Resumo de Geography And History Of The Bible Lands Part Ii

Problems with ChronologyChronology is a very difficult subject in the study of biblical history. For the New Testament, we are on fairly safe ground since this was the time of the Romans, who kept accurate and easy-to-understand records. Old Testament chronology is far more challenging. The Old Testament itself frequently refers to periods of time in terms of years, rounding off the months and days. At first this does not appear to be problematic, but if you start to count backward through the lengths of the reigns of the kings of Israel and Judah, this rounding off can lead to a substantial margin of error. So, working backward, we believe that Jerusalem was destroyed in around 586 b.c.e. (but note the uncertainty already). By the time we have counted back to Solomon?s and David?s reigns, we can no longer be certain about when they ruled.Years were also reckoned by different means. Since these cultures were unaware that the earth rotated around the sun, their methods of calculating time are difficult to reconcile with our own. Even the chronologies of Mesopotamia and Egypt, which took fairly accurate astronomical observations, are beset with problems, and we are uncertain how to convert their dates into our own. So when Egyptian or Mesopotamian people are mentioned in the Bible, the chronologies of these regions are not necessarily helpful to us.There is also a problem in corroborating archaeological dating schemes with historical ones. The Old Testament refers to time mainly in historical terms?in relation to important political events, such as the reigns of kings. Archaeological chronologies are based on changes in material culture. The most basic system used by archaeologists is the Three Age System (Stone Age, Bronze Age, and Iron Age), which is based on the level of technological advancement of the society. This does not always match up with historical chronology, since the appearance of a new king does not necessarily mean that a new type of technology is also introduced. Beware of scholars who claim to have solved Problems in Old Testament chronology! The situation is very complex and not likely to be fully resolved any time soon.Problems in Reconstructing the PastThe study of history is not merely the study of a series of facts. It is an attempt to understand the Past in all its complexity and variation through the written documents of past people. Archaeology is also the study of the past, but through the material culture of ancient peoples. In all facets of scholarly analysis, we are dealing with scientific arguments as well as our beliefs about the past. Since our information about the past is incomplete, our accounts of the past must be uncertain. This uncertainty is why there are so many historical controversies and mysteries, and why there never seems to be full consensus about what happened in the past.The Bible is a detailed account of the people and places of the time. Its earliest readers were familiar with the geography, cultural practices, and history referred to, but modern readers lack this familiarity. The historical and archaeological study of the people and places of biblical times can help us to better comprehend the Bible itself and give us a fuller context in which to understand it.What follows is an introduction to the people, places, and environmental constraints of biblical times. The Bible lands were very diverse, and there were vast environmental and cultural differences. Looking to this wider context will enrich your understanding of the Bible and the history that it preserves.

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