Barefoot Servant
Post 68
Unfortunately, chronology and history has a certain amount of 'wiggle room' because our knowledge of these sunjects is far from perfect. In fact, scholar taught Alan F a very important lesson about chronology in fact it is CHRONOLOGY 101: Chronology is Interpretation and Methodology.. A good example of 'wiggle room' for apostate chronologists is the fact their chronology lacks precision for the begiining of the seventy years. For example, even to this day Carl Jonsson and his conspirators have not yet overcome the 'two year wiggle' between 609 and 605 BCE for a possible beginning of the seventy years.
Returning to your comments about the date 537 BCE for the Return as calculated by the 'celebrated WT scholars', the supposed date of 538 BCE is impossible for the precise Return because if the Decree was promulgated in 538 BCE then allowing for the journey, preparations and resettlement by the seventh month then it must have been in 537 BCE that the Jews returned home. This understanding of matters is supported by many other scholars and others clearly indicate that the 'wiggle room' is present for all who seek some precision on the matter. For example, in many reference works a question mark follows the listing of 537 BCE indicating some uncertainty and lack of precise historical detail. Jonsson himself expresses this uncertainty by means of a footnote relating to this matter. In short, scholar believes that 537 BCE is the most likely, possible/probable date for the Return consistent with current secular.biblical.historical evidence aviailable at this time. The clincher for such an approved methodology is the fact that the Gentile Times expired in 1914 CE based upon the scholarly determined 607-537 BCE scenario. Enjoy!
scholar JW