457 Absolute chronology by Isaac Newton cited in Review and Herald 1906 and Stephen Haskell Ezra and Nehemiah Sabbathschool Quarterly of 1907 pages 19-20


Seventh Day Adventist Pioneer Stephen Haskell wrote in 1907 in the Ezra and Nehemiah Sabbath School Quarterly:


“The following taken from an editorial in the Review and Herald of April 5, 1906, contains important historical data on this question, and should be carefully studied:

According to the generally accepted chronology, the seventh of Artaxerxes was B. a. 457, as is noted in the margin of the Authorized Version of the book of Ezra; but, as is the case with almost every important doctrine, some have disputed this; late, and have asserted that there was not sufficient proof to establish this important position. We have therefore thought it might be worth the while to bring forward some historical evidence bearing upon this question, evidence of such a character that it can not be set aside by mere assertion.

As the extract which we shall quote involves some abbreviations and expressions not now in common use in reckoning time, we will interpret some of them, so that all our readers may have as clear an understanding as possible of the grounds upon which the reckoning is based. The expression "An. 1, Olymp. 87" means "in the first year of the eighty-seventh Olympiad," and the expression "An. 4, Olymp. 88" means "in the fourth year of the eighty-eighth Olympiad," and the expression "An. 1, Olymp. 75" means "in the first year of the seventy-fifth Olympiad," and the expression " An. 4, Olymp. 83" means " in the fourth year of the eighty-third Olympiad." The Olympiad was "the period of four years between any two celebrations of SABBATH-SCHOOL LESSON QUARTERLY 19 the Olympic games," at Olympia in Elis, one of the States of Greece, the first Olympiad being reckoned from B. c. 776. Whenever the abbreviation "An. J. P." occurs, it may be interpreted,

"The year of the Julian Period." this was "a chronological period of 7,980 years, combining the solar, lunar, and indiction cycles," which was given a theoretical starting-point in B. c. 4713. "The Julian Period was proposed by Scaliger, to remove or avoid ambiguities in chronological dates, and was so named because composed of Julian years." The abbreviation "lib." should be read "book." The expression " Anno Urbis Conditae 273" may be read•" in the two hundred and seventy-third year

from the founding of the city," referring to the founding of Home in B. c. 754. The other abbreviations will doubtless be understood by the average reader.

The quotation to which reference has been made is from Part I, Chap. 10, of Sir Isaac Newton's work on the _prophecies of Daniel, and reads as follows-: The grounds of the chronology here followed [to show that the seventh year of Artaxerxes was B. c. 457] I will now set down as briefly as I can.

The Peloponnesian War began in spring, An. 1, Olymp. 87 (s. c. 432), Diodorus, Eusebius, and all other authors agree. It began two months before Pythodorus ceased to be Archon (Thucyd. 1, 2), that is, in April, two months before the end of the Olympic year. Now, the years of this war are most certainly determined by the fifty years distance of its first year from the transit of Xerxes inclusively (Thucyd. 1, 2), or fortyeight years exclusively (Eratosth, apud Clem. Alex.) ; by the sixty-nine years distance of its end, of twenty-seventh year, from the beginning of Alexander's reign in Greece; by the acting of the Olympic games in its fourth and twelfth years (Thucyd. 1, 5) ; and by three eclipses of the sun and one of the moon, mentioned by Thucydides and Xenophon. Now, Thucydides, an unquestionable witness, tells us that the news of the death of Artaxerxes Longimanus was brought to Ephesus, and from thence by some Athenians. to Athens, in the seventh year of the Peloponnesian, when the winter half-year was running, and therefore he died An. 4, Olymp. 88. in the end of An. J. P. 4289 .(B. C. 425), suppose a month, or two, before mid-winter, for so long the news would be in coming

