The presence of Ahab at the battle of Karkar brings nis reign down to 854 at least. At this battle, according to the Assyr. inscription, Ahab appears as an ally of the king of Damascus. According to 1 K 20^ Ahab formed such an alliance, which lasted three years (1 K 22'). In the third year of the alliance the truce was broken, and Ahab was slain at Ramoth-gilead (1 K 22';'"-*). Assuming the alliance to have been made in 855, the close of Ahab's reign, then, may be placed in 853.* See Ahab.
In the period before Ahab a change in the biblical length of the reign of Omri has been thought by some scholars necessary from the state- ment of Mesha on the Moabite Stone, where he says : ' And Omri took possession of the land of Mfihedeba, and it (Israel) dwelt therein during his days, and half his son's days, forty years.' If ' his son' is Ahab, then Omri's reign must be lengthened at the expense of Baasha's. In favour of this is the importance and lasting impression of Omri's reign (Mic 6"). The 'land of the house of Omri' in
• Another explanation of the events of this period Is, that the king present as a Syrian ally at the battle of Karkar was not Ahab but Ahaziah or Joram, the Assyr. scribe having unwittingly given the name of the father (or that of the son, being ignorant of the tatter's accession. The argument for this view is that Israel would not have assisted the Syrians except as a vassal, and that such rassalage Immediately followed the battle of Ramoth-gUead. Ahkb'a death, theo, probably would twve occurred ui 866.
Assyr. inscriptions is a standing designation for the N. kingdom. If, however, 'his son' means Omri'i grandson Joram, then no great change is needed. This is more probable, agreeing with 2 K 1' 3', which place the revolt of Moab (unlikely to hare happened under the powerful king Ahab) in the reign of Joram. If we knew from Egyp. history the precise date of Shishak's reign and invasion of Palestine, we could fix definitely the reign of Rehoboam (' In the 5th year of Rehoboam, Shishak came up against Jerusalem,' 1 K 14^). As far as Egyp. history gives any light on this point, it con- firms the date given in (c).
For the period between the death of Ahab and that of Azariah (Uzziah) it is necessary to shorten several reigns. The disturbed condition of affairs at the death of Jeroboam II. — a destructive rivalry of factions is indicated in the prophetical writings — suggests the shortening of Menahem's reign to three years to allow the others of Israel to stand. Internal evidence favours allowing the reigns of Athaliah and Joash to remain unchanged. The sole reigns of Azariah (Uzziah) and Jotham, then, may be shortened by makin" them co-regents for a number of years with their fathers.
The periods given for the reigns of Amon, Josiah, Jehoahaz, Jehoiakim, Jenoiachin, and Zedekiah are undoubtedly correct. The following table gives the dates and synchronisms of their reigns : —
Amon'
8 accession
641
Joeiah
s >, 1st year
6:i9 638
"
13th „
626
1st year of Jere- miah's ministry (Jer 12).
w
18th „
eui
Discovery of the Book of the Uvr (2 K 22^8).
(2K23Si)Jeho-- ahaz 3 mos. reign and
nit „
608
Battle of Meffiddo
Jehoiakim's
(2K232»).
accesuioD
JeboiAUm's 1st
607
4tb
604
Jeremlah'8 2Srd and Nebuchad- rezzar's Ist (Jer ttLI),
(2 K 24848) Je-'
hoiachin'8 8
mo 8. reicTD and Z e cl e- kiah'i acces-
■iOD
*
11th
697
8th of NebuchaJ- rezzar (2 K 2412).
ZedeklAh'B Ist year
.Wfl
"
10th „
687
IStta of Nebuchad- rezzar (Jer 321). 19th of Nebuchad-
„
11th „
586
rezzar and des-
truction of Jeru-
salem (2 K 25S).
These dates are determined by Nebuchadrezzar's 1st year, which, according to Ptolemy's Canon,* is 6(J4. The reigns given in the table above are post- dated. This arrangement is the one generally accepted. Some, however, have preferred to pre- date them. Then Jerusalem falls m 587 or 588. In favour of this are Jer 52^- *', which place seemingly the captivity of Jehoiachin and destruction oi Jerusalem in the 8th and 18th years ot Nebuchad- rezzar. The battle of Carchemish (Jer 46-) is dated in the 4th year of Jehoiakim. According to Tiele and others, this took place in 605, the year of Nebuchadrezzar's accession. This pre dates tne 4th year of Jehoiakim.
From the facts presented, it is evident that only
• The Canon of Ptolemy Is a chron. compilation by the cele- brated Alexandrian scholar Ptolemy of the 2nd cent. A.D., with astronomical notes, commencing B.C. 747 with the reigns of the Bab. kings. As far as it has been tested, it has proved «d accurate and reliable document. See AB8TRL&. p. 170''
CHKO^'OLOGY OF OLD TEST.
CHRONOLOGY OF NEW TEST. 403
a few dates in Israel's history can be fixed with absolute certainty. The time of most events can only be given definitely within a spaie of two or three years. There generally remains that amount of uncL'itainty, hence few tables of dates furnished by OT chronologists exactly agree.
In view of the corrections which mnst be made in the OT chron. statements from the founding of Solomon's temple to the destruction of Jems., and in view of the apparent endeavour of the writer of