The Gentile Times Reconsidered Chronology Christ

Furuli’s Second Book 519
IX of the accession year of Neriglissar, the first tablet being dated to V/21/acc. or just four
days after the last tablet from the reign of Evil-Merodach. This strongly indicates that the
transition from Evil-Merodach to Neriglissar took place in the latter part of month V of
Evil-Merodach’s 2 nd year.
However, Furuli also lists nine other tablets that do not seem to fit into this pattern. The
first two are dated in the first and early second months of Neriglissar’s accession year, i.e.,
before the 17 tablets dated to months II-V of Evil-Merodach’s 2 nd and last year, seemingly
creating an overlap of about four months between the two reigns. Normally, the two early
dates would be viewed as anomalous. But Furuli evidently presupposes that the two dates
are correct and counts the 17 following tablets as anomalous!
Further, Furuli lists three tablets dated to months X, XI, and XII of Evil-Merodach’s 2 nd
year, i. e., after the 37 tablets dated to months V-IX of Neriglissar. This would increase the
overlap between the two reigns to more than ten months, from Neriglissar’s accession in
month I to Evil-Merodach’s last tablet dated early in month XII. Instead of regarding the
three tablets as anomalous, Furuli counts the preceding 37 tablets from the accession year of
Neriglissar as anomalous!
Finally, Furuli lists in his table four other tablets that also seem to support an overlap
between the two reigns. Two of them are placed early in month V of Neriglissar’s reign and
two others in month VII of Evil-Merodach’s reign. According to Furuli’s way of reckoning,
the two latter tablets would increase the number of anomalous tablets from the last months
of Evil-Merodach’s last year of reign from 17 to 19. On the number of anomalous tablets
from the accession year of Neriglissar Furuli states that there are “at least 41 tablets dated in
the accession year of Neriglissar before the last tablet dated to Evil-Merodach.” (Furuli, p.
60) If these 41 tablets and also the previous 19 tablets are all counted as anomalous, we
would get 60 “anomalous tablets” during the Evil-Merodach/Neriglissar overlap!
Thus, out of nine tablets with seemingly odd dates Furuli succeeds in creating 60 tablets
with “anomalous dates”!
Let us take a closer look at the nine tablets that really seem to be oddly dated. They are:
Neriglissar:
Month/day/year:
Tablet no.:
(1) I/26/acc. AOAT 236, 97
(2) II/04/acc. BM 75489
(3) V/?/acc. BM 60150
(4) V/06/acc. BM 30419
Evil-Merodach:
Month/day/year: Tablet no. :
(5) VII/08/02 BM 58580
(6) VII/08/02 BM 75106
(7) X/17/02 BM 61325
(8) XI/15/02 ?
(9) XII/02/03 BM 58580
It does not seem that Furuli has himself collated any of these tablets or has had them
collated by experienced specialists on cuneiform. Had he done this, he would have
discovered that most of the “odd dates” disappear.