# Historians & The Generations in the Bible

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/historians-the-generations-in-the-bible/270596>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [October 22, 2004, 2:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/historians-the-generations-in-the-bible/270596 "2004-10-22T14:19:32Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 6\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Jinx](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/c6cbf5/32.png) [@Jinx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jinx)\
**Post date:** [October 22, 2004, 2:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/historians-the-generations-in-the-bible/270596/1 "2004-10-22T14:19:32Z")

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Just wondering: If one were to make enough sense out of the clues in the Old Testament as to who begat whom, about how many years back would that put:

a) Abraham?  
b) Noah?  
c) Adam and Eve?

I am going by the premise that this is possible, as I have heard. Also, where do biologists, archeologists, and the like place these events on their geo-timeline?  
Thanks, - Jinx

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**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\
**Post date:** [October 22, 2004, 2:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/historians-the-generations-in-the-bible/270596/2 "2004-10-22T14:58:11Z")

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This has already been done, famously, by a chap named Ussher - he put the creation of the Earth at something like 4004 BC on November 10th, mid-morning.

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**Author:** ![Exapno\_Mapcase](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/exapno_mapcase/32/1051_2.png) [@Exapno\_Mapcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Exapno_Mapcase)\
**Post date:** [October 22, 2004, 3:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/historians-the-generations-in-the-bible/270596/3 "2004-10-22T15:14:57Z")

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> [@Jinx](#):
>
> Also, where do biologists, archeologists, and the like place these events on their geo-timeline?

They don’t. Period.

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**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\
**Post date:** [October 22, 2004, 3:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/historians-the-generations-in-the-bible/270596/4 "2004-10-22T15:41:34Z")

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Pratchett/Gaiman wrote a bit about Ussher in the opening chapter of their book _Good Omens_ - it may be found quoted [here](http://www.spychalski.de/GoodOmens.html).

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**Author:** ![Darwins\_Finch](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/darwins_finch/32/20304_2.png) [@Darwins\_Finch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darwins_Finch)\
**Post date:** [October 22, 2004, 4:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/historians-the-generations-in-the-bible/270596/5 "2004-10-22T16:18:02Z")

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> [@Mangetout](#):
>
> This has already been done, famously, by a chap named Ussher - he put the creation of the Earth at something like 4004 BC on November 10th, mid-morning.

“In the beginning, God created heaven and earth, which beginning of time, according to this chronology, occurred **at the beginning of the night** which preceded the **23rd of October** in the year 710 of the Julian period.”  
–Bishop Ussher, _The Annals of the Old Testament_.

Note that that wold put the creation of Adam & Eve at about Oct. 29.

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**Author:** ![cmkeller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cmkeller/32/118_2.png) [@cmkeller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cmkeller)\
**Post date:** [October 22, 2004, 5:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/historians-the-generations-in-the-bible/270596/6 "2004-10-22T17:11:38Z")

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Jews calculate diffrerently:

Adam and Eve: created 3760 BCE  
Noah: born 2704 BCE, flood 2104 BCE, died 1754 BCE  
Abraham: born 1813 BCE, died 1638 BCE