Chronology & Catastrophism REVIEWVol. XVI, 1994 Click here for cost
A Catastrophist Reading of Religious Systems, by Irving Wolfe
Original paper presented at the Canadian Society for Interdisciplinary Studies Tenth Annual Seminar, Haliburton, Ontario, November 1991. Revised and expanded Feb. 1992.)
The two greatest kinds of belief which our species has been able to produce are religion and cosmology. In many instances in the past these have amounted to more or less the same thing. Nevertheless, I see cosmology as dealing with how we think the universe is structured and functions, whereas religion is concerned to discover the fundamental meaning behind the structure. Both, however, try to tell us how to behave so that we can relate successfully to the cosmos or the divine. …………….
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Shishak – Ramesses II or Ramesses III?, by Robert M. Porter
The identification of Pharaoh Shishak (I Kings 11:40, 14:25, II Chronicles 12) at the time of Solomon and Rehoboam is a key to linking Egyptian chronology to the accepted dating of Israel (and hence also of Assyria) from c. 925 BC onwards. ………………. Velikovsky’s identification of Shishak as Thutmose III [9] was investigated for many years by SIS members but was eventually rejected …….. because the archaeological/historical evidence could not be condensed by the necessary five and a half centuries [10]. The next candidate was Ramesses II, nicknamed Sesysu (possibly imperfectly transliterated into Shishak), who only required a three and a half century reduction. This idea was proposed by Rohl and James [11] and subsequently amplified by Rohl [12] …………….. However, James no longer supports Ramesses II as Shishak and has moved to Ramesses III, nicknamed Sesi, who only requires a two and a half century reduction [14]. …………..
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The Reliability of Synchronisms in Reconstructing an Historical Chronology from Rehoboam to Hezekiah, by Daphne Garbett
The Old Testament supplies the length of each king’s reign, the age at accession of the Judean kings and the corresponding regnal year of the king of Israel until Hezekiah’s accession. It should therefore be a straightforward matter to construct a chronology for the reigns of the kings of Judah and Israel. A simple computation, however, not only fails to synchronise with Assyrian and Babylonian data but it is also internally inconsistent. The chief difficulty is that there is no way of knowing whether or not co-regnal years have been included in the reign when the accession date to a co-regency is expressed in the co-regnal years of the other junior king. The date is not fixed and reign lengths can be telescoped or expanded. The date of a junior king’s accession to a co-regency is never expressed in the unabiguous terms of his father’s regnal years. The omission of this simple way of keeping track of reign lengths gives rise to the suspicion that both co-regencies and total reign lengths enumerated in the Bible serve a different function. ……………………….
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Artificially Structured Biblical Chronologies, by Anthony H. Rees
………..the present writer will demonstrate a number of principles that need to be recognised if the chronology of the Pre-Christian era is to be interpreted correctly. These are …. : All subjects, whether they are Mathematics, Astronomy, Music or simple leisure pursuits, have attached to them specialised terminologies by the people who practise them. Those terminologies have usually been adapted from pre-existing phrases, terms and symbols to a state where they become understandable only to those involved in their study or practice. Chronology is no exception. In the Pre-Christian era there were no mass publication or mass education facilities that would enable easy access to a specialised pursuit outside of one’s normal endeavours. Those few who had access to the terms belonging to the study of chronology (i.e. the record keepers and legitimators of royal pedigrees) were powerful people. This is because ‘knowledge is power’ and when that knowledge is socially important, but is restricted to a few, then the power grows in like proportion. Those record keepers recognised their power and were jealous of it ………..
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Chronology & Catastrophism REVIEWVol. XVII, 1995 Click here for cost
(The Proceedings of the Velikovsky 100th Birthday Memorial Meeting held at Brazier’s College, Oxford.)
The New York Velikovsky Centenary Conference, by David Salkeld
Includes reports on talks by Gordon Atwater on academic strife and Worlds in Collision, Irving Wolfe on ‘Why Velikovsky is Important’ and Ev Cochrane on ‘Mars Rocks in Ancient Myth and Modern Science’.
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Velikovsky: Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow, by Clark Whelton
A critical consideration of Velikovsky’s intellectual legacy plus personal impressions and recollections.
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The Changed Calendar: Evidence for a Neat Year of 365 Days, by Eric Aitchison
Analysis of evidence from [the] Middle East and Central America indicates that in the past the length of the year was 365 days ‘neat’ – not 365¼ days as [it is] today.
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Ice Cores and Chronology, by John E. Dayton
The author of Minerals, Metals, Glazing and Man critically reviews radiocarbon, tree ring and ice core dates. If the Thera eruption was not 1628 BC (as currently favoured) but 1159 BC, interesting conclusions follow.
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Imaginary and Expected Catastrophes – Apocalyptic Desire and Scientific Prognosis, by Gunnar Heinsohn
Explores the relationship between legends of past catastrophes, the scientific catastrophism of Cuvier, Schaeffer, Velikovsky (and more recent theorists) and beliefs in an impending apocalypse from cosmic or environmental agents.
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Cosmic Catastrophes and the Ballgame of the Sky Gods in Mesoamerican Mythology, by Benny J. Peiser
Rituals involving human sacrifice in central and South America were linked to ritual ball games which relate to legends of cosmic ball games between sky gods, which appear to be based on real natural catastrophes.
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Cosmic Catastrophes and the Origin of Megalithic Cultures, by Heribert Illig
Radiocarbon dating has completely changed megalithic dates, separating cultures which otherwise seemed clearly linked by the style and form of their artefacts. Has this created a falsely inflated chronology?
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Scientific Evidence for a Major World Catastrophe About 11,500 Years Ago, by D. S. Allan and J. B. Delair
The authors of When the Earth Nearly Died present the evidence: erratic boulders, animal and plant remains in the Arctic ‘muck’ and deep caves and nodules of metal ores on the ocean floor.
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Fingerprints of the Gods – do ancient relics point to an advanced civilisation 15,000 years ago?, by Graham Hancock
Are the Sphinx, the Pyramids, artefacts in America, old maps, and Plato’s Atlantis all evidence of a great civilisation long ago, based in Antarctica?
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