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18 Section A AUGUST 2008 The Woodside News

THE BIBLE AND SCIENCE BY WILLIAM T. PELLETIER, PH.D [WOODSIDE NEWS COLUMNIST]
Age of the Earth 4— culating creation in 4004 Tables of Biblical Chronology was undisputed by cultures through-
B.C. in his Annals of the (1875) covering Creation to 100 out history. No historical chronologies
History’s View World, an exhaustive 1600- A.D. in detail. Strong calculated extend before 7,000 B.C.
page Latin history of the Creation at 4172 B.C. He wrote,
W hen did people start
believing in a billion-
year-old earth? Only recently.
world from Creation to
Jerusalem’s destruction in
“The following Tables have been
prepared in the belief that the
CONTEMPORARY SCHOLARS
Today scholars argue for long ages
70 A.D. numerical statements of the Bible primarily because they think science
Overwhelmingly, schol- Today many far less were deliberately and systematically has “proved” long ages. But many
ars of the past supported an learned than Ussher ridicule made, and may therefore be relied contemporary scholars interpret the
age of only thousands of WILLIAM T. PELLETIER his date, but he was a high- upon for purposes of exact and defi- genealogies literally, leading to thou-
years, not billions. This was PH.D.
ly regarded Hebrew scholar, nite chronology.” sand-year ages for earth.
also the historic teaching of Semitic linguist and histo- H. C. Leupold (1892-1972) was
the church until the ascendancy of rian. Widely respected by nobility, SCIENTISTS professor of Old Testament
the theory of evolution in the 19th clergy and laity, he was one of the Polish mathematician and Theology at Evangelical Lutheran
century. The push in the last two most learned men of his time. His astronomer Johann Kepler (1571- Theological Seminary in Columbus,
centuries to increase the age of the contemporaries called him a 1630), best known for his laws of Ohio. His renowned two-volume
earth was motivated, not by evi- “leviathan of learning.” When he planetary motion, calculated commentary Exposition of Genesis
dence, but by evolution’s require- died, Cromwell buried him in Creation at 3993 B.C. discussed chronology based on the
ment for long eons of time. Westminster Abbey with a state Sir Isaac Newton (1642–1727), genealogical record in Genesis:
What have scholars through the funeral, despite Ussher’s opposition discoverer of calculus and the laws of “There is no reason for doubting
ages taught about the age of the earth? to Cromwell’s revolution. motion, was probably the greatest the correctness of the
Ussher was convinced the Bible post-Flood scientist. Newton wrote chronology...This is and is intended
RELIGIOUS SCHOLARS was totally reliable with no gaps in extensively on Biblical history and to be a complete chronology, com-
Josephus, Jewish historian of the the Genesis genealogies. He derived emphatically supported Ussher’s plete as far as marking the actual
first century A.D., gives a strict no- his 4004 B.C. date from those chronology. For his last 30 years to lapse of time is concerned. No other
gap chronology based on the genealogies and from chronological the day of his death, he worked on nation has anything to compare with
Genesis genealogies in his information scattered his Chronology of Ancient it. Yet, strange to say, the only reli-
Antiquities of the
Jews. Josephus and the
Jews of his day under- “For an educated man in the seventeenth or even
stood Genesis to teach
Creation happened eighteenth century, any suggestion that the human
only thousands of years
earlier. past extended back further than 6000 years was a
The church fathers
also believed the world vain and foolish speculation.” – SIR ISAAC NEWTON (1642–1727)
was only thousands of
years old. For example, throughout Scripture Kingdoms, taking it through 16 able chronology which we have,
Origen (b.354) said Genesis taught along with complex correlations with revisions. Newton’s calculations put which actually purports to be an
“the world is not yet ten thousand Mediterranean and Middle Eastern Creation at 3988 B.C. He wrote, adequate chronology dating back to
years old, but very much under that.” histories. His detailed calculations “For an educated man in the seven- Creation, is continually being ques-
Augustine (354–430 A.D.) wrote, comprise 100+ pages of his book. teenth or even eighteenth century, tioned, corrected, amended and con-
“Reckoning by the sacred writings, Ever heard of Strong’s any suggestion that the human past demned in favor of fallible docu-
we find that not 6,000 years have yet Concordance? Professor James extended back further than 6000 ments which are historically but
passed.” Theophilus, bishop of Strong (1822-1894) compiled it and years was a vain and foolish specula- poorly attested and marked by many
Syrian Antioch (169-181 A.D.), devised a numbering system still tion.” a gap. The claim that the Scriptures
apologist, and founder of the science used today to help English readers Irish mathematician and scien- do not give a complete and accurate
of Biblical chronology, wrote, “The with Greek and Hebrew words. tist Dr. William Hales (1747-1831) chronology for the whole period of
total number of years from the cre- Many don’t know he also authored spent 20 years on his four-volume the Old Testament that they cover is
ation of the world is 5,695.” 2500-page Analysis of utterly wrong, dangerous and mis-
Although believing Chronology. (On chievous. At the slightest objection
himself that earth is bil- Amazon.com, a used copy men are ready to cast aside as inade-
lions of years old, profes- of volume two on Old quate the only adequate chronology
sor Davis Young admit- Testament chronology, the mankind possesses.”
ted, “The church fathers most interesting of the four There are also non-evangelicals
suggested that the world volumes, is only $650.) who believe that the genealogies of
was less than six thou- Hales listed over 160 differ- Genesis 5 & 11 were intended to be
sand years old at the time ent chronologies with dates understood literally for the purpose of
of Christ because of the for the Beginning including constructing a historical chronology.
chronology of the secular chronologies from In 1984, James Barr, Regius
genealogical accounts of India, Babylon, Egypt, Professor of Hebrew at Oxford
Genesis 5 and 11 and China, Persia, Spain, University, wrote, “So far as I know
other chronological Greece, France, and others. there is no professor of Hebrew or
information in These dates ranged from Old Testament at any world-class
Scripture.” 3616 B.C. to 6984 B.C. university who does not believe that
Martin Luther Hales wrote, “The only the writer(s) of Genesis 1 through
(1483–1546) dated sure and certain pole-star, to 11 intended to convey to their read-
Creation at 3961 B.C. guide our wandering steps ers these ideas:
Reformation theologian through the mazes, the 1) Creation took place in a series
John Calvin deserts, and the quicksands of six days which were the same as the
(1509–1564) wrote that of ancient and primeval days of 24 hours we now experience;
“little more than five chronology...is sacred 2) The figures contained in the
thousand years have Scripture.” Hales dated Genesis genealogies provided by
passed since the creation Creation at 5411 B.C. simple addition a chronology from
of the universe.” Thus prior to the mid- the beginning of the world up to
Archbishop James 19th century, scholarly opin- later stages in the Biblical story;
Ussher (1581-1656) ion overwhelmingly support- 3) Noah’s flood was understood
headed the Anglican ed an age for the earth of to be world-wide and extinguished
Church of Ireland. Today well under 10,000 years. This SCIENCE continued on page 19
he is best known for cal-
The Woodside News AUGUST 2008 Section A 19

