Editing Dating creation (section)

==Abrahamic religions==
{{Main|Anno Mundi}}

===Genesis creation narrative===
{{Main|Genesis creation narrative|Chronology of the Bible}}
Within the biblical framework and chronology, various dates have been proposed for the date of creation since ancient times, to more recent periods. The [[Bible]] begins with the [[Book of Genesis]], in which [[God]] creates the Earth, the rest of the Universe, and the Earth's plants and animals, including the first [[human]]s, in six days. A second narrative begins with the first human pair, [[Adam and Eve]], and goes on to list many of their descendants, in many cases giving the ages at which they had children and died. If these events and ages are interpreted literally throughout and the genealogies are considered closed, it is possible to build up a [[chronology]] in which many of the events of the [[Old Testament]] are dated to an estimated number of years after creation. Some biblical scholars have gone further, attempting to harmonise this biblical chronology with that of recorded [[history]], thus establishing a date for creation in a modern calendar. Since the biblical story lacks chronology for some periods, the duration of events has been subject to interpretation in many different ways, resulting in a variety of estimates of the date of creation.

Numerous efforts have been made to determine the biblical date of creation, yielding varying results. Besides differences in interpretation, the use of different versions of the Bible can also affect the result. Two dominant dates for creation using such models exist, about 5500 BC and about 4000 BC. These were calculated from the genealogies in two versions of the Bible, with most of the difference arising from two versions of Genesis. The older dates stem from the Greek [[Septuagint]].<ref>[http://www.ecmarsh.com/lxx/Genesis/index.htm Septuagint, Genesis] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160419022253/http://www.ecmarsh.com/lxx/Genesis/index.htm |date=April 19, 2016 }}</ref> The later dates are based on the Hebrew [[Masoretic Text]].<ref>{{bibleverse||Genesis|5|HE}}</ref> The patriarchs from Adam to [[Terah]], the father of [[Abraham]], were often 100 years older when they begat their named son in the Septuagint than they were in the Hebrew or the [[Vulgate]] (Genesis 5, 11). The net difference between the two [[genealogies of Genesis]] amounts to 1466 years (ignoring the "second year after the flood" ambiguity), which accounts for virtually all of the 1500-year difference between 5500 BC and 4000 BC. For example, the period from the creation to [[Noah's Ark|the Flood]] derives from the genealogical table of the ten patriarchs listed in {{Bibleverse||Genesis|5|KJV}}, and {{Bibleverse-nb||Genesis|7:6|KJV}}, called the [[generations of Adam]]. According to the Masoretic Text, this period consists of 1,656 years, and Western Christian Bibles deriving from the Latin Vulgate also follow this dating. However, the [[Samaritan Pentateuch|Samaritan texts]] give an equivalent period of 1,307 years, and according to the [[Septuagint]] ([[Codex Alexandrinus]], [[Elizabeth Bible]]) it is 2,262 years.<ref>[[s:Catholic Encyclopedia (1913)/Biblical Chronology|Catholic Encyclopedia: Biblical Chronology]]</ref> [[James Ussher]] agrees with the dating until the birth of [[Abraham]], which he argues took place when Terah was 130, and not 70 as is the direct reading of {{Bibleverse||Genesis|11:26|KJV}}, thus adding 60 years to his chronology for events postdating Abraham.<ref name=Jones278>{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=wsITeHwP9K0C&q=Abraham+%22major+biblical+events%22&pg=PA278 |title=Chronology of the Old Testament: Solving the Bible's Most Intriguing Mysteries |author=Floyd Nolen Jones |publisher=New Leaf Publishing Group |year=2004 |isbn=978-0-89051-416-0 |page=278 |access-date=2014-06-02}}</ref>

===Early Jewish estimations===
The earliest post-exilic Jewish chronicle preserved in the Hebrew language, the ''[[Seder Olam Rabbah]]'', compiled by [[Jose ben Halafta]] in 160 AD, dates the creation of the world to 3761 BC while the later ''[[Seder Olam Zutta]]'' to 4339 BC.<ref>Young’s Analytical Concordance of the Holy Bible, 1879, 8th Edition, 1939—entry under ‘Creation’ quoting Dr. William Hales New Analysis of Chronology and Geography, History and Prophecy, Vol. 1, 1830, p. 210.</ref> The [[Hebrew calendar]] has traditionally, since the 4th century AD by [[Hillel II]], dated the creation to 3761 BC.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.dictionary.net/jewish+calendar |title=Definition of Jewish Calendar from |publisher=dictionary.net |access-date=2012-11-30 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110119080838/http://www.dictionary.net/jewish+calendar |archive-date=2011-01-19 |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.askelm.com/doctrine/d911001.htm |title=The Jewish Calendar and Biblical Authority |publisher=Askelm.com |access-date=2012-11-30}}</ref>

