James Ussher
From RationalWiki
James Ussher (4 January 1581 – 21 March 1656) was the Anglican Archbishop of Armagh and Primate of All Ireland from 1625 to 1656.
He is most famous for calculating what was believed, at the time, to be the exact first day of creation based on a detailed examination of the Bible and of older chronologies and calendars. The date which he arrived at - the night preceding October 23, 4004 BCE - is still used by many young earth creationists today.
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[edit] Ussher's history of the World
The chronology Ussher devised gives the following biblically identified dates for important events.[1]
- Sunday October 23, 4004 BC - First day of creation.
- Monday November 23, 4004 BC - Adam and Eve driven from paradise.
- 2348 BC - The Great Flood.
- 1921 BC - God's call to Abraham.
- 1491 BC - The Exodus from Egypt.
- 1012 BC - The founding of the Temple in Jerusalem.
- 586 BC - The destruction of Jerusalem by Babylon and the beginning of the Babylonian Captivity.
- 4 BC - The birth of Jesus.
[edit] See also
[edit] Further reading
- Barr, James, 'Why the World Was Created in 4004 B.C.: Archbishop Ussher and Biblical Chronology', Bulletin of the John Rylands University Library of Manchester, vol. 67, pp. 575-608
- Gould, Stephen Jay, 'Fall in the House of Ussher', Natural History, vol. 100 (November 1991), pp. 12-21