The Jewish scribes made copies of the Old Testament paleo-Hebrew Scriptures long before they translated the paleo-Hebrew Bible into the Greek Septuagint and the New Hebrew alphabet of the Masoretic Text (MT). While the original paleo-Hebrew Scriptures contain no copying errors or mistakes, many biblical scholars believe the translators made accidental copying errors and sometimes deliberate changes to the chronologies of the Masoretic text because of their eschatological and theological motivations. In the Third Century BCE, Jewish scribes translated the Hebrew Scriptures into the Greek Septuagint (LXX). In the Second Century CE, Hebrew scribes created the authoritative MT, with alphabetic, chronological, and eschatological changes, from the original paleo-Hebrew scrolls, which have been lost to history. The writings of Flavius Josephus, Philo of Alexandria, and Demetrius the Chronographer support the earlier LXX chronology. Because of this history, biblical scholars cannot determine precisely the correct biblical chronology from studying Genesis chapters 5 and 11 alone. The chronological problems in the MT mean that researchers should rely more on the LXX chronology to determine the time of events in biblical history.
Genesis 5 and 11 Chronology
The first 11 chapters of Genesis presents the history of the Creation (Genesis 1:1-2), the fall of humanity (Genesis 3:1), the conflict between Cain and Abel (Genesis 4:1), the Great Flood (Genesis 6-9), and the Tower of Babel (Genesis 11). They also give us a basic framework for dating those events. According to Genesis 5, a period of 10 generations went by between the Creation Week and the Great Flood. Although the individuals listed in that chapter enjoyed a hefty lifespan of approximately 850 years or more, the total time between Creation and the Flood was only about 1,656 years, according to the MT. However, the LXX chronology indicates a time of 2256 years. According to the MT chronology in Genesis chapter 11, another 9 generations elapsed between the time of the Flood and the time of Abraham. The average lifespan of these individuals is roughly 350 years, and the total time between the Flood and Abraham is roughly 520 years. This chronology means that all of Abraham’s ancestors as far back as Noah’s son Shem were still alive when Abraham was born, and that the time separating Abraham from the day of Creation is approximately 2,150 years. However, the LXX chronology mentions 10 generations between the great flood and Abraham. The average lifespan of these individuals is roughly 350 years, and the total time between the Flood and Abraham is roughly 1230 years, according to LXX chronology. This chronology means that all of Abraham’s ancestors as far back as Noah’s son Shem were all long dead before Abraham was born, and that the time separating Abraham from the day of Creation is approximately 3,388 years.
Modern Biblical Chronology
Modern biblical chronology chiefly originates from Archbishop James Ussher. Scholars call Archbishop Ussher’s system the short chronology because this chronology mirrors the MT chronology. The short chronology generally teaches that the creation of Adam was in 4001 BCE, the Great Flood was in 2345 BCE, the Tower of Babel construction occurred in 2245 BCE, and the age of Peleg in 2145 BCE. The MT chronology teaches that Egyptian civilization began around 2200 BCE, the time of Abraham was in 2001 BCE, and the time of Messiah Yeshua began in 1 BCE and ended in CE 32. Scholars base the short MT Chronology on their assumption that no lengthy gaps exists in the history from Adam to Messiah.
However, the LXX chronology indicates that 10 generations elapsed between the time of the great flood and the time of Abraham. The average lifespan of these individuals was shorter than the pre-flood populations; the total time between the great flood and Abraham is roughly 1230 years. In modern times, biblical scholars call LXX history the long chronology because this chronology mirrors elements of secular history and modern science. The long LXX chronology generally teaches that the creation of Adam was in 5554 BCE, the Great Flood was in 3298 BCE, t
PRIMARY SOURCES: The New King James Version. Easton Bible Dictionary. Holman Bible Dictionary. Septuagint Bible; Sir Lancelot C. L. Brenton; Old Testament Chrono-genealogy Barry Setterfield; Biblical Creationism; Dr. Henry Morris; 2005. Creator and the Cosmos; Dr. Hugh Ross; 1998. Creation; Dr. Grant Jeffrey; 2003. Creation Scientists Answer Their Critics; Dr. Duane T. Gish; 1993. Learn The Bible in 24 Hours; Dr. Chuck Missler; 2002. Panorama of Creation; Dr. Carl Baugh; 1989. The Biblical Basis for Modern Science; Dr. Henry Morris; 2008. The Signature of God; Dr. Grant Jeffrey; 2010. The Science of God; Dr. Gerald Schroeder;1997. The New Answers Book 1; Ken Ham; 2006. The New Answers Book 2; Ken Ham; 2008. The New Answers Book 3; Ken Ham; 2010. Ken Johnson MT vs LXX bible facts.org; R.L. Wysong, “The Creation-Evolution Controversy,” (1976), Inquiry Press, Page 144. Quoted in Ref. 3. “Young’s Analytical Concordance of the Holy Bible, 8th Edition,” “Creation” entry, (1939). Cited in Don Batten, “Which is the recent aberration? Old-Earth or Young-Earth Belief?,” Creation, Vol. 24, #1, Pages 24 to 27. Dead Sea Scrolls Chronology. The New English Translation of the Greek Septuagint. The Complete Works of Flavius Josephus; Steven Rudd Biblical Chronology