Tadmor's Chronology

Hayim Tadmor (1923–2006) was professor of Assyriology at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem [1].

The key assumptions of his chronology include [2, p. 226]:

• The Judean kings are reckoned on an accession year system.
• A Nisan to Nisan year was used in Judah.

Timeline

Discussion

Battle of Megiddo

Tadmor dates the battle of Megiddo between month III and IV, just prior to Egyptian army's arrival at Harran in month IV [2, p. 228]:

It was sometime in Sivan/Tammuz 609 that the "great Egyptian Army" (B.M. 21901, rev. 1. 66), setting out to rescue Assurubalit II in Harran, encountered Josiah in Megiddo, defeated him and proceeded to the North.

Battle of Carchemish

Tadmor interprets Jeremiah 25:1 as referring to Nebuchadnezzar's accession year rather than 1st year [2, p. 227]:

Postulating a Nisan-to-Nisan year in Judah one has, consequently, to equate the 4th year of Jehoiakim with the accession year of Nebuchadnezzar (Jer. 25:1) rather than with the Babylonian king's first full year. The hapax eiremenon הראשנית השנה in Jer. 25:1 would refer therefore to the rēš šarrǔti (= accession year) of Nebuchadnezzar.

Subjugation of Judah

Tadmor dates subjugation of Judah to Nebuchadnezzar's 1st year or Jehoiakim's 5th year [2, p. 229]:

The three years of Jehoiakim's submission to Babylon before he rebelled would be then (Judean years): 604/3-602/1. The revolt in 601 might have been connected with the new ascendency of Egypt, whose new strength is evident from the defeat inflicted by Necho on the attacking armies of Babylon in that year. The account of Josephus (Ant. x, 87) of a new Babylonian campaign to Judah in Jehoiakim's 8th and Nebuchadnezzar's 4th year and the tribute paid to Babylon accords with the new Babylonian chronicle, which tells of a submission of Hatti prior to the battle with Egypt.

He doesn't attempt to reconcile this date (the 5th year of Jehoiakim) with Daniel 1:1.

Captures of Jehoiachin and Zedekiah

Tadmor's synchronistic table lists the siege of Jerusalem and capture of Jehoiachin as 2/XII of Nebuchadnezzar's 7th year, based on BM 21946 Rev. 11-13.

But he claims that the exile of captives and Zedekiah's accession did not actually take place until the beginning of the new year, thereby explaining the 8th year of Nebuchadnezzar in 2 Kings 24:12, and 2 Chronicles 36:10.

He doesn't have an explanation for the difference in the number of captives in Jeremiah 52 [2, p. 230]:

The statements in Jer. 52:28 and 52:29 that 3023 Judeans had been exiled in the 7th and 18th (instead of the correct 8th and 19th) years of Nebuchadnezzar seem to derive from the same tradition, but no satisfactory explanation of its origin has yet been offered.

Release of Jehoiachin

Tadmor counts Jehoiachin's captivity at 36 years, rather than the 37 years documented in 2 Kings [2, p. 230]:

Actually it was four or two days less than 37 full years, so that the Judean king was released on the eve of the New Year festival, when Amel-Marduk was to be formally enthroned.

References