Posts by scholar

116

The simplest explanation of 607 BCE

by Doug Mason in

if you are looking for the simplest picture that shows how the wts calculates that jerusalem was destroyed in 607 bce, and if you want to understand basic problems with their method, this might be what you want.. http://au.geocities.com/doug_mason1940/wts_false_reasoning_for_607_bce.pdf.

(make sure that your pdf reader displays the whole page.).

doug.

scholar

Doug Mason

Post 227

You ask concerning the structure of my graduate and post graduate studies in Religion. My undergraduate study consisted of a double major in Religious Studies and Philosophy at Deakin University, Faculty of Arts. The postgraduate program in Studies in Religion was at the University of Sydney.

Such qualifications would qualify one academically to work as a minister in a church but most churches have their own 'in house' theological training so such qualifications would certainly be a major step forward if one was so inclined. You ask for a scan or copy of my certificates which are in called 'tesatamurs' in academic parlance but as these are framed such copies of which are not practically made.

I enjoyed very much my university education which fulfilled a childhood ambition of having a university education. My wife and daughter also have gone to university graduating in nursing. My studies were spiritually upbuilding and I was able to critically examine everything including my Witness-Bible based beliefs and found that upon such critical examination that we alone possess the True Religion.

I frankly am not a 'spin doctor' but rather I am a WT apologist using my faith,experience and intellect to defend our Bible-based beliefs and the ministry of preaching the 'good news of the kingdom'. My apologia is in the best tradition of Irenaeus.

116

The simplest explanation of 607 BCE

by Doug Mason in

if you are looking for the simplest picture that shows how the wts calculates that jerusalem was destroyed in 607 bce, and if you want to understand basic problems with their method, this might be what you want.. http://au.geocities.com/doug_mason1940/wts_false_reasoning_for_607_bce.pdf.

(make sure that your pdf reader displays the whole page.).

doug.

scholar

hilary_step

I firmly believe in the Gentile Times Doctrine as taught by Jehovah's Witnesses and far from being full of holes such a teaching rests upon solid exegesis, traditional Bible Student theology, accurate Bible chronology and historiography. So there!

WT chronology produced by 'celebrated WT scholars is far from doomed. Rather, it is the demonic and absurd secular chronologies that support 586/587 BCE that are doomed because these chronologies misrepresent God's Word and are full of deceit. What is more important unlike wiley poztates is that loyalty and integrity are important qualiies of the True Religion which completely escapes those who love the lie rather than the truth.

scholar JW

73

When DID the Jews return?

by Doug Mason in

the wts says that the key date in the jews return from babylon is tishri 1 537 bce.. the wts uses that date to arrive at its incorrect date of 607 bce for the destruction of jerusalem.

in turn, its 607 bce date is used to provide the date of october 1914 ce for christs parousia and the setting up of gods kingdom government.

the wts claims to be the sole representative upon earth of gods kingdom.. the date of the jews return is thus crucial to the watchtower societys (wts) existence and authority.

scholar

Doug Mason

Post 218

Your research into WT literature is somewhat narrow as I have to hand published information which most certainly figures the reign of Darius into the chronology of the Return this was well presented in my earlier post where I quoted the WT source as referring to the full year of Cyrus 'reign. Ezra on this occasion in relation to the 'first year of Cyrus' most certainly would have used the Nisan calender rather than Tishri.

No one knows except Alan F which month of that first year of Cyrus, his Decree was proclaimed and it is not necessary to know for certain which month it was because Ezra reveals that the Jews returned home by Tishri which could only have been in the following year using Nisanic calendation. In which case this allows for sufficient time for the Return of the Jews by Tishri, 537 BCE.

When it comes to history and chronology, confidence based upon reason is quite sufficient for thereupon faith is thus well secured. The account of Ezra provides all the necessary facts for establishing the date for the Return and that is why 537 BCE has earned for itself the traditional date for that event.

I used the passage in Romans to illustrate the importance of allowing God's Word rather than the theories of men to be the guiding force in one's Christian life.

scholar JW

116

The simplest explanation of 607 BCE

by Doug Mason in

if you are looking for the simplest picture that shows how the wts calculates that jerusalem was destroyed in 607 bce, and if you want to understand basic problems with their method, this might be what you want.. http://au.geocities.com/doug_mason1940/wts_false_reasoning_for_607_bce.pdf.

(make sure that your pdf reader displays the whole page.).

doug.

scholar

Doug Mason

Post 219

Simple! Celebrated WT scholars have wisely chosen an event based chronology rather than contentious regnal based approach.In the case of choosing a pivotal date for the OT it was wisely thought that such a date should correspond with an event that is well described in the Bible and ancient history and could be dated with astronomical sources.

