Ivan Panin's Bible Chronology
Ivan Panin's Bible Chronology
Panin's Bible Chronology is a classic work of scholarship that provides unique insights into some of the most difficult issues encountered in Biblical chronology. This is a word-for-word transcription of the 1950 edition by Gustav Hoyer. Note that M. Hoyer edited this work without Panin’s oversight, and made quite a few freehand changes. For Panin’s original unedited version, the reader is directed to Ivan Panin’s Bible Chronology Restored, 2018, ISBN 978-1-941776-32-2. However, we have kept the formatting as close as possible to the 1950 edition, and no changes of any kind were permitted in wording or punctuation from that edition.
Preface to the 2018 Edition
This is a word-for-word transcription of the 1950 edition of Panin’s Bible Chronology edited by Gustav E. Hoyer. Mr. Hoyer’s preface follows this one. We have kept the formatting as close as possible to that edition, and no changes of any kind were permitted in wording or punctuation.
Panin begins with nine Canons by which to approach chronology, providing an approach to the subject which is designed to eliminate useless debate.
His second section is a “List” of every knowable date in the Bible. This is a reference guide and is the core of the results of his years of research.
The third section is a guided tour through the undergirding of the numerics woven throughout the Chronology. While he could write volumes on the subject, he limits himself to clear examples that have specific impact.
The investigating researcher can rest assured that every divergence has been noted as such: there are no arbitrary corrections. Thus the archaic presentation style will make its presence felt; this gives as close as possible a sense of not only the content of his work, but the method. The corrections of typographical or other errors found in the old copies have each been noted in place.
The length of this book is deceptively short for the subject matter. However, the reader will find it concentrated and distilled, demanding one’s full attention. The facts are detailed and internally consistent, the “Canons” are salient and would hold up in any academic court, and the numerics have their own distinct appeal.
An additional advantage of this volume is that whether one agrees with a certain point or not, Panin has taken the time to meticulously lay out in order every single relevant passage that provides insight into a complete Bible chronology. If one has another approach to the dates, the leg work has already been done.
Those familiar with the classic problems of chronology that are revisited by each generation of scholars will appreciate the depth of Panin’s often unique and always thorough approach.
—Mark Vedder, 2018