How Long Did It Take To Build Solomon's Temple – The year construction of Solomon’s temple began may seem like a random Biblical date to pinpoint. However it is one of the key dates in the Hebrew Bible. This is the main anchor provided by which the Exodus can be dated (480 years ago—see 1 Kings 6:1). On the other hand, it allows for the date of the Israelite sojourn in the wilderness and entry into Canaan (Joshua 5:6), the settlement of the Israelites in the land and the beginning of the period of the Judges.
For even the construction of Solomon’s temple can be strange, also because the remains of the temple have not yet been excavated. How did we arrive at this date and with what degree of certainty? There is a rather fascinating story behind it, involving a missionary in China and a Belgian priest.
How Long Did It Take To Build Solomon's Temple
Using only the internal chronology of the Bible to date the reigns of David and Solomon – and, by implication, the construction of the temple – is nearly impossible. This doesn’t just add up the lengths of reigns in sequence: there are different co-regencies between some kings and their sons, and there are also apparent differences in how the reigns of northern kings are counted as the kingdom of Israel versus the kingdom of the kings of the southern kingdom of Judah.
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Nonetheless, when it comes to the earliest construction date of Solomon’s temple, there is considerable agreement among the majority. In fact, it’s more consensual than some dating
What’s different about 967 B.C.E. The date is that it was established quite independently, through many different methods and successive directions.
A typical method for determining the date of biblical kings and events is to combine archaeological information with biblical information. For example, several Israelite and Judean kings are mentioned in Assyrian artifacts from certain periods (for example, the combination of this information with the correct interpretation and synthesis of the chronologies in the biblical books of Kings and Chronicles allows for the construction of a very accurate chronology of the kings biblical and events.It can also reveal exactly how the various chronologies of the polities of Israel and Judah were counted.
This is the method used by Edwin Thiele (1895–1986), archaeologist and Seventh-day Adventist missionary to China, whose biblical chronology is probably the most respected. In the words of Assyriologist DJ Wiseman, “The most accepted chronology today is one based on Thiele’s extensive study.” Thiele has determined that some apparent contradictions in the biblical chronology are simply the result of two different, but equally accurate, methods of counting reigns: an “ascension year” method and a “no-ascension year”. He also established that the “new year” for calculating regnal dates began in spring for the northern kingdom of Israel (which used the non-leap year method) and in autumn for the southern kingdom of Judah (which used the year of ascension . method).
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A particular key to this understanding are the discoveries of the aforementioned Kurkh monolith and the Black Obelisk. These artifacts belonged to the Assyrian king Shalmaneser iii, in relation to dates established during his reign. These monuments show that the reigns of Ahab and Jehu were separated by only 12 years, during the reign of Shalmaneser, while a calculation of the face value of the Biblical numbers indicates that they were separated by 14 years. This contradiction is resolved, however, by considering the above methods of counting realms. (These Assyrian dates are, for the most part, simple enough to follow. Apart from the fact that in this case we are referring to one government, Assyria, rather than two – Israel and Judah – Assyrian chronology is recorded detailed, though somewhat boring. , progressive from year to year. Known as “Limmu’s Lists,” these chronological records include not only information about the reign, but also a significant event that occurred in each imperial year. This includes observations astronomical data, such as eclipses—from which modern astronomers can derive precise dates.)
By working backwards from Ahab using these archaeological clues, along with the addition of internal Biblical information, Thiele was able to apply methods of counting kingdoms to trace back Solomon’s reign. If the last year of Ahab’s reign is indeed the same year as the Battle of Kharkar in 853 BC, then the start of his reign in Israel 22 years earlier can be aligned with the 38th year of Judean king Asa using the accession calculations (1 Kings 16:29). As a result, Asa’s reign began in 911 B.C.E. By adding the reigns of Asa’s predecessors—Abiam (reign three years), Rehoboam (reign 17 years), and Solomon (reign 40 years)—the first year of Solomon’s reign can be traced back to 971 B.C.E. Construction of the temple began in Solomon’s fourth year (1 Kings 6:1), then in 967 BCE.
But there is another completely different way to arrive at this date of 967 BC. circa, which provides further confirmation of its accuracy. This method has, in fact, come to
Thiele’s research and, at the time of its publication, Thiele was completely unaware of it. This is a method used by the Belgian scholar and priest Valerious Couke (1888–1951).
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Contemporary biblical archaeological information and see if he can date the event with certainty using information from classical historians.
One of Coucke’s sources is from the 3rd century BC. Greek Parian Chronicle, which states that the city of Troy fell “945 years” before the installation of the chronicle, placing the city’s fall around 1208 BC. Coucke then quotes the first-century historian Pompey, who wrote that the Phoenician city of Tire was founded a year before the fall of Troy. Next, he turns to Josephus, who claims that King Hiram began helping Solomon build the temple in the 241st year after the foundation of Tire (
Coucke then double-checks this by working backwards, once again through the chronologies of the classical historians. He cites the account of the Tyrian king list, preserved by Josephus and Menander, in which Josephus repeatedly mentions that 143 years elapsed from the time of Hiram’s assistance in Solomon’s temple to the founding of the Phoenician city of Carthage. Pompey claims that the founding of Carthage occurred 72 years before the founding of Rome, which classical Roman historians put at 753/752 BC. Therefore, the foundation of Carthage occurred in 825/824 BC, which would place the beginning of the construction of the temple in 968/967 BC.
Names of the months in the temple construction account, inferring that Solomon and Hiram used the same Tishri-based calendar in this effort. Based on this, Coucke concluded that Solomon’s fourth year as king began in Tishri in 968 BC. and that the temple was begun in the following spring of 967 B.C.E. (1 Kings 6:1).
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Naturally, the discovery of Coucke’s little-known work was a boon to Thiele’s research. Only two publications by Coucke are known; another search for him further searches for him in the library of the Grootseminarie in Belgium (where he worked) failed to find any additional material.
Of course, in scientific research, conclusions are subject to change and face constant refinement. Such may be the case in the future as regards the construction date of Solomon’s temple. But current research and the date of 967 B.C.E. it best represents the result of a scientific analysis: researchers who completely ignore each other reach the same conclusion from various directions, sources and methods.
And at least one conclusion that is important for determining the biblical chronology of all previous pre-monarchical times, from the Exodus and beyond. According to the Hebrew Bible, Solomon’s Temple was the first temple the Israelites built for God. It was also called the First Temple and was first built by Solomon. It stood next to the king’s palace and was both God’s royal palace and the cult center of Israel. The Bible says that the Lord said to Solomon: “I have consecrated (made special or cleaned) this temple…putting my name there forever. My eyes and my heart are always there” (1 Kings 9:3). Symbol of holiness and kingship, it reminded the Israelites that God was the only ruler of Israel.
It was modeled on the tabernacle and, in general, on other temples of the time, and was divided into three important areas: the Sancta Sanctorum, the Sancta Sanctorum and the outer courtyard. It was built in Jerusalem, in the threshing floor of Araunà the Jebusite, which David, father of Solomon, bought to build an altar to God.
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According to secular historians, the Temple would have been completed in 957 BC. The Babylonians destroyed it in 587 or 586 BCE.
Rabbinic literature states that the temple stood for 410 years. According to the work Seder Olam Rabbah, written in the 2nd century AD, the temple was built in 832 BC. and destroyed in 433 BC. (3338 AM). This is 165 times later than secular estimates.
And the only information about the First Temple of Jerusalem is found in the biblical books of Joshua, Judges, 1-2 Samuel, and 1-2 Kings.
At first, King David wanted to build a temple for God, but second
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