Timeline
of the Torah
The
Torah has been around for a long time. But how long?
The
further you go back in time, the less certain things become. According to the Torah, the universe is 5780
years old. Most of us believe that this figure is way too low. Scientists think the correct value is (in round
numbers) 13,700,000,000,000 years.
The
first event listed here, in year 2448 (762BCE) occurred during the exodus from Egypt. Fact
or fiction, or somewhere in between? What do
you think?
Whatever
you think of the story, most agree that is among the greatest
human epics, and that we can learn a lot that has as much currency today
as it had in the past. That’s why we still have the Torah. If the Torah
narrative was not compelling, it would have died a long time ago.
Work together with another
person reviewing these events and discussing events that you find interesting in some way. Suggested
discussion topics are in green.
Study
some of the events more closely
What is
the Torah? https://www.bbc.co.uk/religion/religions/judaism/texts/torah.shtml
Does the
Torah approve of spying? https://www.thetrumpet.com/10827-spies-snoops-snitches-and-godly-intelligence
The
first and second temples https://www.moon.com/travel/arts-culture/jerusalem-history-first-second-temples/
Which
books could have been included in the Tanach, but were rejected? https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apocrypha
Which
religions did the Romans prefer? https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Religion_in_Rome
What
happened to the Aleppo Codex, the oldest Hebrew bible https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0HiQHQCsNIM
Some
mysterious stuff about the Leningrad Codex https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SbrlmvU9qXc
Gutenburg
and printing in Europe https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Printing_press