah at 7 years instead of 3; of Jehoram at 8 years instead of 6; and of Amaziah at 39 years instead of 29; but the two latter errors make up for his omission of the interregnum of 12 years. He next reckons the reigns of Ahaz and Zedekiah, each a year too much, which, with the error in the reign of Abijah, makes the whole period erroneous in excess by about 6 years, its Extent being 445 years, according to the Table. This Extent is confirmed by the following statement in his general summary: “from the death of David, till the [end of the] sojourning of the people in the land of Babylon, were 518 years, 6 months, 10 days.”^[119] Now, if from this period, we subtract the first 3 years of Solomon, and the 70 years of the captivity, we shall have for the remainder 445 years, the period from the foundation to the destruction of the Temple, according to Theophilus. Again, he says, all the time, from the beginning of the world till the end “of the sojourning in the land of Babylon, is 4954 years, 6 months, 10 days.”^[120] Now, if we add together his different ages up to this epoch, including the 70 years of the captivity, we shall have this precise amount; thus, 2242 + 1011 + 645 + 541 + 445 + 70 = 4954 years. This confirmatory statement, therefore, shows the accuracy of our estimate of the chronology of Theophilus; and thus we see that like other chronographers, he has, contrary to Scripture, reckoned the period of the 70 years’ captivity from the destruction of Jerusalem to the 1st year of the reign of Cyrus. The errors of Africanus in the intervals of the Fourth age cannot be detected, owing to the loss of this part of his Chronicon; we can only decide upon the inaccuracy of his statement regarding its Extent from the extract already cited at p. 265, where he assigns 490 years as the whole period of the Jewish Kings. We have seen at p. 266, that 70 years of this period belong to the former age, according to Africanus; it follows, therefore, that 420 years must be his Extent of the Monarchal age, which we have accordingly inserted in the Table. We have scarcely any means of confirming the correctness of this result, until we show, from his remaining fragments concerning the succeeding age, that it is quite consistent with his great Mundane period from Adam to Christ. It is necessary, however, to make one remark on this subject, namely, that Syncellus has committed an error in stating that “Africanus reckoned the 70 years of the captivity from the 1st year of Zedekiah,”^[121] as we shall see in the sequel.

The statements of Eusebius, in the preceding Table, are taken from the Hieronymian^[122] and Armenian^[123] versions of his Canon; those of the author of the Paschal Chronicle from that work itself.^[124] The former places the foundation of the temple in the 4th year of Solomon; the latter erroneously in his 8th year. Both authors in several places of their works, state the extent of the Fifth age at 442 years, and in order to preserve this number entire they appear to have manufactured two or three of the reigns. Thus, Eusebius reckons the reign of Jehoram at 8 complete years instead of 6, that of Athaliah at 7 instead of 6, and that of Amon at 12 instead of 2. In the Armenian version the reign of Jehoiakim is reckoned at 12 years instead of 11, which seems necessary to make up the total 442 years. In the Paschal Chronicle, the reign of Asa is reckoned at 44 years instead of 41, that of Jehoram at 10 instead of 6, that of Jehoiakim at 12 instead of 11, and that of Amon at 12 instead of 2. Abating the errors thus pointed out, and admitting the interregnum, both authors testify to the true length of this period, which, notwithstanding the former, they have only overrated by 3 years.

6.

Table IX. Ethnocratic Eras and Intervals according to Ptolemy’s Canon and the ancient Chronographers—Accuracy of the Canon—Josephus erroneous but consistent in the Sixth age—His remarkable coincidence with the true Chronology in the Mundane period—Theophilus follows the Roman Chronology in this age—Africanus the prophetic—Both erroneous—Errors of Eusebius, and accuracy of his Extent of this age—Errors of the Paschal Chronicle considerable and unaccountable—Table X. Summation of the Six ages of the world according to the Septuagint and the ancient chronographers—Table XI. Summation of the Periods of the Christian Chronographers, adopted by themselves—Chronological Table of the Principal Epochs and Events from the Creation to the Advent of Christ.

The following Table exhibits the errors of the chronographers in regard to the Sixth age of the world. In our first Part, we have denominated the Eras of this age Hierarchal, Table XIV. p. 80, to indicate the internal form of Government which prevailed among the Jews during the period from their return to their own land to the Advent of the Messiah; here we style them Ethnocratic, to indicate the Iron rule which the Heathen Kings exercised over the remnant of the ancient people of God, till “in the days of these kings the God of Heaven set up a kingdom which should never be destroyed,” but “should break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and stand for ever.” In this table, we have introduced an additional column, showing the periods of the Four Great Monarchies or Empires foretold in the book of Daniel, in as far as they relate to the Sixth age, according to the Canon of Ptolemy, which is accounted by chronologers as one of the most valuable and precious relics of Antiquity.

