Correspondence: Philistines

November 14, 2013

Hello Dr. Aardsma,

I have read in various sources, including Encyclopaedia Britannica, that the Philistines, or Sea People, arrived in Canaan in the Late Bronze Age (12th century BC). Additionally, there is mention of the Philistines in Exodus 15:14; Joshua 13:3; Judges 3:3, 31; and, most notably, in the story of Samson in Judges 13-16. Because all of these events and people precede the arrival of the Sea People by centuries according to your chronology, how is this to be reconciled? I assume you have discussed this in your newsletter, but I am currently lacking in money, and will be for some time.

Thank you for your time and all your efforts. I'm devoted to this theory and have been exploring it much further on my own in the past few months, and the connections are blowing me away.

In Christ,
Jeffrey

Hello Jeffrey,

A scan of the pertinent page from BC22 is attached. [In BC22, I discuss "The Chronology of Egypt in Relation to the Bible: 3000--1000 B.C." See the time chart in the original BC22 article, or TC003 on the timecharts webpage, for orientation relative to biblical history of the periods from Egyptian history being discussed.]

Sincerely,
Dr. Aardsma