Introduction

    Chapters 5 and 11 of the Book of Genesis have long been a seemingly insurmountable obstacle to students of the Bible. Inasmuch as they begin with Adam and end with Abraham, they have their roots in creation and they reach into the era of the great civilizations of Babylon and Egypt, which flourished during Abraham’s day. They, therefore, tantalize the scholar who is trying to reconstruct history. Unfortunately, because a solution to an understanding of these chapters has not been forthcoming, the events embraced within their scope – creation, the fall of man, the Noachian flood – are likewise often looked upon as accounts impervious to clear understanding.

    Bishop Ussher’s attempt to understand these chronological notices has only worsened matters. His conclusions that Adam’s date was 4004 B.C., the flood date was 2349 B.C., and that the Israelites spent 215 years in Egypt, agree neither with the Biblical nor the secular evidence.

    The chapters in Genesis are part of the Word of God, and, therefore, they must be true and dependable. The question is, can they be rightly understood? I would be so presumptuous as to suggest a solution to these chronologies. This solution will be compared with some of the pertinent archaeological evidence.