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# The groundbreaking of the [[Temple of Jerusalem|Temple]] of [[Solomon]]

# The groundbreaking of the [[Temple of Jerusalem|Temple]] of [[Solomon]]

# The [[Exodus]]

# The [[Exodus of Israel out of Egypt|Exodus]]

Concerning the Exodus, secular archaeologists and Biblical scholars have often argued whether this event occurred in 1290 BC (the Late Date) or in either 1446 BC or earlier (the Early Date). But concerning the other dates, the disputes on them are merely the symptom of the ''actual'' sources of dispute, as the discussion will further show.

Concerning the Exodus, secular archaeologists and Biblical scholars have often argued whether this event occurred in 1290 BC (the Late Date) or in either 1446 BC or earlier (the Early Date). But concerning the other dates, the disputes on them are merely the symptom of the ''actual'' sources of dispute, as the discussion will further show.

This camp takes its name from [[Edwin R. Thiele]], an archaeologist and Biblical scholar who was one of a few key investigators (another was [[William A. Fulbright]]) to attempt to reconcile the king lists given in I and II Kings to the accepted secular translations of [[Assyria|Assyrian]] stone tablets and other records--the [[Assyrian chronology]].

This camp takes its name from [[Edwin R. Thiele]], an archaeologist and Biblical scholar who was one of a few key investigators (another was [[William A. Fulbright]]) to attempt to reconcile the king lists given in I and II Kings to the accepted secular translations of [[Assyria|Assyrian]] stone tablets and other records--the [[Assyrian chronology]].

Today, most evangelical scholars have joined the Thiele camp;<ref name=Wood>See, for example, Leon J. Wood, ''A Survey of Israel's History'', rev. ed. David O'Brien, Grand Rapids, MI: Academie Books, 1986 (ISBN 031034770X)</ref>Fulbright and other competitors of Thiele are regarded as less important.<ref>Fulbright himself was a member of the Late Date camp; Thiele accepted an early date for the [[Exodus]].</ref> The Thiele camp makes some of the most controversial recommendations known to Biblical scholarship, and the dispute between the Thiele and Ussher camps is perhaps the most bitter.

Today, most evangelical scholars have joined the Thiele camp;<ref name=Wood>See, for example, Leon J. Wood, ''A Survey of Israel's History'', rev. ed. David O'Brien, Grand Rapids, MI: Academie Books, 1986 (ISBN 031034770X)</ref>Fulbright and other competitors of Thiele are regarded as less important.<ref>Fulbright himself was a member of the Late Date camp; Thiele accepted an early date for the [[Exodus of Israel out of Egypt|Exodus]].</ref> The Thiele camp makes some of the most controversial recommendations known to Biblical scholarship, and the dispute between the Thiele and Ussher camps is perhaps the most bitter.

== Points of Agreement ==

== Points of Agreement ==

# The genealogy in the [[Bible]] from [[Adam]] to [[Noah]], the date of the [[Great Flood]] in relation to [[Creation]], and the further genealogy from [[Shem]] son of Noah to [[Terah]] father of [[Abraham]], make a continuous timeline that all four camps accept virtually without question.

# The genealogy in the [[Bible]] from [[Adam]] to [[Noah]], the date of the [[Great Flood]] in relation to [[Creation]], and the further genealogy from [[Shem]] son of Noah to [[Terah]] father of [[Abraham]], make a continuous timeline that all four camps accept virtually without question.

# The further genealogy from [[Abraham]] through [[Isaac]] and [[Jacob]] and his sons forms another unquestioned interval of time--though the date of the ''birth'' of Abraham is in dispute (see below).

# The further genealogy from [[Abraham]] through [[Isaac]] and [[Jacob]] and his sons forms another unquestioned interval of time--though the date of the ''birth'' of Abraham is in dispute (see below).

# The groundbreaking of the [[Temple of Jerusalem]] took place in the 480th year following the [[Exodus]] from [[Egypt]]. This simple statement<ref>{{Bible ref|book=I_Kings|chap=6|verses=1|version=NASB}}</ref> ''does'' represent a point of dispute between these three camps on one hand, and the Late Date Camp on another. Specifically, the Thiele and Ussher camps are only forty-five years apart on the date of the Exodus, while the Late Date Camp dates the Exodus in 1290 BC, 201 years later than Ussher and 156 years later than Thiele. This would, if it could be shown, compress the period of the [[Judges]] greatly.

