Did Methuselah Die 14 Years after the Flood?

[Humble Penny]

At the begining of my blog series Biblical Chronology: From Adam To The End Of The World (Introduction) I briefly addressed the Methuselah problem which places him dying 14 Years after the Flood. And in my second series Hiding The Messaiah: Falsification Of Genesis 5 & 11 (Part 1) I went into a lot of technical detail as to how I addressed and resolved this problem, but I found that it was not readable enough for my everyday man and woman: therefore I am creating this thread to give the layman's explanation on the aforesaid problem, and why this is key to the prophecy that Christ would die after 5,500 Years.

According to the Septuagint/LXX and the Masoretic Text/MT as we have them the years from Adam to the Flood are as follows:

LXX
230 Years (Adam)
205 Years (Seth)
190 Years (Enosh)
170 Years (Kenan)
165 Years (Mahalalel)
162 Years (Jared)
165 Years (Enoch
167 Years (Methuselah)
188 Years (Lamech)
600 Years (Noah)
2,242 Years (Adam to Flood)

MT
130 Years (Adam)
105 Years (Seth)
90 Years (Enosh)
70 Years (Kenan)
65 Years (Mahalalel)
162 Years (Jared)
65 Years (Enoch)
187 Years (Methuselah)
182 Years (Lamech)
600 Years (Noah)
1,656 Years (Adam to Flood)
1,656 Years - 2,242 Years = -586 Year discrepancy

From the beginning we see a discrepancy between the names of the men whom I have bolded and highlighted in orange. Let us continue down the line with the men from the Flood to the 75th Year of Abraham:

LXX
2 Years (Shem)
135 Years (Arphaxad)
130 Years (Cainan)
130 Years (Shelah)
134 Years (Heber)
130 Years (Peleg)
132 Years (Reu)
130 Years (Serug)
179 Years (Nahor)
70 Years (Terah)
75 Years (Abraham)
1,247 Years (Flood to Abraham)

MT
2 Years (Shem)
35 Years (Arphaxad)
[Removed] (Cainan)
30 Years (Shelah)
34 Years (Heber)
30 Years (Peleg)
32 Years (Reu)
30 Years (Serug)
29 Years (Nahor)
70 Years (Terah)
75 Years (Abraham)
367 Years (Flood to Abraham)
367 Years - 1,247 Years = -880 Year discrepancy

(-586) + (-880 Years) = -1466 Year discrepancy

Why the huge discrepancy? Guess we'll have to find out once we finish adding up all the remaining years leading up to Christ's crucifixion:

LXX & MT
25 Years (Abraham)
60 Years (Isaac)
85 Years (Jacob)
45 Years (Levi)
71 Years (Kohath)
64 Years (Amram)
80 Years (Moses)
430 Years (Abraham to Moses)

Oddly enough both texts agree here, but what about with the numbers following?

LXX & MT
40 Years (Israel enters Canaan in Caleb's 78th)
7 Years (Joshua conquers Canaan)
26 Years (Joshua reigns over Israel)
8 Years (Cushan)
40 Years (Othniel)
18 Years (Eglon)
80 Years (Ehud)
20 Years (Jabin)
40 Years (Deborah & Barak)
7 Years (Zebah & Zalmmuna)
40 Years (Gideon)
3 Years (Abimelech & Jotham)
18 Years (Philistines & Ammonites)
6 Years (Jephthah)
40 Years (Philistines)
20 Years (Samson)
40 Years (Eli)
58 Years (Samuel)
511 Years (Moses to Saul)

Wow, both textual traditions also agree here...I am starting to see a pattern develop here. Let's check the reigns of the kings of Israel and Judah, surely they can't also agree there:

