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Re: Timetables

On Thu, 28 Nov 1996 14:25:53 -0500,  DoraFrank@aol.com writes:
>
>With the lengthy discussion of identifying MMT etc. it would be helpful to
>receive an up-to-date chronology of the period in question  ( 250 BCE - 60
>BCE ), including 
>highpriestly, maccabee-hasmonean, seleucid and ptolomaic   dates.  Do we have
>any certain information on Samaritans also?
>A pleasant thanksgiving  to  whosoever celebrates.
>Frank Rosenthal
>
Dear Dora and Frank

My eyes too glaze over with the insiders' acronyms and usages.  I got
annoyed running to different sources all the time as I revised my book
so I extended the chapter "Chronologies" to include this thumbnail list:

                     Later Events In Jewish History

538     Edict of Cyrus II (546Ä529) permitting Jews to return to Pales-
        tine, return of many with Zerubbabel.
516Ä515 Completion of second Temple in sixth year of Darius I (522Ä485).
458     Return of exiles with Ezra in seventh year of Artaxerxes I
        (464Ä425).
445     Nehemiah's first visit to Jerusalem.
432     Nehemiah's second visit to Jerusalem.
c.350     Deportation of many Jews to Hyrcania and Babylonia, for revolt
          against Persians.  These are surely the Lost Tribes.
   The Persian empire fell before Alexander the Great in 331 B.C. 
Thenceforth the chronology securely depends at first on the Persian and
afterwards on the Seleucid era.  Among the principal events from the
submission of the Jews to Alexander until the capture of Jerusalem by
Pompey we mention the following:
332     Submission of Jews to Alexander the Great.
320     Palestine seized by Ptolemy I, king of Egypt (332Ä285).
198     Palestine wrested from Ptolemy V, king of Egypt (205Ä182), by
        Antiochus the Great, king of Syria (223Ä187). 
168Ä67  Attempt of Antiochus Epiphanes, king of Syria (175Ä164), to
        suppress Jewish religion, suspension of public worship in Temple
        for three years.
167     Rise of the Maccabees.
166Ä165 Victories of Judas Maccabaeus over generals of Antiochus.
164     Rededication of Temple.
160     Death of Judas Maccabaeus.
160Ä142 Jonathan, younger brother of Judas.
142Ä135 Simon, elder brother of Judas.
135Ä105 John Hyrcanus, son of Simon.
105Ä104 Aristobulus I, son of Hyrcanus.
104Ä78  Alexander Jannaeus, brother of Aristobulus I.
78Ä69   Salome (Alexandra), widow of Alexander Jannaeus.
69      Aristobulus II, son of Alexandra.
63      Capture of Jerusalem by Pompey and incorporation of Palestine in
        Roman province of Syria.
   In these last two periods, some events in Biblical history we cannot
fully or unambiguously date.  Yet, there is otherwise no difficulty
dating most events through the help of the "Ptolemaic Canon" and the
abundant records of surrounding nations.

Someone recently posted a chain of dates and names for High Priests. 
For the benefit of us unwashed and those not beneficiaries of either
memberships in the Learned Biblical or Archaeological Societies, non-
professional academics or just plain interested people, it might be good
to republish that.  (My hard drive and supply of backup disks is not
equal to the task of archiving discussion material.  I rely on accessing
the listserver, usually a tedious task on most lists.)

Tom Simms, retired.