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Bible Chronology & The Scientific Method
The Old Testament with Secular Synchronism's
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As a meeting of the British Association of Scientists held in 1865, a manifesto was drawn up and signed by 617 men of science, many of whom were of the highest eminence. In this document they declared their belief not only in the truth and authenticity of Holy Scriptures, but also in the harmony of Scripture with natural science. A copy of this manifesto was deposited in the Bodleian Library of Oxford. The text of this manifesto reads as follows:
We, the undersigned students of Natural Sciences, desire to express our sincere regret that researches into scientific truth are perverted by some in our own times into occasions for casting doubt upon truth and authenticity of the Holy Scriptures.
We are not forgetful that physical science is not complete, but is only in a condition of progress, and that at the present our finite reason enables us only to see as through a glass darkly, and we confidently believe that a time will come when the two records will be seen to agree in every particular.
We cannot but deplore that Natural Science should be looked upon with suspicion by many who do not make a study of it, merely on account of the unadvised manner in which some are placing it in opposition to Holy Writ.
We believe that it is the duty of every scientific student to investigate Nature simply for the purpose of elucidating truth, and that if he finds that some of his results appear to be in contradiction to the written Word, or rather to his own interpretation of it, which may be erroneous, he should not presumptuously affirm that his own conclusions must be right, and the statements of Scriptures wrong. Rather leave the two side by side until it shall please God to allow us to see the manner in which they may be reconciled; and instead of insisting upon the seeming differences between Science and the Scriptures, it would be as well to rest in faith upon the points in which they agree (TF, pp XVII-XIX).
Scholars today seem reluctant to examine Scripture with scientific tools, even though we have at our disposal a great deal of knowledge which was not available to the respected scholars above. I wonder if the credibility of Scripture has slipped to such a degree, that even those who confess inerrancy are afraid to critically examine the Bible for error. It is as though a careful study of Scripture will somehow be a threat to God himself.
There is at least one exact science in the Bible; that is the way the Bible writers dated events. All Biblical dates are dependent upon the position of the sun and the moon. But in addition, some dates included the day of the week. As a result of our knowledge about astronomy, and our access to computers, we can determine the accuracy of the biblical dates.
The research covered within this book has convinced this writer that the chronology of the Bible is dependable. If the arguments presented here stand up to the scrutiny of other scholars, biblical chronology will have far-reaching implications. Mankind would be forced to reconsider its views on such subjects as the origin of the universe and of mankind. It follows: if Scripture is true, then the God of Scripture is also true, and all other gods are false. - E.W. Faulstich
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