In this Table the extent of the Ethnocratic age is 587 years according to the Canon of Ptolemy;^[125] this is 2 years more than we assigned at p. 80, owing to the reign of Cyrus being estimated at 9 years instead of 7, which brings the Sixth age up to the vulgar era of the Birth of our Saviour. The Canon assigns 43 years respectively to the reigns of Nebuchadnezzar and Augustus Cæsar; hence the former reigned 25 years after the taking of Jerusalem,^[126] and the latter 28 before the Christian era;^[127] thus the extreme intervals of the first column of the table were obtained. The intervals of Josephus were determined from the following passages:—Book XI. 1, 1, “In the first year of the reign of Cyrus, and this was the 70th from the day that it befell our people to remove from home to Babylon;”—Book XX. 10, 1, “After the period of the 70 years’ captivity, &c. Joshua the Son of Josedek, took the office of High Priest; and his posterity, in all 15, held the democratic form of government for 414 years, till the reign of Antiochus Eupator;”—Book XIV. 16, 4, “Thus ceased the government of the Asamonean [race] after 126 years;”—Book XVII. 6, 3, “for 125 years during which they [the Asamoneans] reigned;”—and, Book XVII. 8, 1, “Having reigned, after he [Herod] caused the death of Antigonus, 34 years, and after he was appointed by the Romans, 37 years.”^[128] Now, taking the period of the Asamonean dynasty at 125 years, and the years of the reign of Herod before Christ was born, at 33, we have, from the preceding extracts, the intervals in the Table, and the extent of the whole period 642 years, according to Josephus. This result receives a striking confirmation from the summation of the periods contained in the Titles of the different Books of the Antiquities which relate the History from the 1st year of Cyrus to the death of Herod. Thus,

Thus it appears that Josephus, or his corrupter, conscious that by the omission of the Second Cainan, he had curtailed the length of the true age of the world, has compensated for this generation, by enlarging the Postdiluvian biennial period, the Antepaidogonian age of Nahor, the reign of Solomon, and the extent of the Hierarchal age; for, we shall see that by the summation of the different ages as we have now determined them from the Antiquities, we obtain the true period from the Creation to the Christian Era, viz. 5478 years!

The extent of the Sixth age according to Theophilus, is obtained from the following extracts: “The 70 years being finished, Cyrus king of the Persians, in the 2d year of his reign,” proclaimed the return of the Jews; “then, Cyrus having reigned 29 years died,” U. C. 220; “at which time Tarquin surnamed Superbus began to reign” at Rome, “who reigned 25 years. After whom, the Consuls and Tribunes reigned 453 years.” To these, succeeded the Emperors, “First Caius Julius, 3 years, 4 months, 6 days; then Augustus, 56 years, 4 months, 1 day.”^[130] From these extracts, it is evident that Theophilus reckoned 54 years from the end of the Jewish captivity to the Regifugium at Rome; and 46 years from the beginning of the Roman Empire to the Christian Era.^[131] Thus, according to Theophilus, the whole extent of this period is 623 years; and consequently, the period from Creation to the Christian era, 5507 years. We obtain the extent of the Sixth age according to Africanus, from the following fragments of his work:—“For after the 70th year of the captivity, Cyrus having sent” the Jews to rebuild the temple, “we find the kingdom of the Persians extending to 230 years, and that of the Macedonians to 300 years; and thence to the 16th year of Tiberius Cæsar, 60 years.” Again, “the whole time of the Macedonian empire, was 300 years wanting 2,” from its commencement till its termination with Cleopatra, the last of the Ptolemies, in the 14th year of the Roman monarchy;—“all the years from Adam being 5472.”^[132] Here, Africanus appears to have forgotten himself, and after saying that the period of the Grecian Empire was 298 years, he still reckons it 300, and thus obtains the number of 5472 years from the Creation. Taking 298 years for the correct period of that Empire, and 30 years as the true interval from its termination to the Christian era, we have 628 years for the extent of the Sixth age, according to this chronographer; and consequently, the whole period from the Creation to the Christian era, 5500 years.

The extent and intervals of the Sixth age according to Eusebius in his Chronicon, were obtained from the same sources as before, see p. 286. He dates the proclamation of Cyrus in the 30th year of the Captivity, and his death in the 60th year. He next dates the 70th year of the Captivity in the 2nd of Darius Hystaspes, and thus annihilates 40 years of the Persian Empire before that epoch; consequently, only 190 years remained after it, as he reckons the whole period 230 years. He next reckons 6 years of the reign of Alexander the Great, independently of the Grecian Empire, which he estimates at 295 years under the Ptolemies; thus making the whole period of the Macedo-Grecian empire 301 years. Lastly, he dates the Birth of Christ in the 42d year of Augustus Cæsar, his 15th year being reckoned coincident with the 22d of Cleopatra, the last of the Ptolemies; hence, the period from the end of the Grecian Empire to the Christian era, is 27 years, and the extent of the whole period under discussion, 588 years. Thus Eusebius, by an admixture of the Hebrew and Septuagint Chronologies in his Canon, makes the period from Creation to the Christian era, 5199 years. The intervals and extent of the Sixth age, according to the author of the Paschal Chronicle, were obtained from his work, see p. 286. He follows Eusebius in his epochs of the 1st of Cyrus and the end of the Captivity; but he reckons the whole period of the Persian Empire at 246 years, and thus makes the remainder 206 years after the Captivity. He estimates the period of the Grecian Empire at 296 years, including Alexander; and the reign of Augustus Cæsar as sole Emperor, at 44 years; thus making the period from the end of the Grecian empire to the birth of Christ 29 years, and the extent of the whole period in question, 601 years. According to this author, therefore, by the summation of his periods the number of years from the Creation to the Christian era, is 5512; but he states it himself at 5507 years. He seems to have obtained this period, by annihilating 2 years in the extent of the 4th age and 3 years in that of the 5th age, in order to make it coincide with that of Theophilus.