No. Y. W. Y. R. Kings. 258 b 12 3262 e 16 14 263 b 1 Ahaz 15 278 6 16. 1 Hezekiah e 283 e 6 306 e 29 16 307 b 1 Manasseh 324 e 18 361 e 55 17 362 b 1 Ammon 363 e 2 18 364 b1 Josiah 365 366 2 3 3379 e 16 395 b 31 19 Jehoahaz The ancient Assyrian empire, under Sardanapalus, destroyed and parted by his two commanders, Tiglathpileser of Media, and Nabonasser of Babylon; the famous æra of Nabonasser, now king of Babylon, begins this Spring, on Feb. 26, at noon, being then the 1st day of the Egyptian year. (d) Jotham dies. And his son Begins to reign, 16 years. Son to Ahaz made partner with him in the kingdom. Ahaz dies. Shalmanesar, king of Assyria, takes Samaria, and carries the 10 tribes into captivity. Hezekiah dies. And his son Begins to reign, 55 years. Esarhaddon, or Asnapper, king of Assyria seizes Babylon, and adds it to his empire, Feb. 9, at the end of this year, being the first Egyptian new year day of his reign.* Manasseh dies. And his son Begins to reign, 2 years. Thales, the father of the Greek astronomers, Pharaoh Necho leading his army out of Egypt, Josiah's second son, reigns 3 months, Necho beats the Babylonians, takes Carchemish, returns through Judea, and carries Jehoahaz into Egypt. 1 Jehoiakim Josiah's eldest son, sometime this summer begins 20 398 3 to reign, 11 years. This summer, Nabopollaser makes his son Nebuchadnezzar partner in the empire, and sets him at the head of his armies. (f) Whence the scripture calls this the first year of Nebuchadnezzar. d In the beginning of the year of the Julian Period 3967, and 747 before the vulgar æra of the birth of Christ, by the consent of all astronomers. Whether he began to reign before, seems uncertain; but this to be sure is the first Egyptian new year day of his reign. Ptolemy. * According to Ptolemy's mathematical canon. † Sir I. Newton places the birth of Solon 10 years after. e According to Ptolemy. f So Berosius in Josephus. No. Y. W. Y. R. Kings. 4 4 3400 5 406 b11 21 22 Whereupon, Nebuchadnezzar beats Necho's army at the Euphrates, retakes Carchemish, and marches to Judea. IX m. Chislieu, Nebuchadnezzar takes Jerusa- Nabopollaser dying this summer, Nebuchadnez- Jeconias (h) Reigns 3 months 10 days; and then with Eze- 1. Zedekiah 417 11 Josiah's third son, suceeeds in the Kingdom, and V month, 7 day, that is, Aug. 24, Nebuzaradan Which is in the nineteenth year of Nebuchadnezzar's reign from his heading the army, and the seventeenth from the first Egyptian new year day after his father's death. In the year of the Julian period 4126; and 588 before the vulgar christian æra. Usher, Prideaux, Newton, &c. g But Jan. 21, at the end of this year, which is at the beginning of the year of the Julian Period 4110, being the first Egyptian new year day of his reign; Ptolemy therefore begins his reign from thence, according to his usual method. h Sometimes called Coniah, Conias, Jeconias, and Jehoiachin. IV. PERIOD. The Chronology of the Babylonian, Persian, Grecian, and Egyptian monarchs successively, from the destruction of the kingdom of Judah by Nebuchadnezzar, to the destruction of the kingdom of Egypt by Octavius Cæsar ; containing exactly 558 years. Thus far the Hebrew and inspired guides alone have led us in a continued path from the creation. But the succession of the kings of Judah failing, we must now look to the Grecian histories for the following course of time to the beginning of the Roman empire. And here the most knowing inquirers have been in a perpetual strife till the common year of Christ 1613; when the famous Mathematical Canon of Claudius Ptolemy (a) was happily discovered entire in England. Which being founded on astronomical appearances and calculations, drawn from the records of the Chaldean and Egyptian historians and astronomers, was received with great joy by the learned world, and soon became the decisive umpire among Chronologers, as agreeing with Scripture, with the best ancient history, and with astronomy; to which they have therefore, almost ever since, appealed as to an uncontested oracle. It begins with the reign of Nabonasser, king of Babylon, on the first day at noon of the first Egyptian month, called Thoth, (b) which then was Feb. 26th of the Julian Period 3967; accounts by Egyptian years of 365 days, continually, without intercalations; reaches down through the reigns of the Babylonian, Persian, Grecian, Egyptian and Roman monarchs, to Antoninus Pius, when Ptolemy flourished; and numbers the years of their reigns by the number only of the Thoths, or rather Egyptian new year days included in them. To this Canon, therefore, we keep invariably in the present period; having carefully examined it in Greek and Latin, both in Calvisius and Petavius, in Greek only in Mr. Gregory, and in Latin only in Mr. Cary and Mr. Whiston. I have observed several errors in the four former printed copies, whereas the table in Mr. Whiston seems to be free from any, except in the column he adds of the years of the Julian Period, which seem to be too many by one down from the beginning of the reign of Darius Hystaspis, (c) and which I have here corrected. But as we must reduce the Egyptian year in this ancient Canon to the present Julian, I shall from this time forward begin the year with the first of January, throughout our following Chronology. a He was a great astronomer of Alexandria in Egypt. b Thoth was the Egyptian Mercury; and as the first day of their years were devoted to him, both the day and the month were named from him. Gregory. No. Y. W. 1st Egyp. 13417 421 437 new Y D. Y. R. Monarchs. I. BABYLONIAN MONARCHS. 17 Nebuchadnezzar VII m. his governor Gedaliah 21 443 b 43 b 2 444 b 445 2 Jan. 111 Evilmerodach 3 446 b 449 4 450 b 466 5 467 b 468 e 475 6 476 b 483 7484 b 485 497 killed. Nebuzaradan carries the rest of 10 1 Nericassolasser Reigns four years. Kings of Rome expelled, and d Stanley, who critically searches into this matter. e January 11, this year is Nebuchadnezzar's 43d Egyptian new year day, and in the following summer, the 37th year of Jeconias's captivity ends; Nebuchadnezzar therefore dies between January 11, and April 15 of this year. f This is the first Egyptian new year day of Evilmerodach's reign; and so of the rest. g Nericassolasser's son Laborosoarchod reigns 9 months and then is killed; but there being no Egyptian new year day in his reign, the Canon omits him. h Both the Scripture and Xenophon call this the first year of Cyrus. i For the reason above, the Canon leaves out Smerdis a counterfeit son of Cyrus, who succeeded Cambyses 7 months, and was then discovered and killed. j Calvisius and Helvicus. k Calvisius, Helvicus, Cary, Strauchius, Newton, &c. |