The Date of Creation: Ussher's Chronology -- Lesson 2 (Earth's Age Mini-Course)

What is the date of creation? Has anyone successfully calculated it? If so, how accurate is it?

Some have claimed they know the date. They say the Earth is billions of years old. Others say it's only a few thousand. Who is right?

In Lesson 2 of our Earth's Age Mini-course, we're going to talk about James Ussher and his attempt to determine the date of creation.

Who is he? Let's find out who he is, and why he's so important.

But first, don't forget about the quiz at the end of Lesson 2. It'll really help you master the material.

Let's get to it.

Determining the Date of Creation

No discussion of the date for creation would be complete without mentioning James Ussher. But who was he? Why is he so important? Did he discover the age of the Earth?

Let's find out.

1. Who Is This Ussher Guy and Why Does His Date of Creation Matter?

Archbishop James Ussher was a 17th‑century Anglican (who looked nothing like my A.I. attempt at picturing him!). He carefully added the years in biblical genealogies and historical sections to arrive at a creation date of 4004 BC. His work was painstaking and brilliant.

Ussher wanted to establish a timeline from creation to Christ. He did so much more than that.

Ussher's work was so revered that many churches since his time have accepted it as "The Date" for creation. The reasoning behind this faithful acceptance is that Ussher faithfully used genealogies from the Bible to come up with his number. This means that, by Ussher's estimation, the Earth is about 6,000 years old.

Sounds reasonable, right? Here's the dirty little secret. Ussher didn't just use the Bible to come up with his date. He used a multitude of secular sources as well. He used calendars, Babylonian records, apocryphal writings and many other historical sources outside the Bible to come up with his date.

This already presents us with numerous issues. For one, Ussher's research is only as good as his sources. Had the Bible given exact dates, we could confidently say he's correct. The Bible is the perfect Word of God. Because of this, anything God put in the Bible is accurate.

The problem stems from Ussher's use of sources outside the Bible. If they aren't absolutely perfect in the way they reproduce history, the number could be off by a few or many years.

After all, Josephus sometime embellished the truth. Ussher used some of his material.

He also used some Babylonian records. Are they perfectly accurate? Who knows?

The point is that Ussher didn't use ONLY biblical evidence to support the date he came up with. There's a whole lot more involved.

Key references used by Ussher: Genesis 5:1–32; Genesis 11:10–26; 1 Kings 6:1.

2. What the genealogies do—and do not—claim

There's also an issue with assuming the genealogies in the Bible from way back are meant to be a complete record of every generation.

No. This isn't a product of liberalism. This idea doesn't question the Bible's integrity. Here's why.

Genealogies are simply names of generations listed in order. The question is whether they are complete records with every name of every generation.

Some claim there's no evidence to support that they aren't complete. This isn't entirely true.

The point of ancient genealogies wasn't to give a complete record of every generation. It was simply meant to give an overview of how many generations lived during that time. How do we know this?

The Bible tells us this.

The Bible gives undeniable proof that some genealogies aren't always complete. For instance, if you compare Ezra 7:1–5 with 1 Chronicles 6:3–14, you find something interesting. Several names are missing from Ezra's account. The lists don't match.

We find the same issue in Matthew 1:1–17. When compared with the same genealogy in 1 Chronicles 3:1-24, the lists don't match either. And Matthew, himself, seems to imply that there's a reason for that. Each set is grouped into fourteen generations. Perfectly symmetrical generations, one and all.

Uh oh! What does this mean? Does this mean that the Bible is inaccurate? Does this mean that Ezra was a sloppy scholar? Does this mean that Matthew fudged on the facts, and now we can't trust a word he wrote? Does this mean we can't trust the Bible anymore??????

Calm yourself. It means no such thing.

Let's review. The point of genealogies wasn't to be a complete record of every generation in that part of the ancient world. It simply gave a summary as Ezra and Matthew did. They were remaining faithful to the facts. They made no mistakes. They simply crafted these lists in a way that remained faithful to the spirit of the history it sought to communicate.

Could this include other Old Testament genealogies as well? It isn't a sure thing, but it certainly is a possibility. This means that Ussher may have been off in his chronology. He seemed to assume that he knew more than he actually did about Old Testament genealogies.

Key references: Genesis 5:1–32; Genesis 11:10–26; Matthew 1:1–17; 1 Chronicles 3:10–16.

3. If Ussher Is Wrong, Are There gaps big enough for millions of years?

So does all this mean we should throw Ussher's chronology in the garbage bin? Should we chuck him like a moldy loaf of bread and move on?

Nope. We should accept his date.

I can hear someone now. "Wait a minute. You just said it could be off! Why accept it?"

Here's the simple answer. If Ussher is off, and that's pretty much a given, it isn't by much. Both Matthew and Ezra left out a few names compared to the overall list they produced. If that's true about the genealogies in Genesis 5, there aren't that many generations to have to fill in.

This takes care of the objection that rejecting Ussher's plan could lead to theistic evolution. The problem? There just isn't enough time to allow for a process like evolution to run its course, even if Ussher is off.

In other words, Ussher was probably so close to the date that there are no gaps big enough to account for the theory of evolution. Whether we accept Ussher or not, theistic evolution just doesn't jive with the biblical record, if we take God at His word.

When we ask about the date of creation, we can confidently say that Ussher probably had it right. That's better than evolution which changes its views constantly.

Key references: Genesis 5; Genesis 11:10–32.

4. Appreciating Ussher Without Canonizing Him

When all is said and done, Ussher did a great job with his chronology. His work may not be perfect. But what is this side of heaven other than the Word of God?

I believe Ussher uncovered a date closer than anyone else at this point. After all, who has done anything comparable to Ussher? Who has a better-researched and provable answer than he does?

We don't have to vault him to the level of an apostle to accept what he produced. We just have to understand that he's accurate but still fallible.

Who knows? Maybe he was spot on. Can you say with 100% accuracy the genealogies aren't complete? Or that his extra-biblical material wasn't accurate?

I'm not willing to go there, are you?

I believe it's wise to accept his date, knowing it may not be completely accurate, and move on.

Key references: Deuteronomy 29:29; Proverbs 25:2.

What Is the Date of Creation?

We've determined the safest answer is Ussher's. His is probably more accurate than any other calculation.

But you may be asking, "Why is this important? I mean, is the age of the Earth really something to haggle over?"

I'm glad you asked.

A young Earth allows for sin. An old Earth doesn't.

A young Earth aligns with our understanding of sin, death and salvation. An old Earth doesn't.

If sin really did enter the world through Adam (Romans 5:12), then salvation comes to us by one Man, Jesus Christ (Romans 5:15).

Christ came to save us from sin. A young Earth confirms what the Bible already tells us.

God bless.

Click here to find Lesson 3 of our "Earth's Age Mini-course."

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