There is considerable divergence bewteen biblical and secular sources in many key areas so where such difference is found, scholars must then choose which sources are to be preferred. The Bible must always take precedence over the secular sources especially where an omission or difference of fact is found. Do not you agree?

I have been studying chronology, theology and philosophy for too long to be deceived by anyone and for starters I have graduated with a Master of Arts in Studies of Religion so I have thought and researched 'outside the square'. I am in awe of the 'celebrated WT scholars' and their precious gift of a simple Bible chronology rooted in prophecy and alone in being faithful to God's inspired Word.

scholar JW

10

How 539 BCE is calculated

by Doug Mason in

the wts accepts the date 539 bce for the fall of babylon.

but they do not accept the absolute date that is used to calculate the date of the fall.. here is a picture that illustrates the wtss problem.. http://au.geocities.com/doug_mason1940/why_historians_know_babylon_fell_in_539_bce.pdf.

if you have difficulties with the colours i use in my drawings and my colour combinations, i apologise.

scholar

Doug Mason

Post 221

I disagree with your comment about the use of the Babylonian rulers and their reigns as these are featured in WT publications. We have always viewed this period with caution as authorities differ as to the specific reigns of these kings and the traditionall list is by no means complete. That is why that Absolute Date for the Fall of Babylon is not derived from Neo- Babylonian chronology. At times the traditional chronology is quoted in our publications but is not used for any purposes for chronology but for historical reasons only following the precedent set forth by Edwin Thiele.

A Absolute Date by definition can only be a derived or calcuable date and it is preferable that such a date should relate to a specific Bible event. There are many so called Absolute Dates that are based on eclipses but have not connection with an historical event thus are unsuitable for purposes of a Bible chronology.

The use of the secular data for the reign of Cambyses is not hypocrisy as you allege but simply boils down to methodology and this is consistent with honest and best practice of scholarship. You may not like that methodology but that is our business and it is simply too bad for you.

It is not some superstitious fear of the seventy years but a matter of intellectual honesty and not succumbing to the special pleadings of the 'higher critic'. The seventy years is a fixed historical period which is ignored by scholars resulting in confused and conflicting chronologies.

We disagree as to the definition of an Absolute Date but the celebrated WT scholars in their wisdom have abandoned that term preferring the more precise Pivotal Date which narrows our methodology somewhat avoiding debate over which so-called absolute Dates should be used.

scholar JW

73

When DID the Jews return?

by Doug Mason in

the wts says that the key date in the jews return from babylon is tishri 1 537 bce.. the wts uses that date to arrive at its incorrect date of 607 bce for the destruction of jerusalem.

in turn, its 607 bce date is used to provide the date of october 1914 ce for christs parousia and the setting up of gods kingdom government.

the wts claims to be the sole representative upon earth of gods kingdom.. the date of the jews return is thus crucial to the watchtower societys (wts) existence and authority.

scholar

Doug Mason

Post 213

Regarding your listed summary and conclusions I wish to make the following points:

The calculation of 537 BCE for the Return is a very significant date for Christians and all those interested in Jewish history.
Celebrated WT scholars are the only ones who give historical weight to the fact of the reign of Darius both in terms of history and chronology and from the late forties and fifties was most certainly figured into the chronology of the Return. It is no 'smokescreen' as you allege or a 'conjurer's trick'.
It is impossible or totally unreasonable to say that the Return occurred in the early part of the 'first year ' of Cyrus implying that the Jews returned home Tishri, 538 BCE. There would not have been sufficient time for the proclamation of the Decree, journey preparations, a four month trek at least and resettlement. The only conclusion that fits all of the historical facts is that the Jews were at home by Tishri, 537 BCE.
Scholars know that the Decree was issued in Cyrus' 'first year' according to Ezra but no one knows the precise month for that Decree.
The facts of the Decree and the Return are known are are sufficient in order to determine the timing for the Return, history always has 'gaps' and is imperfect therefore all scholars including the 'celebrated' ones must engage in limited speculation in order to historize events. This is simply doing or making history.
Celebrated WT scholars have faith in Jehovah God the Author of the Bible and have sought his direction by means of His Spirit in order to interpret His Word and construct an accurate chronology. They are confident that 537 BCE is the right date for the Return. Romans 3:3-4.

scholar JW

116

The simplest explanation of 607 BCE

by Doug Mason in

if you are looking for the simplest picture that shows how the wts calculates that jerusalem was destroyed in 607 bce, and if you want to understand basic problems with their method, this might be what you want.. http://au.geocities.com/doug_mason1940/wts_false_reasoning_for_607_bce.pdf.

