Do you follow a Christian or secular timeline for history?

[deeva58]

I'm just wondering, for those of you who follow a Christian based history timeline... how do you make up for the discrepancy between creation (dated approximately 2100 B.C.) and the history of ancient civilizations (Greece, Sumer, Mesopotamia, Egypt) dated before 3000 B.C.??

 

When teaching with SOTW (plus Kingfisher and Usborne) how do you integrate the 2 timelines and still stay true to your faith (b/c remember, classical history is timeline-based in theory...)

 

I'm teaching early elementary and want to get this right first time around so I have my routine down pat for the 2nd leg of the Trivium journey.

 

All suggestions, thoughts, comments, and advice appreciated!

[Sue G in PA]

and most resources put Creation somewhere between 4000 B.C. - 6000 B.C. not 2100 B.C. Where did you get that information? We are using MOH1 this year for History as well as some Diana Waring and both texts start with Creation around that time frame. Remember, too, that dating isn't an exact science when you're talking about Ancients. So much wasn't written down and we are only guessing at dates based on other dates, etc. Exp. when you get to Ancient Egypt...so much was NOT recorded if it made the powers that be look bad. :) HTH a bit.

[AudreyTN]

I have a blank line at the bottom of my timeline. My first actual date is 2400 BC.

 

I try to use my ancients dates from Answers In Genesis. They date Creation at around 4000 BC.

[Donna T.]

We place Creation around 4000 BC. I've never heard or read anyone place it any later than that. Like Sue, I use The Mystery of History. Like she said, it places Creation between 4000 BC - 6000 BC. We prefer the later dating but most of the content of MOH is close enough for us. If we come across something that is dated around 5000 BC or whatever we just put it where we think it fits. My children know that there are differences in opinions about this and we don't sweat it. But, for our timeline, we stick to the dates that are consistent with the 4000 BC date. Christine Miller has material available to help with this. Sonlight's timeline figures are usually consistent with what we believe, also.

 

That's very interesting about the 2100 BC date. I truly have never heard that and it's something I've studied quite a bit.

[Karenciavo]

Another person who dates creation somewhere around 4000 BC. We place Abraham at 2100 B.C.

[deeva58]

Okay, I was looking at this completely wrong (my apologies!)

I'm looking in my bible reference for the date and it says B.C.-2100 (creation, the fall, the flood, the dispersion of races) -- not actually 2100 b.c. creation.

It was rather confusing b/c it doesn't give a begin date -- so thanks for the heads up on the 4000 b.c. approximately for creation.

 

I'll be looking into MOH...

 

Thank you, Sue G., Donna T., Karen, Audrey for your quick response.

This does help (and I can finally breathe b/c that 2100 date didn't look right to me either!)

Good to know there's some solid biblical curriculum out there I can use for history along with SOTW...

[Kate CA]

Good to know there's some solid biblical curriculum out there I can use for history along with SOTW...

 

Yes, MOH is wonderful. I am a young-earth creationist that does not set an exact date, but what I found pretty fascinating was that even my timeline from the British Museum's Timeline of the Ancient World only goes back to 6000 BC. :) I just don't think we can know exactly--and really, we don't *have* to know or we would. :)

 

I see you are new. Welcome to the boards! :thumbup:

[Tami]

and an unconvinced of either so far! :willy_nilly: Oh, make that "young" earth -- although I am really looking forward to the *new* one!

 

I put Creation, The Fall, and The Flood as "Date Unknown" and go from there. I tend to try to follow the best scholarship available, whether Christian or secular.

 

This is a hard one, though. You just have to pick someone's dates and stick with it! Many scholars contradict one another. :001_huh:

[Plaid Dad]

I put Creation, The Fall, and The Flood as "Date Unknown" and go from there.

 

Another possible label for these events is "prehistory." We don't try to extract a timeline from Genesis in our homeschool, but I do think it is helpful for young children to get the distinction between "stuff that happened before people wrote things down" and "stuff that happened after that."

[Beth in Central TX]

I did not do timeline work in the grammar years. I started our timeline in the logic stage and followed the dates from Ussher's The Annals of the World (Nothing New Press follows the same dating system in their history books).

 

The reason I waited to do a timeline is because of the very discrepancies that you noted. Since my boys are older, we can discuss the differences in dating, and why we believe in one dating system over another based on our Christian beliefs. I even have them mark different dates for different events and note the source so that they can actually "see" the timeline differences. It has opened up great discussion on the different points of view not only in dating events, but also recording events.

 

Since they are older, my boys are very aware of dates and don't automatically accept dates they read in history books or historical fiction. This past year I have seen them actually think about a date and whether it lines up with our family beliefs. This has been a huge step toward our homeschool goals for history, and greatly encourages me as I see them thinking on their own.

[WTMindy]

and an unconvinced of either so far! :willy_nilly: Oh, make that "young" earth -- although I am really looking forward to the *new* one!

 

I put Creation, The Fall, and The Flood as "Date Unknown" and go from there. I tend to try to follow the best scholarship available, whether Christian or secular.

 

This is a hard one, though. You just have to pick someone's dates and stick with it! Many scholars contradict one another. :001_huh:

 

Good answer. That is what we do, too. I try to hold loosely to all dates when talking to my kids and reinforce the only thing that we know for sure is that God did it all!! When, we can't say for sure, but we know it is all from Him.

[Narrow Gate Academy]

We follow a Christian timeline as well putting creation at around 4000 BC. I didn't start an actual timeline with the kids until this year when we're in Exploration and American history. We'll go back and fill in the ancients and middle ages sections in two years when the kids are older (3rd and 5th), and we can discuss why the dates vary from one person to another.

[deeva58]

Since they are older, my boys are very aware of dates and don't automatically accept dates they read in history books or historical fiction. This past year I have seen them actually think about a date and whether it lines up with our family beliefs. This has been a huge step toward our homeschool goals for history, and greatly encourages me as I see them thinking on their own.

 

This is exactly what I wish to see happen in my homeschool as my children get older!

 

Good point.

[angela in ohio]

...although I am really looking forward to the *new* one!

 

 

Amen! :001_smile: