In biblical times there were no calendars, why do Christians think they can discern the earth's age from it

Answer 1

Only fundies believe stupid crap like that the earth is only 6,000 years old garbage.

Answer 2

The method that was used was called the "Begat system".

Noah begat Joshua who begat Jeremiah who begat the lead singer from KISS....... etc etc etc....

Using the focal point of King David (who is/was a real person) they were able to use that system to track things back to Aug 4th at 9 am in the year 4004 B.C.E.

Part of the problem however is a translational error whereby "years of age" were confused with "moons". The Hebrew calendar system is a lunar one. Noah lived for 350 years after the Great Flood dying at the age of 950. If you take the average number of full moons per year to be 12.5 (this assumes one 'blue moon' every other year) then Noah was 76 years old when he died 28 year after surviving the Great Deluge.

Using this as a base, then you get roughly 1300 B.C.E. as a starting date for the Bible which actually corresponds to roughly when it was REALLY written.

Answer 3

There were calendars back then. God himself created the stars to be used as signs and for seasons.

Genesis 1:14 And God said, Let there be lights in the firmament of the heaven to divide the day from the night; and let them be for signs, and for seasons, and for days, and years.

Chapter 5 in Genesis records the years of Adam and his future generations. Genesis 5:5 And all the days that Adam lived were nine hundred and thirty years; and he died.

I won't take up the space here, but you can track from Adam to Christ and by doing so, you can discern the age of the earth.

Answer 4

What does "it" refer to in your sentence? For the life of me I just can't figure it out. Can't be "biblical times" cause that's plural. Can't be "calendars" cause that's plural too. Must be "earth" then? Christians think they can discern the earth's age from the earth? What the hell are you talking about?

Answer 5

In Biblical times, there were calendars.

Calendars have existed since the Iron age, and likely prior to that. As soon as agrarian culture came about, calendars were needed to predict planting and harvest times. This is how we've managed to keep ancient holidays such as the solstices, Halloween (Samhain) and others.

Answer 6

It is the year 5767 according to the Hebrew calendar, A solar calendar was started later which is the one is used widely.

Answer 7

I believe you are speaking of young earth Christians. Since Swedenborgian Christians believe the Abraham is the first person that is referenced from this earth, it is a non-issue.

Answer 8

The age of the earth is synchronized with the birth of Jesus Christ hence we have terms BC abd AD. The principle possibly coined during the reign of Constantinople.when christianity was in its full bloom in Roman empire.

Answer 9

Of course there were calendars. Here's an article about a 15,000 year old calendar:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/975360.stm

Answer 10

There was the Jewish calendar. Perhaps not the gregorian calendar. The Jewish calendar can be translated easily.