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plank in your own eye?”


Therefore, since we
are all part of God’s fami-

I
t is the Lord your God
you must follow, and Him
you must revere. Keep His
ly, we need to encourage
and help one another use
commands and obey Him; the gifts and abilities the
serve Him and hold fast to Lord has given to us, to
Him.” – Deuteronomy 13:4 insure that God’s work is
Sometimes when others completed. As a result, our
see that we have a heart for gifts can then be used to
the Lord and a desire to obey bless others and the Lord
Him, it may cause them to evaluate will be glorified!
their own lives. As a result, they may For as Jesus said in Matthew
attempt to discourage us from follow- 5:14-16, “You are the light of the
ing the ways of the Lord. Yet, God world. A city on a hill cannot be hid-
has called each of us to do a special den. Neither do people light a lamp
work on this earth and we must be and put it under a bowl. Instead they
careful about discouraging God’s plan put it on its stand, and it gives light to
in someone else’s life. Because a “per- everyone in the house. In the same
sonal relationship” with Jesus
is just that: a personal rela-
tionship – not unlike a rela- There are decisions a
tionship between a husband
and a wife. couple makes regarding
For there are decisions a
couple makes regarding God’s
God’s plan for their lives
plan for their lives that others
are not privy to because they
that others are not privy
are not part of that couple’s
“relationship” with the Lord.
to because they are not
Therefore, we need to show part of that couple’s
respect for the Lord’s work in
others’ lives – whether it “relationship” with
makes sense to us or not.
For as Deuteronomy 13:4 the LORD
says, “It is the Lord your God
you must follow, and Him you must way, let your light shine before men,
revere. Keep His commands and obey that they may see your good deeds
Him; serve Him and hold fast to and praise your Father in heaven.”
Him.” So, when you see someone trying
And since we cannot see the to step out in faith with their God-
whole picture (what God is trying to given gifts or abilities – bless them –
accomplish) based on a few pieces of with help, love and encouragement,
the puzzle (what we see in the natu- knowing that when you do, God will
ral), we shouldn’t try to hinder or dis- then bless you! For as the Bible says
courage someone’s efforts. For by in Luke 6:38, “Give, and it will be
doing so, we are placing our opinions given to you. A good measure, pressed
above what God has said. And as down, shaken together and running
Matthew 7:3 says, “Why do you look over, will be poured into your lap. For
at the speck of sawdust in your broth- with the measure you use, it will be
er’s eye and pay no attention to the measured to you.”

SCIENCE continued from page 18 lowing Christ’s birth was that the
all human and animal life except for earth was well under 10,000 years old.
those in the ark.” The weight of 18 centuries of
“Or, to put it negatively, the scholarly opinion should not be jetti-
apologetic arguments which suppose soned for two centuries of evolution-
the days of creation to be long eras ist opinion of questionable veracity
of time, the figures of years not to be and dubious objectivity. The testi-
chronological, and the flood to be a mony of all historical chronologies
merely local Mesopotamian flood, from many different cultures should
are not taken seriously by any pro- not be casually dismissed.
fessor, as far as I know.” Throughout history the great pre-
Although disbelieving Genesis, ponderance of scholarship regarding
these professors are convinced the the Biblical records and the unani-
author intended to give a historical mous testimony of cultures world-
chronology from the Beginning. wide is that the earth is only thou-
There’s nothing in the Genesis text sands of years old.
itself to drive harmonization with
scientism’s alleged age of the earth. Email Dr. Pelletier at
BibleScienceGuy@woodsidenews.org.
HISTORY ’S OPINION Read the Bible-Science Guy Blog at
The consensus of scholarship http://www.woodsidebible.org/
throughout the first 18 centuries fol- category/blogs/bible-science-guy/.
©2008 William T. Pelletier

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