(make sure that your pdf reader displays the whole page.).

doug.

scholar

Doug Mason

Post 214

Regarding the calculation of 539 BCE from the arbitary choice of secular sources comes down to that essential element in chronology namely methodology which consists of the actual method used and the philosophy behind the method. Celebrated WT scholars have used an event- based system rather than the commonly regnal-based approach for constructing a biblical chronology of the OT. Their philosophy behind this chronology is that the Bible is the main or primary source of data and where there are difference between the secular evidence and the biblical then priority is ascribed to the Bible.

scholar JW

10

How 539 BCE is calculated

by Doug Mason in

the wts accepts the date 539 bce for the fall of babylon.

but they do not accept the absolute date that is used to calculate the date of the fall.. here is a picture that illustrates the wtss problem.. http://au.geocities.com/doug_mason1940/why_historians_know_babylon_fell_in_539_bce.pdf.

if you have difficulties with the colours i use in my drawings and my colour combinations, i apologise.

scholar

Doug Mason

Post 215

Your chart distorts the use of 539 BCE as a pivotal date used by 'celebrated WT scholars as presented in WT publications. For starters, they do not use the Babylonian list of reigns to compute 539 BCE as traditionally used. Rather, the year is calculated from data establishing the seventh year of the reign of Cambyses II. The reigns of the Babylonian kings as you present in your diagram are not uniformly agreed upon as some ancient historians present different figure for this period./

The WTS does accept the fact of the list as currently understood for general historical purposes but it is unreliable for establishing a accurate biblical chronology because it cannot accommodate the biblical 'seventy years'. This means that the so-called Absolute Date of 568 BCE for the 37th year of Nebuchadnezzer is useless for the above reason so it is far wiser to use a date such as 539 BCE as it it marks an event well established biblically.

This hre is no dilemna for the WTS because they have selectively chosen a date that fits all of the facts and is the onlt pivotal date for dating events in the OT.

scholar JW

73

When DID the Jews return?

by Doug Mason in

the wts says that the key date in the jews return from babylon is tishri 1 537 bce.. the wts uses that date to arrive at its incorrect date of 607 bce for the destruction of jerusalem.

in turn, its 607 bce date is used to provide the date of october 1914 ce for christs parousia and the setting up of gods kingdom government.

the wts claims to be the sole representative upon earth of gods kingdom.. the date of the jews return is thus crucial to the watchtower societys (wts) existence and authority.

scholar

Doug Mason

Post 209

I agree that this topic should be held over until all of us go off and do more research and that includes yourself and Alan F. Regardless of others I will be researching the best commentaries and the journal literature in order to fully test the matter.

The expression 'celebrated' WT scholars aptly describes the traditional existence of faithful and consecrated men devotied to the Lord's workand the pursuit of accurate Bible scholarship and have such research published by the WTS. Therefore, it woud be amiss of me not to pay recognition to such a group from which I have learnt much in company with our faithful and discreet slave.- Matt. 24: 45-47 NWT.

You and I are graduates of the University of Hard Knocks with its Faculty of Life so we have this in common. You possess a good education as shown by your writing and reasoning skills. I commend you!

I made a typo error in my last post which should have read "in the year of the Decree". Thanks for pointing this out as I am skilled in editing my posts nor completely computer savvy. This form has a editing function but I need to improve these skills in making my replies.

scholar JW

116

The simplest explanation of 607 BCE

by Doug Mason in

if you are looking for the simplest picture that shows how the wts calculates that jerusalem was destroyed in 607 bce, and if you want to understand basic problems with their method, this might be what you want.. http://au.geocities.com/doug_mason1940/wts_false_reasoning_for_607_bce.pdf.

(make sure that your pdf reader displays the whole page.).

doug.

scholar

Doug Mason

Post 208

Nice chart as it simply and clearly presents the only accurate Bible chronology for this crucial period of biblical history. Our 'celebrated' WT scholars have done an excellent job in exposing the falsehood of secular chronologies. However, your chart requires the following adjustments:

1. The WTS has most definitely proved that 537 BCE was the date of the Return of the Jews.

2. WTS accepts 539 BCE from secular sources which calculate 539 BCE from an Absolute Date from secular chronology which the WTS rejects because of a well chosen, specific methodology also takes into account the fixed historic period of'seventy years' of Exile, Servitude and Desolation ignored by those secular souces and chronologies.

scholar JW