LXX & MT
40 Years (Saul)
2 Years (Ishbosheth)
40 Years 6 Months (David)
40 Years (Solomon)
17 Years (Rehoboam)
3 Years (Abijah)
41 Years (Asa)
25 Years (Jehoshpaht)
8 Years (Jehoram)
1 Year (Ahaziah)
7 Years (Queen Ataliah)
40 Years (Joash)
29 Years (Amaziah)
52 Years (Uzziah)
16 Years (Jotham)
16 Years (Ahaz)
29 Years (Hezekiah)
55 Years (Manasseh)
2 Years (Amon)
31 Years (Josiah)
3 Months (Joahaz)
11 Years (Eliakim/Jehoiakim)
3 Months (Jehoiachin)
11 Years (Mattaniah/Zedekiah)
517 Years (Saul to Babylon)

For those who want the details as to how I arrived at the following years for the period of Joshua to the reign of the judges please read my blog posts:

Numbers only with no Visual Aid Charts
Biblical Chronology: From Adam To The End Of The World (4430 Anno Mundi - Moses To Saul)
Biblical Chronology: From Adam To The End Of The World (4947 Anno Mundi - Saul To Babylon)

Numbers with Visual Aid Charts
Tables For The Judges, Kings And Queens Of Israel

 

[Humble Penny]

This is very confusing, why is it that both of our textual traditions agree on everything aside from Genesis 5 & 11? What about the well known passage of 1 Kings 6:1?

LXX
"And it came to pass in the 440th year after the departure of the children of Israel out of Egypt, in the 4th year and 2nd month of the reign of king Solomon over Israel, that the king commanded that they should take great and costly stones for the foundation of the house, and hewn stones. And the men of Solomon, and the men of Chiram hewed the stones, and laid them for a foundation. In the 4th year he laid the foundation of the house of the Lord, in the month Ziu, even in the 2nd month."

MT
"Now it came about in the 480th year after the sons of Israel came out of the land of Egypt, in the fourth year of Solomon’s reign over Israel, in the month of Ziv which is the 2nd month, that he began to build the house of the Lord.
1 Kings 6:1 NASB1995

We have two strange things here:

1) The LXX and MT differ by 40 Years.
2) The actual numbers add up to 597 Years 6 Months.

The only other source we have closest to the LXX is that of Josephus in his Antiquity of the Jews:

"Solomon began to build the temple in the 4th year of his reign, on the 2nd month, which the Macedonians call Artemisius, and the Hebrews Jur, 592 years after the Exodus out of Egypt; but 1,020 years from Abraham's coming out of Mesopotamia into Canaan, and after the deluge 1,440 years; and from Adam, the first man who was created, until Solomon built the temple, there had passed in all 3,102 years. Now that year on which the temple began to be built was already the 11th year of the reign of Hiram; but from the building of Tyre to the building of the temple, there had passed 240 years."
Antiquity of the Jews; Book 8; 3:1

Who knew that of all of our textual witnesses Josephus would suprisingly agree with the LXX? He also mentions some other important dates so let's check that against what we already have from the Greek text:

Josephus
592 Years (Exodus to 4th Year of Solomon)
1,020 Years (Abraham to Solomon)
1,440 Years (Flood to 4th Year of Solomon)
3,102 Years (Adam to 4th Year of Solomon)

LXX
597 Years 6 Months (Exodus to 4th Year of Solomon)
1,027 Years 6 Months (Abraham to Solomon)
2,274 Years 6 Months (Flood to Solomon)
4,516 Years 6 Months (Adam to Solomon)

For those who have read the works of Josephus we should have red flags going up immediately because the actual data Josephus provides us says something different about the years from Adam to the Flood:

"This calamity happened in the 600th year of Noah's government, (age,) in the 2nd month, called by the Macedonians Dius, but by the Hebrews Marchesuan: for so did they order their year in Egypt. But Moses appointed that Nisan, which is the same with Xanthicus, should be the 1st month for their festivals, because he brought them out of Egypt in that month: so that this month began the year as to all the solemnities they observed to the honor of God, although he preserved the original order of the months as to selling and buying, and other ordinary affairs. Now he says that this flood began on the 27th (17th) day of the forementioned month; and this was 2,256 (1,656) years from Adam, the first man; and the time is written down in our sacred books, those who then lived having noted down, with great accuracy, both the births and deaths of illustrious men.

