The Gentile Times Reconsidered Chronology Christ

286 THE GENTILE TIMES RECONSIDERED
APPENDIX 187
Business tablets: Thousands of contemporary Neo-Babylonian
cuneiform tablets have been found that record simple business
transactions, stating the year of the Babylonian king when the
transaction occurred. Tablets of this sort have been found for all the
years of reign for the known Neo-Babylonian kings in the accepted
chronology of the period.
From a secular viewpoint, such lines of evidence might seem to
establish the Neo-Babylonian chronology with Nebuchadnezzar’s 18th
year (and the destruction of Jerusalem) in 587/6 B.C.E. However, no
historian can deny the possibility that the present picture of Babylonian
history might be misleading or in error. It is known, for example, that
ancient priests and kings sometimes altered records for their own
purposes. Or, even if the discovered evidence is accurate, it might be
misinterpreted by modern scholars or be incomplete so that yet
undiscovered material could drastically alter the chronology of the
period.
Evidently realizing such facts, Professor Edward F. Campbell, Jr.,
introduced a chart, which included Neo-Babylonian chronology, with the
caution: "It goes without saying that these lists are provisional. The more
one studies the intricacies of the chronological problems in the ancient
Near East, the less he is inclined to think of any presentation as final.
For this reason, the term circa ]about] could be used even more liberally
than it is."—The Bible and the Ancient Near East (1965 ed.), p. 281.
Christians who believe the Bible have time and again found that its
words stand the test of much criticism and have been proved accurate
and reliable. They recognize that as the inspired Word of God it can be
used as a measuring rod in evaluating secular history and views. (2
Timothy 3:16, 17) For instance, though the Bible spoke of Belshazzar as
ruler of Babylon, for centuries scholars were confused about him
because no secular documents were available as to his existence,
identity or position. Finally, however, archaeologists discovered secular
records that confirmed the Bible. Yes, the Bible’s internal harmony and
the care exercised by its writers, even in matters of chronology,
recommends it so strongly to the Christian that he places its authority
above that of the ever-changing opinions of secular historians.
But how does the Bible help us to determine when Jerusalem was
destroyed, and how does this compare to secular chronology?
The prophet Jeremiah predicted that the Babylonians would destroy
Jerusalem and make the city and land a desolation. (Jeremiah 25:8, 9)
He added: "And all this land must become a devastated place, an object
of astonishment, and these nations