Is Ussher's Bible Chronology correct?

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Douglas Woodward wrote: "[James] Ussher relied upon the genealogies of Genesis 5 and 11, as published a few decades earlier (1611) in the King James Bible" (Rebooting the Bible, Part One, p. 137).

Douglas Woodward quoted where Henry B. Smith, Jr., wrote: "Ephraem of Syria [306-373 A. D.] is the first known ancient source to explicitly argue that the Jewish rabbis of the second century AD deflated the primeval chronology by ca 1300 years in their Hebrew MSS for the purpose of discrediting Jesus as the Christ" (pp. 149-150).

Jewish historian Flavius Josephus (37-100 AD) gave a chronology derived from Genesis 5 in his writings, and he claimed that it was translated from Hebrew manuscripts. Flavius Josephus wrote: "Those Antiquities contain the history of five thousand years, and are taken out of our sacred books; but translated by me into the Greek tongue" (Works of Flavius Josephus, p. 607).

The chronology of Flavius Josephus based on Hebrew sacred books agrees with the chronology in the old Greek Septuagint that was translated from an old Hebrew Vorlage text.

Douglas Woodward wrote: "The genealogies of the MT and LXX differ by 1,386 years. If only added to Ussher's timeline, the date when Adam and Eve first walked the earth, would be 5,400 B. C. instead of 4,004 B.C." (p. 144). Douglas Woodward asserted that "it is evident that the original Hebrew's Vorlage must have contained the same information as the LXX, with only one or two minor alterations in the LXX" (Ibid.)

Douglas Woodward claimed: "There were selected changes made by rabbis circa 100-120 A. D. in the Old Testament to obscure messianic prophecies and to alter the primeval chronology of the Bible in Genesis 5 and 11" (The Septuagint and the Defense of the Christian Bible, p. 129).

I posted this here in the Bible Versions forum because it involves a difference between the Hebrew Masoretic Text and the old Greek Septuagint text so that there are differences between English Bible translations made from the Hebrew Masoretic Text and English Bible translations made from the Greek Septuagint.

 

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Here are a couple examples of the difference in the chronology between Josephus' translation of Hebrew sacred books that is in agreement with the old Greek Septuagint and the chronology in the KJV translated from the Hebrew Masoretic Text.

Flavius Josephus as translated by William Whiston wrote: "[Enos] delivered the government to Cainan his son, whom he had in his hundred and ninetieth year" (Works of Flavius Josephus, p. 28).

Genesis 5:9 And Enosh lived one hundred and ninety years, and he fathered Kenan [Lexham English Septuagint]

Genesis 5:9 And Enos lived ninety years, and begat Cainan [KJV]



Flavius Josephus as translated by William Whiston wrote: "[Cainan] had his son Malaleel, who was born in his hundred and seventieth year" (Works of Flavius Josephus, p. 28).

Genesis 5:12 And Kenan lived one hundred and seventy years, and he fathered Mahalalel [Lexham English Septuagint]

Genesis 5:12 And Cainan lived seventy years, and begat Mahalaleel [KJV]

 

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Douglas Woodward asked: "Is the evidence plain enough to justify the claims that rabbinical schools at the end of the first century intentionally corrupted what became the Masoretic Text?" (Rebooting the Bible, Part One, p. 105).

Douglas Woodward listed "Key Salvific and Messianic Passages Altered in the Masoretic Text" (p. 107), and one of his examples is
"11. Luke 4:18 with Isaiah 61:1"

Isaiah 61:1-2 in the KJV
The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me; because the LORD hath anointed me to preach good tidings unto the meek; he hath sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to them that are bound;
To proclaim the acceptable year of the LORD, and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all that mourn;

Isaiah 61:1-2 in the Lexham English Septuagint
The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, on account of which he has anointed me; he has sent me to bring good news to the poor, to heal those who are crushed in heart, to announce release to the captives, and recovery of sight to the blind,
to proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord and the day of repayment, to comfort all who mourn

Luke 4:18-19 in the KJV
The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of the sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised,
To preach the acceptable year of the Lord

Douglas Woodward wrote: "The principal aspect of this textual difference is the omission of the phrase 'recovery of sight to the blind.' The KJV [OT] leaves this important phrase out. Why so important? Because making the blind man see was one of Jesus' most striking signs of His power" (p. 119).

Douglas Woodward asserted: "That the Masoretic Text and the KJV OT does not include this important phrase, demonstrates yet again that the translators of the proto-Masoretic Text were biased against passages that testified to Jesus Christ being Messiah" (p. 119).