Just for scholar who yet again says:
The very fact that critics of 607 cannot determine the calender year for the fall of Jerusalem and cannot agree as to chronology and nature of the seventy years renders such views as foolish.
So, why can scholars not agree whether Jerusalem fell in 587 BC or 586 BC? I'm not going to go into any astronomical texts that show how to date these events, but just discuss why we cannot be certain of the year of Jerusalem's fall.
First, how do we work out when Nebuchadnezzar ascended to the Babylonian throne? According to Berossus it was ?on the first day of Elul (6/7 September 605 BC), he (Nebuchadnezzar) sat on the royal throne. (Wiseman 1985 pp.18-19 see also The Cambridge Ancient History III part 2 p231 also BM21946). Texts are dated to his reign at Sippar on 24th September and at Babylon 6 days earlier.
So here's a quick table to list various regnal years of Nebuchadnezzar in the Babylonian calendar:
Regnal year: Babylonian date: Equivalent Julian date:
Ascension 1 Elul (-293) ? 30 Addaru (-293) 06 Sept 605 BC ? 31 March 604 BC
Year 1 1 Nisanu (-292) ? 29 Addaru (-292) 01 April 604 BC ? 20 March 603 BC
Year 2 1 Nisanu (-291) ? 29 Addaru (-291) 21 March 603 BC ? 08 April 602 BC
Year 3 1 Nisanu (-290) ? 30 Addaru (-290) 09 April 602 BC ? 28 March 601 BC
Year 4 1 Nisanu (-289) ? 30 Addaru (-289) 29 March 601 BC ? 17 March 600 BC
Year 5 1 Nisanu (-288) ? 29 Addaru (-288) 18 March 600 BC ? 04 April 599 BC
Year 6 1 Nisanu (-287) ? 29 Addaru (-287) 05 April 599 BC ? 24 March 598 BC
Year 7 1 Nisanu (-286) ? 29 Addaru (-286) 25 March 598 BC ? 11 April 597 BC
Year 8 1 Nisanu (-285) ? 30 Addaru (-285) 12 April 597 BC ? 01 April 596 BC
Year 9 1 Nisanu (-284) ? 30 Addaru (-284) 02 April 596 BC ? 20 April 595 BC
Year 17 1 Nisanu (-276) ? 29 Addaru II (-276) 03 April 588 BC ? 21 April 587 BC
Year 18 1 Nisanu (-275) ? 29 Addaru (-275) 22 April 587 BC ? 11 April 586 BC
Year 19 1 Nisanu (-274) ? 30 Addaru (-274) 12 April 586 BC ? 31 March 585 BC
The Babylonian Chronicle says he captured Jerusalem on 2nd Adarru in his seventh year:
Using only the Babylonian calendar, Nebuchadrezzar?s 7th year was 1 Nisanu (-286) ? 29 Addaru (-286) or 25 March 598 BC ? 11 April 597 BC.
2nd Addaru -286 = 15/16th March 597 BCE.
(Note the Babylonian day started just after sundown so 2nd Addaru started after sunset 15th March 597 BC and ended just before sunset 16th March 597 BC.)
Calculation of the date of the destruction of Jerusalem:
We only have two bible passages that show the date of the fall of Jerusalem, 2 Kings 25:8 and Jeremiah 52:12. These show it to be between 7th of Ab and 10th Ab in Nebuchadnezzar?s 19th year.
In the fifth month, on the seventh day of the month -- which was the nineteenth year of King Nebuchadrez'zar, king of Babylon (2 Kings 25:8).
[This is Nebuchadrezzar?s 18th year in ascension year reckoning.]
In the fifth month, on the tenth day of the month -- which was the nineteenth year of King Nebuchadrez'zar, king of Babylon -- Nebu'zarad'an the captain of the bodyguard who served the king of Babylon, entered Jerusalem. (Jer 52:12)
There is much evidence to show the Jews used a non-ascension year dating system. Jeremiah 25:1 and 46:2 show the battle of Carchemish occurred ?in the fourth year of Jehoiakim? and this was ?the first year of Nebuchadnezzar?. But the Babylonian Chronicle 5 (BM 21946) says this battle took place in Nebuchadnezzar?s ascension year (see Assyrian and Babylonian Chronicles ? A.K.Grayson p98 Chronicle 5 line 12)
Also Jeremiah 52:12 puts the destruction in Nebuchadnezzar?s nineteenth year while Jeremiah 52:29 puts this event in Nebuchadnezzar?s eighteenth year. The eighteenth year of Nebuchadnezzar using the Babylonian ascension year system would be the same as the nineteenth year using the Jewish non-ascension year system. This also seems to suggest that Jeremiah 52:28-32 was added to the passage from Babylonian records at a later date, Jeremiah chapter 52 being word for word the same as 2 Kings 24:18 ? 25:30, except for verses 28-32.
So we use 7th (or 10th) Abu in Nebuchadnezzar?s 18th year (ascension system) to date the fall of Jerusalem.
We have another problem though in that although the Babylonians and the Jews both numbered their months from Nisan, the Babylonian New Year began in Nisan but the Jewish New Year began in Tishri. Because the bible is unclear as to which calendar is being used, we end up with two dates:
1. Using the Babylonian Nisanu-Nisanu new year calendar:
Nebuchadnezzar?s 18th regnal year was 1 Nisanu 587 BC ? 29 Addaru 586 BC or 23 April 587 BC ? 12 April 586 BC.
07th Ab 587 BC = 25th August 587 BCE.
2. Using the Hebrew Tishri-Tishri new year calendar:
Nebuchadnezzar?s 18th regnal year was 1 Tishri 587 BC ? 30 Elul 586 BC or 18 October 587 BC ? 06 October 586 BC.
07th Ab 586 BC = 14th August 586 BCE.
(see also The Cambridge Ancient History III part 2 p. 234)
So hopefully you can see that the uncertainty as to the year, either 586 or 587, is simply becuase the bible is unclear as to which calendar to use.
CF.