# The groundbreaking of the [[Temple of Jerusalem]] took place in the 480th year following the [[Exodus of Israel out of Egypt|Exodus]] from [[Egypt]]. This simple statement<ref>{{Bible ref|book=I_Kings|chap=6|verses=1|version=NASB}}</ref> ''does'' represent a point of dispute between these three camps on one hand, and the Late Date Camp on another. Specifically, the Thiele and Ussher camps are only forty-five years apart on the date of the Exodus, while the Late Date Camp dates the Exodus in 1290 BC, 201 years later than Ussher and 156 years later than Thiele. This would, if it could be shown, compress the period of the [[Judges]] greatly.

== Key Points of Dispute ==

== Key Points of Dispute ==

=== The Chronology of the United and Divided Kingdoms ===

=== The Chronology of the United and Divided Kingdoms ===

This is the basis of the dispute between the Ussher camp and the Thiele camp, because it explains the two camps' divergent (by some forty-five years) dates for the [[Exodus]] and the [[Temple of Jerusalem|Temple]] groundbreaking. The two camps arrive at the following BC dates for these two events, and for one other event in which they differ by two years:

This is the basis of the dispute between the Ussher camp and the Thiele camp, because it explains the two camps' divergent (by some forty-five years) dates for the [[Exodus of Israel out of Egypt|Exodus]] and the [[Temple of Jerusalem|Temple]] groundbreaking. The two camps arrive at the following BC dates for these two events, and for one other event in which they differ by two years:

{| class="wikitable"

{| class="wikitable"

! Thiele

! Thiele

|-

|-

| [[Exodus]]

| [[Exodus of Israel out of Egypt|Exodus]]

| 1491 BC

| 1491 BC

| 1446 BC

| 1446 BC

# That this was also the date that Nebuchadnezzar's son [[Evil-Merodach]] began to reign.

# That this was also the date that Nebuchadnezzar's son [[Evil-Merodach]] began to reign.

From this date, he worked backward, using the meticulous dates that appear throughout I and II Kings, each of which gives a date of a king's accession with references to a year of reign of another king--except that kings of the [[Southern Kingdom]] after the conquest of the [[Northern Kingdom]] are listed only with their ages and lengths of reign, and King [[Jehoiachin]] is referenced by how many years he had been a captive when Evil-Merodach acceded to his throne. That sequence definitely places the division of the kingdoms at 975 BC, and the beginning of Solomon's reign at 1015 BC. {{Bible ref|book=I_Kings|chap=6|verses=1|version=NASB}} states that Solomon broke ground on the Temple in the fourth year of his reign--and that this event took place in the ''four hundred eightieth year since the [[Exodus]].'' This places the Exodus at 1491 BC. (The sequence also places the [[Fall of Jerusalem]] at 588 BC, because it happened 11 years after [[Jehoiachin]] was taken captive.)

From this date, he worked backward, using the meticulous dates that appear throughout I and II Kings, each of which gives a date of a king's accession with references to a year of reign of another king--except that kings of the [[Southern Kingdom]] after the conquest of the [[Northern Kingdom]] are listed only with their ages and lengths of reign, and King [[Jehoiachin]] is referenced by how many years he had been a captive when Evil-Merodach acceded to his throne. That sequence definitely places the division of the kingdoms at 975 BC, and the beginning of Solomon's reign at 1015 BC. {{Bible ref|book=I_Kings|chap=6|verses=1|version=NASB}} states that Solomon broke ground on the Temple in the fourth year of his reign--and that this event took place in the ''four hundred eightieth year since the [[Exodus of Israel out of Egypt|Exodus]].'' This places the Exodus at 1491 BC. (The sequence also places the [[Fall of Jerusalem]] at 588 BC, because it happened 11 years after [[Jehoiachin]] was taken captive.)

Thiele, on the other hand, made a number of assumptions from observations of Assyrian stone tablets that, he believed, warranted a ''revision'' of the king list in I and II Kings.<ref name=Pierce/> They were:

Thiele, on the other hand, made a number of assumptions from observations of Assyrian stone tablets that, he believed, warranted a ''revision'' of the king list in I and II Kings.<ref name=Pierce/> They were:

|1876

|1876

|-

|-

|'''[[Exodus]]'''

|'''[[Exodus of Israel out of Egypt|Exodus]]'''

|

|

|{{Bible ref|book=Exodus|chap=12|verses=40|version=NASB}}

|{{Bible ref|book=Exodus|chap=12|verses=40|version=NASB}}