For indeed Seth was born when Adam was in his 230th year, who lived 930 years.
Seth begat Enos in his 205th year; who, when he had lived 912 years,
delivered the government to Cainan his son, whom he had in his 190th year. He lived 905 years.
Cainan, when he had lived 910 years, had his son Malaleel, who was born in his 170th year.
This Malaleel, having lived 895 years, died, leaving his son Jared, whom he begat when he was in his 165th year.
He lived 962 years; and then his son Enoch succeeded him, who was born when his father was 162 years old.
Now he, when he had lived 365 years, departed and went to God; whence it is that they have not written down his death. Now Mathusela, the son of Enoch, who was born to him when he was 165 years old,
had Lamech for his son when he was 187 years of age; to whom he delivered the government, when he had retained it 969 years.
Now Lamech, when he had governed 777 years, appointed Noah, his son, to be ruler of the people, who was born to Lamech when he was 182 years old,
and retained the government 950 years.

These years collected together make up the sum before set down. But let no one inquire into the deaths of these men; for they extended their lives along together with their children and grandchildren; but let him have regard to their births only."
Antiquity of the Jews; Book 1; 3:3-4 (emphasis added mine)

It's clear from our text that there was some unknown editor, who had knowledge of the Masoretic Text, tweaking the writings of Josephus as evidenced by the text bolded and highlighted in green and red. The numbers bolded and highlighted in orange are the years Josephus instructs us to add up. And unless Josephus knew that Hebrews were naming their months after the fashion of the Babylonians during their time in Egypt, this appears to be an anachronism for God had instructed Moses to name the 1st Month "Abib", and not "Nisan": for Marchesuan/Marchesvan/Heshvan is reckoned according to the Babylonians as the 8th Month. However this could easily be explained by the fact that the Israelites had adopted this practice from Abraham who came out of Babylon into the land of Canaan. Let us return to reckoning the years provided to us by Josephus:

Josephus
230 Years (Adam)
205 Years (Seth)
190 Years (Enosh)
170 Years (Kenan)
165 Years (Mahalalel)
162 Years (Jared)
165 Years (Enoch)
187 Years (Methuselah)
182 Years (Lamech)
600 Years (Noah)
2,256 Years (Adam to Flood)

If you compare the ages of Methuselah and Lamech given by Jospehus with that of the LXX you'll see the 14 Year discrepancy between the two texts for the time from Adam to the Flood. Let's see what data Josephus gives us concerning the time from the Flood to Abraham:

"I will now treat of the Hebrews. The son of Phaleg, whose father Was Heber, was Ragau; whose son was Serug, to whom was born Nahor; his son was Terah, who was the father of Abraham, who accordingly was the tenth from Noah, and was born in the 292nd year after the deluge;

for Terah begat Abram in his 70th year.
Nahor begat Haran when he was 120 years old;
Nahor was born to Serug in his 132nd year;
Ragau had Serug at 130;
at the same age also Phaleg had Ragau;
Heber begat Phaleg in his 134th year;
he himself being begotten by Sala when he was a 130 years old,
whom Arphaxad had for his son at the 135th year of his age.
Arphaxad was the son of Shem, and born 12 years after the deluge.

Now Abram had two brethren, Nahor and Haran: of these Haran left a son, Lot; as also Sarai and Milcha his daughters; and died among the Chaldeans, in a city of the Chaldeans, called Ur; and his monument is shown to this day. These married their nieces. Nahor married Milcha, and Abram married Sarai. Now Terah hating Chaldea, on account of his mourning for Haran, they all removed to Haran of Mesopotamia, where Terah died, and was buried, when he had lived to be 205 years old;"
Antiquity of the Jews; Book 1; 6:5 (emphasis added mine)

