In the Christian world, this Y2K problem added to the hope for the return of Jesus, possibly in the year 2000, for a one thousand-year reign in the earth. This adds to the excitement, anticipation, and fear (in Israel, they call it the "Jerusalem Syndrome"). Consider this: Psalms 90:4 and 2 Peter 3:8 state that one thousand years is as a day; God created everything in six days and rested on the seventh. Perhaps we can use this pattern and envision six thousand years of human history which is followed by a thousand years of rest (Rev. 20:4- 6). The return of Jesus is consistent with this Biblical revelation. On the Jewish calendar, however, it will only be 5760 by Rabbinic reckoning. But, is that date accurate? Let us see!
It is now 1999 on the Christian calendar and 5760 on the Jewish one. Whereas the Christian calendar dates from the birth of Jesus, the Jewish calendar dates from the creation of the world. Credit for the system of Jewish dating is given to Rabbi Yose b.halafta. His work, Seder Olam Rabbah (The Great Order of the World) dating from the second century, was the first to establish the date from the creation of the world. This view was adopted and included in the Talmud. Rabbi Yose's order is viewed by all authorities as the only accepted Rabbinic count from creation. But there is a difference of 170 years between Rabbinic chronology and conventional chronology.
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Conventional chronology states that the Persians ruled Israel from 539 BC to 332 BC (207 years). Rabbinic chronology says the Persians ruled for 52 years. There is only one scripture, Daniel 11:2, that would seem to agree with Rabbinic chronology; only four Persian kings are mentioned. Another interpretation could be that Daniel was only referring to the first few kings, the mightiest, or the ones whose reigns were important to the Jews. This was done at other places in the Scriptures. Nehemiah 12 names a succession of priests that is difficult to reconcile with a short period of 52 years. Utilizing the Biblical chronology and reconstructing post-Biblical history as well as he could, Rabbi Yose arrived at the conclusion that the world was created 3,828 years before the destruction of the Second Temple. According to this calculation, the Romans destroyed the Temple in ad 68. Rabbinic chronology is at odds with the accepted conventional chronology which establishes the date as ad 70. Scholars differ by one or two years. From ad 70 until now, both Rabbinic and conventional chronologies agree. But the real difference is the length of the Persian Conquest. Rabbinic chronology has Koresh (Cyrus) defeating the Babylonians in 368 BC and Persian rule lasting 52 years (until 317 BC). This period of rule spanned three other Persian kings, preceded by Daryavesh the Mede (Darius) for one year. According to conventional chronology, Persian rule over the land of Israel lasted 207 years — the reigns of twelve Persian Kings (539-332 BC).
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Cyrus (Koresh) 559-529 Cambyses 529-522 Smerdis 522 Darius the Great (Daryavesh) 522-486 Xerxes I (Ahashverosh) 486-465 Artaxerxes I 465-424 Xerxex II 424-423 Darius II 423-404 Artaxerxes II 404-358 Artaxerxes III 358-338 Arses 338-336 Darius III 336-330 |
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Conventional chronology is derived from the works of Greek historians from the Persian Period, from the works of the Egyptian astronomer Ptolomy in the second century ad, and from cuneiform inscriptions from ancient Persian palaces. Most scholars agree with the conventional chronology. Israel just completed celebrating "Jerusalem 3000". This is conventional chronology, not Rabbinic chronology. I am not trying to find fault; I am just trying to explain the discrepancy. Rabbi Yose b.halafta did a great job; but since his work, new archaeological discoveries have shed more light on the subject. |
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| Rabbinic Chronology | Conventional Chronology |
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1000 BC: King David takes Jerusalem 965 BC: First Temple Built |
| 867 BC: King David takes Jerusalem 831 BC: First Temple Built |
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586 BC: Nebuchadnezzar destroys First Temple 539 BC: Koresh (Cyrus) begins reign over the land of Israel 520 BC: Commencement of rebuilding of Temple in second year of Darius I 486 to 465 BC: Reign of Xerxes = Ahashverosh |
| 421 BC: Nebuchadnezzar destroys First Temple 368 BC: Koresh begins reign over the Land of Israel 366 to 352 BC: Reign of Ahashverosh 351 BC: Rebuilding of Temple begins in the second year of Daryavesh |
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332 BC: End of reign of (Darius III over the Land of Israel and beginning of Greek rule |
| 317 BC: End of reign of Daryavesh over the land of Israel and beginning of Greek rule | |
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| 70 AD: Second Temple destroyed | 70 AD: Second Temple Destroyed |
According to Rabbinic chronology, Persian rule until the destruction of the Second Temple in ad 70 spans 420 years. According to conventional chronology it is 590 years. There is a difference of 170 years between conventional chronology and Rabbinic chronology. If we add the difference to Rabbinic chronology the Jewish year will not be 5760 but 5930. Using this concept we would have seventy years until Jesus returns and establishes the Kingdom of God. With this in mind, there is no Biblical basis for the year 2000 to be connected with prophecy at all. The Biblical pattern is God worked for six days and rested on the seventh. The idea of 6,000 years since the creation of man and a 1,000 year Messianic age follows the Biblical pattern. Simply stated, Jesus has no relation at all to the year 2000; however, the year 6000, 70 years from now, is something to get excited about!
For a more detailed study on the major discrepancies between Rabbinic and conventional chronologies you should read Mitchell First's book, Jewish History in Conflict, Jason Aronson, publisher.