CHRONOLOGY OF THE KINGS OF ISRAEL AND JUDAH. 277 



It appears to me that the author, with the best intentions, 

 doubtless, has been somewhat misled by an inordinate estimation of 

 the Assyrian chronology. That it is of great importance cannot be 

 denied. It must, however, be remarked that the Assyrian Records 

 are not quite so inviolable as the author appears to imagine. 

 Again he asserts, " the Assyrian Records, official and therefore 

 authoritative, cannot possibly be in contradiction with the true 

 reckoning (as I contend) preserved in the Hebrew texts." He 

 there makes the Assyrian Records to be the ultimate standard of 

 appeal. 



The Author. — No. 



Professor Orchard. — It appears to me to be so ; but perhaps t 

 was a little hasty in making that assumption. Professor Sayce has 

 pointed out that there are several mistakes in the Assyrian Records 

 with regard to the length of reigns ; and Oppert, too, regards those 

 records as being though valuable, unreliable and in his opinion, when 

 there is a difference between the Assyrian Records and the Scripture 

 narrative, that the Scripture narrative should be held to prevail 

 over the Assyrian Records, and I think we should be of the same 

 opinion. 



I notice on page 263 of the paper a remark that I thoroughly 

 endorse, where the learned author reminds us that " there lies one 

 radical evil habit, which is gradually but surely undermining the slow 

 but scientific method of historical investigation, viz., the assumption 

 of the truth of some one datum, which, however probable, is not 

 proved, and on it building a superstructure, which ultimatel}^ 

 collapses, because its foundation is not on a rock." I venture to say 

 that the assumption in this paper of the untrue datum is the 

 inviolability of these Assyrian Records. We may hope that as this 

 subject is very interesting, we may derive some assistance from 

 those investigations which Dr. Pinches has reminded us are being 

 now carried on by German investigators. 



The Chairman. — I think this paper is very valuable indeed. 

 The author seems to have proved absolutely that there is a gap in 

 the eponym calendar of the Assyrians of twenty-five years. 



I would also say that he has incidentally touched on an important 

 point regarding the Exodus. I have always been unable to see that 

 taking Rameses II. as Athaiah, we could ever fit the chronology of 

 Egypt with the chronology of the Hebrews. 