Seems this unknown editor didn't clean up his/her tracks well and left evidence of his/her crimes as he/she has Nahor begetting Haran, instead of Terah, and Terah begetting Abraham 292 Years after the Flood instead of 1,172 Years as we have in the LXX. We see that this editor placed the years of the MT yet again for the time from the Flood to Abraham for they removed Cainan from the geneaologial record of Genesis 11 just as the MT did. And we see that Josephus has Arphaxad being born 12 Years after the Flood as opposed to the 2 Years we read of in the LXX and the MT and, the years of Reu and Serug from Josephus are reversed when looking at the LXX, and finally the age for Nahor is 59 Years shorter in Josephus when compared to the LXX. As before let us reckon the actual data in the text:

Josephus
12 Years (Shem)
135 Years (Arphaxad)
[Removed] (Cainan)
130 Years (Selah)
134 Years (Heber)
130 Years (Peleg)
130 Years (Reu)
132 Years (Serug)
120 Years (Nahor)
70 Years (Terah)
75 Years (Abraham)
1,068 Years (Flood to Abraham)

Let's reckon the years from Adam to the 4th Year of Solomon with this revised data and compare it against the LXX:

Josephus
230 Years (Adam)
205 Years (Seth)
190 Years (Enosh)
170 Years (Kenan)
165 Years (Mahalalel)
162 Years (Jared)
165 Years (Enoch)
187 Years (Methuselah)
182 Years (Lamech)
600 Years (Noah)
2,256 Years (Adam to Flood)

12 Years (Shem)
135 Years (Arphaxad)
[Removed] (Cainan)
130 Years (Selah)
134 Years (Heber)
130 Years (Peleg)
130 Years (Reu)
132 Years (Serug)
120 Years (Nahor)
70 Years (Terah)
75 Years (Abraham)
1,068 Years (Flood to Abraham)

2,256 Years (Adam to Flood)
1,068 Years (Flood to Abraham)
430 Years (Abraham to Moses)
592 Years (Moses to 4th Year of Solomon)
4,346 Years (Adam to 4th Year of Solomon)

LXX
230 Years (Adam)
205 Years (Seth)
190 Years (Enosh)
170 Years (Kenan)
165 Years (Mahalalel)
162 Years (Jared)
165 Years (Enoch)
167 Years (Methuselah)
188 Years (Lamech)
600 Years (Noah)
2,242 Years (Adam to Flood)

2 Years (Shem)
135 Years (Arphaxad)
130 Years (Cainan)
130 Years (Selah)
134 Years (Heber)
130 Years (Peleg)
132 Years (Reu)
130 Years (Serug)
179 Years (Nahor)
70 Years (Terah)
75 Years (Abraham)
1,247 Years (Flood to Abraham)

2,242 Years (Adam to Flood)
1,247 Years (Flood to Abraham)
430 Years (Abraham to Moses)
597 Years 6 Months (Moses to Solomon)
4,516 Years 6 Months (Adam to Solomon)

4,346 Years - 4,516.5 Years = -170.5 Year discrepancy

Anyways going back to where we left off with the Babylonian captivity there's no doubt all three texts agree that the Jews spent 70 Years in Babylon. Finally we have the LXX and MT in agreement with Daniel's 70 Weeks that Yeshua the Messiah will die after 69 Weeks/483 Years from the decree of Cyrus. Let's add the remaining years of the kings, the Babylonian exile, and the 69 Weeks of Daniel to all three texts to see what the end result will be:

LXX
2,242 Years (Adam to Flood)
1,247 Years (Flood to Abraham)
430 Years (Abraham to Moses)
597 Years 6 Months (Moses to Solomon)
430 Years 6 Months (Solomon to Babylon)
70 Years (Babylon to Cyrus)
483 Years (Cyrus to Christ's Death)
5,500 Years (Adam to Christ's Death)

Josephus
2,256 Years (Adam to Flood)
1,068 Years (Flood to Abraham)
430 Years (Abraham to Moses)
592 Years (Moses to 4th Year of Solomon)
430 Years 6 Months (Solomon to Babylon)
70 Years (Babylon to Cyrus)
483 Years (Cyrus to Christ's Death)
5,329 Years 6 Months (Adam to Christ's Death)

