Britain's geologists are about to celebrate the fact that the universe is exactly 6,000 years old.
At 6pm tonight at the Geological Society of London, scientists will raise their glasses to James Ussher, Archbishop of Armagh, who in 1650 used the chronology of the Bible to calculate the precise date and moment of creation.
Working from the book of Genesis, and risking some speculation on the Hebrew calendar, he calculated that it began at 6pm on Saturday October 22, 4004 BC.
Actually, he put the date at October 23, and then pedantically realised that time must have begun the night before, because the Bible said that "the evening and the morning were the first day."
The geologists selected the anniversary for a day-long conference on some of the fakes, frauds and hoaxes that have plagued geological and palaeontological research for centuries. "It's not that we think Archbishop Ussher's date was a fraud," said Ted Nield, the society's communications officer. "It's just that it was spectacularly wrong."
Dr Nield conceded, too, that in toasting the archbishop's calculations the geologists were committing another error. More than 6,000 years have passed since 4004 BC. The symmetry is only apparent. The date is a mere numerological reflection. The real anniversary passed unnoticed, in 1997. (The Guardian, Friday October 22 2004)
RE:Birthday Party!!!!!!!!!!!!!!1
by Cape Comorin on Dec 22, 2007 11:03 AM Permalink
Read the first verse of the Genesis you will understand as to when earth was created by God.
RE:Birthday Party!!!!!!!!!!!!!!1
by vinay thakur on Dec 27, 2007 02:54 PM Permalink
You try to learn sanskrit..mother of all languages and then try to read veds and ancient indian texts...you will sure be tempted to get converted to Hinduism... Time when Bible was written,most of the other societies in the world didnot even knew what language is and 400-500yrs before that Panini was busy writing one of the most advanced grammers in the world till date in sanskrits.
RE:Birthday Party!!!!!!!!!!!!!!1
by Avinash on Dec 23, 2007 12:10 AM Permalink
The latest edition of "Illustrated Oxford English Disctionary" available with me says that "the Jewish years are reckoned from the Creation (which is placed at 3761 BCE)!!!
