On the Chronology

I think I have found a way of sorting out the inter-relationship of the parts of the earliest Samaritan liturgy, without it taking up too much time. Doing this properly will take a few months, because it will have to be done bit by bit in between other things, but I think I can have something relevant to your book within a few weeks. I might be able to go through the evidence of the primary Jewish sources on the Jubilees next week. I don’t want to spend a lot of time reading the discussions, but references to what you think are the most important would be useful. I would like to use your observations on the coinciding of sabbatical and Jubilee years with revolts and so on. Please let me have this when it has been refined to your satisfaction. Meanwhile have a look at the message to Steve Mason am forwarding in a few minutes. You will know most of this. Its relevance here is that there has been some secondary alteration of the Jewish chronology at a very late date.

What is essential from the Jewish sources will be integrated into my article on the Samaritan dating.

Don’ t forget the evidence of stray observations from the mediaeval period that a certain year was a sabbatical year. Have a close look at the two articles Seder Olam Rabba and Seder Olam Zuta for information in this respect and in other ways from critical editions. Whoever wrote the articles on the Rabbinic texts knew what he was doing.