MT
1,656 Years (Adam to Flood)
367 Years (Flood to Abraham)
430 Years (Abraham to Moses)
597 Years 6 Months (Moses to Solomon)
430 Years 6 Months (Solomon to Babylon)
70 Years (Babylon to Cyrus)
483 Years (Cyrus to Christ's Death)
4,034 Years (Adam to Christ's Death)

Sigh...I believe my work has shown conclusively that their is some major editing going on and I have made a case that there was a motive to hide the death of Christ occuring after 5,500 Years from Adam. If anyone doubts my work then please show me where I erred and provide proof of your work as I have done exhaustively. But before we forget the main point of this thread, if we change the years of Methuselah and Lamech in the LXX so they reflect what Josephus gives then this means that Christ will have died in the year 5514 AM instead of 5500 AM. And the only explanation for this 14 Year discrepancy is that some unknown scribe(s) added 14 Years to the time which Methuselah died: therefore he would've actually died at 955 Years old instead of 969 Years old which means...

Methuselah
955 Years - 782 Years = 173 Years (Lamech is born)

This immediately eliminates the aforesaid discrepancy and has Methuselah dying in the Flood, therefore we have retained the integrity of the Word of God and exposed the error introduced by the lying pen of the scribes of Satan.

 

[Humble Penny]

The only other source we have closest to the LXX is that of Josephus in his Antiquity of the Jews:

"Solomon began to build the temple in the 4th year of his reign, on the 2nd month, which the Macedonians call Artemisius, and the Hebrews Jur, 592 years after the Exodus out of Egypt; but 1,020 years from Abraham's coming out of Mesopotamia into Canaan, and after the deluge 1,440 years; and from Adam, the first man who was created, until Solomon built the temple, there had passed in all 3,102 years. Now that year on which the temple began to be built was already the 11th year of the reign of Hiram; but from the building of Tyre to the building of the temple, there had passed 240 years."
Antiquity of the Jews; Book 8; 3:1

Josephus
592 Years (Exodus to 4th Year of Solomon)
1,020 Years (Abraham's 75th to Solomon)
1,440 Years (Flood to 4th Year of Solomon)
3,102 Years (Adam to 4th Year of Solomon)

For those curious as to how this should read with the revised data I provided above for Josephus here it is against the LXX:

Josephus
592 Years (Exodus to 4th Year of Solomon)
1,022 Years (Abraham's 75th to Solomon)
2,090 Years (Flood to Solomon)
4,346 Years (Adam to 4th Year of Solomon)

LXX
597 Years 6 Months (Exodus to 4th Year of Solomon)
1,027 Years 6 Months (Abraham's 75th to Solomon)
2,274 Years 6 Months (Flood to Solomon)
4,516 Years 6 Months (Adam to 4th Year of Solomon)

As is clear we have no doubt that Josephus was very careful in obtaining his information so we have no reason to doubt his writings. What we can say is that some later scribe(s)/translator(s) hid the truth by scrambling up the numbers in order to hide the fact that Josephus's accounts would actually support the longer chronology in the LXX.

 

[Humble Penny]

And for anyone curious for the date of creation with revised data from Josephus here it is against the LXX and the MT:

Legend Key
5500 AM = 30 AD (Christ's Death)
5470 AM = 1 AD (Christ's Birth)

Josephus
30 AD - 5,329.5 Years = -5299.5 BC

Septuagint
30 AD - 5,500 Years = -5470 BC

Masoretic Text
30 AD - 4,034 Years = -4004 BC

Need I provide anymore evidence to convince us that we've been lied to for so many years concerning the number of years from Adam to the death of Christ, and the true age of the earth?

 

[Humble Penny]

With this powerful information at your fingertips you can easily convert back and forth between the Anno Mundi and the Anno Domini years by doing the following:

Anno Domini to Anno Mundi
Add 5,470 Years to current BC/AD or BCE/CE date.

Anno Mundi to Anno Domini
Subtract 5,470 Years from current AM date.

 

[Christian Gedge]

My head is doing flips! I think l’ll just read ‘The Message’.