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Creation: 4004 BC?
A commonly held belief in the Christian community is that Earth is about 6,000 years old. This is largely based on James Ussher’s calculations which were first published in about 1650 AD, in which he placed Creation in 4004 BC. Numerous other calculations have been made since Ussher and there is often a variance from his calculations but they tend to more or less arrive at similar conclusions.
In this segment we will specifically address Ussher’s calculations but in so doing we will also be addressing all similar calculations that determine the age of the earth to be about 6,000 years.
Egyptian Civilization
According to secular records, the Egyptian civilization began around 3100 BC. According to Ussher, the Flood occurred in 2348 BC. If Ussher is correct, then the Flood wiped out the entire Egyptian civilization about 750 years after it began. The only humans that survived the Flood were Noah’s family.
Moreover, secular records indicate that the great pyramids were constructed during the third through twelfth Egyptian dynasties which ran from about 2700 BC through 1788 BC. According to Ussher, the Flood occurred between those dates. It does not make sense that the Pyramid Age would continue for another 560 years after the Flood when only Noah’s family of eight people survived it to repopulate the earth.
Furthermore, all of these Egyptian dynasties have rulers associated with them. The secular records do not indicate any kind of break in their system that would be equivalent to the kind we would expect from their civilization being completely wiped out in the midst of the sixth dynasty.
The Flood must have occurred prior to the beginning of the Egyptian civilization in 3100 BC.
Chinese Civilization
Secular records indicate that the Chinese civilization began around 2852 BC. Little is known about the Chinese civilization prior to the Xia Dynasty which began around 2100 BC, but the records indicate some form of existence for about 750 years prior to the Xia Dynasty. As with the Egyptian civilization, it does not make sense that the Chinese civilization would be completely wiped out after it started and then redevelop from Noah’s family without any kind of evidence in the secular records. It is far more likely the Flood simply occurred prior to the beginning of the Chinese civilization.
The Mayan Civilization
The Mayan calendar began on August 11, 3114 BC, according to our modern calendar. We can calculate that so accurately because of the accuracy and complexity of the Mayan calendar itself. If the Flood occurred after this date as is suggested by Ussher, then the entire Mayan civilization was wiped out in 2348 BC. Due to the cataclysmic nature of the Flood, any calendar system they created would have also been destroyed. The fact that it still remains indicates that it is far more likely that the Flood occurred prior to the beginning of the Mayan civilization.
The Indian Civilization
Here we find the same contradiction we looked at in the previous civilizations. The ancient Indian civilization known as the Indus Valley civilization is known to have begun prior to 2600 BC but flourished from 2600 BC to 1900 BC. This civilization could not have continued to flourish beyond 2348 BC if it was completed destroyed that year in the Flood.
Dividing of the Continents
In our Study on Continental Drift we concluded that the dividing of the continents must have taken place between 3153 BC and 3114 BC. We estimated that it was likely this occurred around 3114 BC when the Mayan calendar and the Egyptian civilization began.
Based on Ussher’s calculations, the dividing of the continents would have fallen between 2247 BC and 2008 BC. This presents a major contradiction because the Bible indicates that prior to the dividing of the continents mankind was unified and spoke the same language. There is no indication in the Bible that there were vastly different civilizations prior to the Tower of Babel. Yet, according to Ussher’s calculations, the dividing of the continents would have had to occurred hundreds of years after the beginning of the Egyptian, Chinese, and Mayan civilizations.
Interestingly, secular records indicate that these civilizations began around 3100-2800 BC, which is shortly after the time we would place the dividing of the continents based on our calculations. It is far more likely that these civilizations began as a result of the dividing of the continents and the people being spread abroad as the Bible teaches.
In Ussher’s Defense
To be fair, Ussher’s calculations were made almost 400 years ago before all of the above archeological findings were made. He assumed the familial relationships in the Genesis genealogies were immediate father-son relationships and based his calculations on that. It is understandable that one would make such an assumption and that is why it is still widely believed today that his calculations were correct, even in light of the contradictions we now see with the secular records.
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