Now, Artaxerxes Longimanus reigned forty years, by the consent of Diodorus, Eusebius, Jerome, Sulpitius, or forty-one, according to Ptol. in Can., Clem. Alexand. (1. 1), Strom., Chron Alexand., Abulpharagius, Nicephorus, including therein the reign of his successors,. Xerxes and Sogdian, as Abulpharagius inform 20 SABBATH-SCHOOL LESSON QUARTERLY us. After Artaxerxes, reigned his son, Xerxes, two months, and Sogdian, seven months; but their reign is not reckoned apart in summing up the years of the kings, but is included in the forty, or forty-one years' reign of Artaxerxes omit these nine mouths, and the precise reign of . Artaxerxes will be thirty-nine years and three months. And therefore since his reign ended in the beginning of winter, An. J. P. 4289 (B. c. 425), it began between midsummer and autumn An. J. P. 4250 (B. c. 464).

The same thing I gather also thus: Cambyses began his reign in spring, An. J. P. 4185 (B. c. 529), and reigned eight years, including the five months of Smerdis; and then Darius Hystaspes began in spring, An. J. P. 4193 (B. c. 521), and reigned thirty-six years, by the unanimous consent of all chronologers. The reigns of these two kings are determined by three eclipses of the moon, observed at Babylon, and recorded by Ptolemy; so that it can not be disputed.' One was in the seventh year of Cambyses, An. J. P. 4191 (B. C. 523), July 16, at eleven at night; another in the twentieth year of Darius, An. J. P. 4212 (B. C. 502), November 19, at 11:45 at night; a third in the thirty-first year of Darius, An. J. P. 4223 (B. c. 491), April 25, at 11:30 at. night. By these eclipses, and the prophecies of Haggai and Zechary compared together, it is manifest that his years began after the twenty-fourth day of the eleventh Jewish month, and before the twenty-fifth day of April, and by consequence "about March. Xerxes, therefore, began in' spring, An. J. P. 4229 (B. C. 485), for Darius died in the fifth year after the battle of Marathon, as Herodotus (lib. 7) and Plutarch mention; and that battle was in October, An. J. P. 4224 (B. c. 490), ten years before the battle of Salamis. Xerxes, therefore,

began within less than a year after October, An. J. P. 4228 (B. C. 486), suppose in the spring following; for he spent his first five years, and something more, in preparations for his expedition against the Greeks; and this expedition was in the time of the Olympic games, An. 1, Olymp. 75, Calliade Athenis Archonte, twenty-eight years after his regifuge and consulship of the first counsel, Junius Brutus, Anno Urbis Conditm 273 '(3. C. 481), Fabio and Furio Coss. The passage of Xerxes' army over the Hellespont began in the end of the fourth year of the seventy-fourth Olympiad; that is, in June, An. J. P.. 4234 (B. c. 480), and took up one month; and in autumn, three months after, on the full moon, the sixteenth day of the month of Munychion, Was the battle of Salamis, and a little after that an eclipse of the sun, which, by the calculation; fell, on October


2. His sixth year, therefore, began a little before June,Ctuppose in spring, An. J. P. 4234 (B. C. 480), and his first year consequently in spring, An. J. P. 4229 (B. C. 485), as above. Now, he reigned almost twenty-one years, by the consent of all writers.

Add the seven months of Artabanus, and the sum will be twenty one years and about four or five months, which end between mid-summer and autumn, An. J.'P. 4250 (B. c. 464). At, this time, therefore, began the reign of his successor, Artaxerxes, as was to be proved.

The same thing is also confirmed by Julius Africanus, who informs us out of former writers that the twentieth year of this Artaxerxes was the one hundred and fifteen-qv year from the beginning • of the reign of Cyrus in Persia, and fell in with An. 4, Olymp. 83. It began, therefore, with the Olympic year soon after the summer solstice. An. J. P. 4269 (B. c. 445).

Subduct nineteen years, and his first year will begin at the, same time of the year, An. J. P. 4250 (B. c. 464), as above. Thus, by three independent lines of historical proof, Sir Isaac Newton shows that Artaxerxes began. His reign in B. C. 464, and "the seventh year of Artaxerxes the king" would consequently be B. c. 457.”