===Septuagint===
Many of the earliest Christians who used the [[Septuagint]] version of the Bible calculated creation as having occurred about 5500 BC, and Christians up to the [[Middle Ages]] continued to use this rough estimate: [[Clement of Alexandria]] (5592 BC), [[Theophilus of Antioch]] (5529 BC), [[Sextus Julius Africanus]] (5501 BC), [[Hippolytus of Rome]] (5500 BC), [[Panodorus of Alexandria]] (5493 BC), [[Maximus the Confessor]] (5493 BC), [[George Syncellus]] (5492 BC), [[Sulpicius Severus]] (5469 BC), [[Isidore of Seville]] (5336 BC) and [[Gregory of Tours]] (5200 BC).<ref>''A Collation of the Sacred Scriptures'', Charles Roger Dundee, 1847, p. 20.</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.robibradshaw.com/chapter3 |title=Creationism and the Early Church - Chapter 3 |publisher=Robibrad.demon.co.uk |access-date=2015-04-28 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20000930010835/http://www.robibrad.demon.co.uk/Chapter3.htm |archive-date=2000-09-30 |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref name=Jones26>{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=wsITeHwP9K0C&q=%22date+of+creation%22+%22no+dispute%22&pg=PA26 |title=Chronology of the Old Testament: Solving the Bible's Most Intriguing Mysteries |author=Floyd Nolen Jones |publisher=New Leaf Publishing Group |year=2004 |isbn=978-0-89051-416-0 |page=26 |access-date=2014-06-02}}</ref><ref> A history of the Franks, Gregory of Tours, Pantianos Classics, 1916</ref> The [[Byzantine calendar]] has traditionally dated the creation of the world to September 1, 5509 BC.

The ''[[Chronicon (Eusebius)|Chronicon of Eusebius]]'' (early 4th century) dated creation to 5228 BC while [[Chronicon (Jerome)|Jerome]] (c. 380, [[Constantinople]]) dated creation to 5199 BC.<ref>[https://books.google.com/books?id=sKsC-txuJIEC&pg=PA69 ''The Penn Commentary on Piers Plowman''] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160629123039/https://books.google.com/books?id=sKsC-txuJIEC&pg=PA69&lpg=PA69&ots=_HcftVewNm&sig=I9_s1OGRsuaE08Xm3sJfs4P-xjg |date=June 29, 2016 }} by Andrew Galloway page 69</ref> In the ''[[Roman Martyrology]]'', the [[Proclamation of the Birth of Christ]] formerly used this date,<ref>{{CathEncy| wstitle=Biblical Chronology | last=Howlett | first=J.A.}}</ref> as did the Irish ''[[Annals of the Four Masters]]''.<ref>[http://www.ucc.ie/celt/published/T100005A/text025.html from 5194 AM in the Annals at CELT] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160303195828/http://www.ucc.ie/celt/published/T100005A/text025.html |date=March 3, 2016 }} — [[University College Cork]]'s ''Corpus of Electronic Texts'' project has the full text of the annals online, both in the original Irish and in O'Donovan's translation</ref>

[[Bede]] was one of the first to break away from the standard Septuagint date for the creation and in his work ''De Temporibus'' ("On Time") (completed in 703 AD) dated the creation to 18 March 3952 BC but was accused of heresy at the table of Bishop [[Wilfrid]], because his chronology was contrary to accepted calculations of around 5500 BC.<ref>''The Reckoning of Time'', Wallis, Faith, trans, pp. xxx, 405–415.</ref>

===Masoretic===
After the [[Masoretic Text]] was published, however, dating creation around 4000 BC became common, and was received with wide support.<ref>''A Collation of the Sacred Scriptures'', Charles Roger Dundee, 1847, pp. 10-24.</ref> Proposed calculations of the date of creation using the Masoretic from the 10th century to the 18th century include: [[Marianus Scotus]] (4192 BC), [[Henry Fynes Clinton]] (4138 BC), [[Henri Spondanus]] (4051 BC), [[Benedict Pereira]] (4021 BC), [[Louis Cappel]] (4005 BC), [[James Ussher]] (4004 BC), [[Augustin Calmet]] (4002 BC), [[Isaac Newton]] (3998 BC){{Citation needed|reason=The Jones citation does not show that Newton proposed this date|date=October 2017}}, [[Petavius]] (3984 BC), [[Theodore Bibliander]] (3980 BC), [[Johannes Kepler]] (April 27, 3977 BC) [based on his book ''[[Mysterium Cosmographicum]]''], [[Heinrich Bünting]] (3967 BC), [[Christen Sørensen Longomontanus]] (3966 BC), [[Melanchthon]] (3964 BC), [[Martin Luther]] (3961 BC), [[Cornelius Cornelii a Lapide]] (3961 BC), [[John Lightfoot]] (3960 BC), [[Joseph Justus Scaliger]] (3949 BC), [[Christoph Helvig]] (3947 BC), [[Gerardus Mercator]] (3928 BC), [[Matthieu Brouard]] (3927 BC), [[Benito Arias Montano]] (3849 BC), [[Andreas Helwig]] (3836 BC).<ref name=Jones26 />

Among the Masoretic creation estimates or calculations for the date of creation only the Archbishop [[Ussher chronology]] dates the creation to 4004 BC and became the most accepted and popular, mainly because this specific date was attached to the [[King James Bible]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://law2.umkc.edu/faculty/projects/ftrials/scopes/ussher.html |title=Bishop James Ussher Sets the Date for Creation: October 23, 4004 B.C |publisher=Law2.umkc.edu |access-date=2012-11-30}}</ref>

Polish [[Christmas carol]] ''[[Wśród nocnej ciszy]]'' contains text ''Cztery tysiące lat wyglądany'' (''Looked out for four thousand years'') related to Jesus, which also corresponds to date of creation based on Masoretic Text.<ref>Szczepan Keller ''Zbiór pieśni nabożnych katolickich do użytku kościelnego i domowego'', Pelplin 1871, p. 47.</ref>

===Alfonsine tables===
[[Alfonso X of Castile]] commissioned the [[Alfonsine tables]], composed of astronomical data based on observation, from which the date of the creation has been calculated to be either 6984 BC or 6484 BC.<ref>Young’s Analytical Concordance of the Holy Bible, 1879 8th Edition, 1939—entry under ‘Creation’.</ref><ref>''New Analysis of Chronology and Geography, History and Prophecy'', William Hales, vol. 1, p. 210, 1830.</ref><ref>{{cite book|title=Celestial treasury: from the music of the spheres to the conquest of space|author=Marc Lachièze-Rey|publisher=Cambridge University Press|year=2001|pages=26, 76|isbn=9780521800402}}</ref>

===Other biblical estimations===
In 1738, {{ill|Alphonse Des Vignoles|fr}} said he had collected over 200 different estimates, ranging from 3483 BC to 6984 BC.<ref>{{cite book |first1=Alphonse |last1=Des Vignoles |title=Chronologie De L'Histoire Sainte Et Des Histoires Etrangeres Qui La Concernent Depuis La Sortie D'Egypte Jusqu'A La Captivite De Babylone |date=1738 |publisher=Ambroise Haude |location=Berlin |page=19 |volume=I |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=MilBAAAAcAAJ&pg=PP19 |access-date=23 April 2019 |language=fr}}</ref> [[John Clark Ridpath]] attributes these values respectively to [[Yom-Tov Lipmann-Muhlhausen]] and [[Regiomontanus]].<ref>{{cite book |last1=Ridpath |first1=John Clark |title=Ridpath's Universal history |date=1897 |publisher=Jones |location=Cincinnati |page=[https://archive.org/details/ridpathsuniversa01ridp/page/141 141] |volume=1 |url=https://archive.org/details/ridpathsuniversa01ridp |access-date=23 April 2019}}</ref>

* [[Christian Charles Josias Bunsen]] in the 19th century dated the creation to 20,000 BC.<ref>''Epoch of Creation according to various authorities in Pre-Adamites'' by Walter Winchell, 1880.</ref>
* [[Tarleton Perry Crawford]] dated the creation to 12,500 BC.<ref name="Crawford1877">{{cite book| author= Crawford, Tarleton Perry| title= ''The patriarchal dynasties from Adam to Abraham: Shown to Cover 10,500 Years, and the Highest Human Life Only 187'' | publisher = Josiah Ryland | year = 1877 | location = Richmond, Va| page=[https://archive.org/details/patriarchaldynas00crawrich/page/165 165]| url = https://archive.org/details/patriarchaldynas00crawrich }}</ref>
* [[Harold Camping]] dated the creation to 11,013 BC.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.ebiblefellowship.com/sunday_bible_study/2005.10.09_McOwen_-_The_Timeline_of_History.pdf |title=Creation date of 11013 BC using Genesis 5 and 11 |access-date=2015-04-28}}</ref>