Predator 2 and Missing years (Jewish calendar): Difference between pages

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{{Infobox Film |

The '''missing years''' in the [[Hebrew calendar]] refer to a discrepancy of some 165 years between the traditional Hebrew dating for the destruction of the [[First Temple]] (3338 AM) and the modern secular dating for it (586 BCE) that results if the traditional date is interpreted according to the standard Hebrew calendar (making 3338 AM = 421 BCE).

name = Predator 2 |

image = Predator two.jpg |

writer = [[Jim Thomas (screenwriter)|Jim Thomas]]<br>[[John Thomas (screenwriter)|John Thomas]] |

starring = [[Danny Glover]]<br>[[Gary Busey]]<br>[[Ruben Blades]]<br>[[Maria Conchita Alonso]]<br>[[Bill Paxton]] |

director = [[Stephen Hopkins (director)|Stephen Hopkins]] |

producer = [[Joel Silver]]<br>[[Lawrence Gordon]]<br>[[John Davis (American producer)|John Davis]] |

distributor = [[20th Century Fox]] |

released = [[November 21]], [[1990]]|

runtime = 108 min. |

language = English |

budget = unknown |

preceded_by = ''[[Predator (film)|Predator]]''|

followed_by = ''[[Alien vs. Predator (film)|Alien vs. Predator]]''|

music = |

awards = |

imdb_id = 0100403 |

}}

== Misconceptions regarding the missing years ==

'''''Predator 2''''' ([[1990]]) is a [[science fiction]] movie starring [[Danny Glover]] and [[Gary Busey]]. It is a sequel to the successful ''[[Predator (film)|Predator]]'' which starred [[Arnold Schwarzenegger]]. Apart from suit actor [[Kevin Peter Hall]], and a very brief cameo appearance by [[Elpidia Carrillo]], the film had an all new cast. The movie was poorly received upon release when compared with the original, although it has grown into a cult classic since on video and DVD {{Fact|date=April 2007}}.

=== Two-year difference within the Hebrew calendar ===

Today, Hebrew dating places the creation of the world near the end of "Year One" AM and afterward the first year of Adam's life as "Year Two" AM. However, the traditional sourcebook [[Seder Olam Rabba]] shows the Hebrew dating originally counted the first year of Adam's life as "Year Zero" AM. Thus the traditional Hebrew dating for ancient events appears two years earlier than the modern Hebrew dating would. (Edgar Frank, Talmudic and Rabbinic Chronology, 1956.)

'''Taglines:'''

* ''Silent. Invisible. Invincible. The Ultimate Hunter.''

* ''Hunting season opens again …''

* ''The Ultimate Hunter.''

* ''This time he's coming to a different kind of jungle.''

* ''This Time … [[Los Angeles]], 1997.''

* ''He's In Town With A Few Days To Kill''

Rabbinic tradition says the First Temple was destroyed in "year 3338" AM and the Second Temple in "year 3828" AM. There can be some confusion. Today these years would be called 3340 and 3830 AM. If the traditional Hebrew years are assumed to be years of the modern Hebrew calendar system, the dates for the destructions of the First and Second Temples would erroneously shift to 423 BCE and 68 CE, respectively, from 421 BCE and 70 CE.

==Plot==

{{spoiler}}

=== Differences between the standard Hebrew and Gregorian calendars ===

The film is set in the year [[1997]], during an unusually high [[heat wave]] in [[Los Angeles]]. A vicious street war between rival drug gangs armed with military-grade weapons ([[Jamaica]]n and [[Colombia|Colombian]] [[drug cartel]]s) dominates the city. A [[gang war]] has erupted in the streets, with cops Leona ([[Maria Conchita Alonso]]) and Danny Archuleta ([[Ruben Blades]]) awaiting the aid of professional and hard-trained cop Michael Harrigan ([[Danny Glover]]). After an intense firefight between cops and criminals, the injured are rescued from the crossfire, and the criminals withdrawing into a nearby building, where they have set up a supply area and load up for a final showdown with the police. A series of explosions rocks the inside of the building, followed by random gunfire. Harrigan investigates, only to find all but one of the criminals dead, with no apparent bullet wounds. The last criminal falls to his death, and Harrigan leaves the site with his comrades, but not before spotting a nearly transparent silhouette that appears to be a large person, which he disregards as an effect of the intense heat wave. Harrigan's crew determine that a new "player," armed with state-of-the-art (or better) weaponry has entered the Jamaican/Colombian drug war.

The traditional dates of events in Jewish history, interpreted as dates in the standard Hebrew calendar era, are often used interchangeably with the modern secular dates according to the Gregorian calendar. For example, year 3338 AM on the Hebrew calendar is typically equated to 586 BCE. Implicit in this practice is the view that if all the differences in structure between the Hebrew and Gregorian calendars are taken into consideration, the two dates can be derived from each other. This is not the case; if the traditional dates are assumed to be using the standard Hebrew calendar era, they refer to different objective years than those of the secular dates.

Back at the station, Harrigan is introduced to Special Agent Peter Keyes ([[Gary Busey]]), leader of a federal task force investigating rumours that Jamaican drug lords aim to take over the West Coast from their Colombian rivals. Harrigan is also introduced to a star-transfer from another district, Jerry Lambert ([[Bill Paxton]]), whose carefree attitude coupled with his competence as a cop makes him a valued, if sometimes overbearing, ally.

The possibility remains however that the traditional dates did not use a consistent calendar matching the year count of the standard Hebrew calendar. (See the explanation involving the [[#Evolution of the Hebrew calendar|Evolution of the Hebrew calendar]] below.)

Jamaican criminals attack a key honcho of the Colombian drug gangs. The intruder takes advantage of a situation and kills every Jamaican at the site, leaving only a prostitute, who is discovered, repeatedly murmuring "The devil came for them..." in [[Spanish language|Spanish]]. Harrigan, having disobeyed orders pending Keyes' arrival on site, is threatened by the federal agent, telling him he is in over his head. Harrigan tells his comrade Danny they will come back later to investigate when Keyes' team has left the site, to retrieve what they think is a spear tip of some sort. Danny gets there first, however, and upon retrieving the item, is killed by the mystery attacker.

=== The missing years and Daniel ===

Harrigan is devastated and vows to destroy the individual responsible for his friend's death, with Leona and Lambert's aid. He encounters Keyes again, this time threatening and telling him to stay out of his way. Keyes only responds by telling Harrigan that he still has no idea what he's facing. They see a medical consultant, the lead [[pathologist]] in the city, whom explains the origins of the spear tip; she is only able to tell the team that Danny was killed when his heart was cleaved in two, "boned like a fish," and that the spear tip's molecular structure does not correspond with the [[periodic table|elemental table]], although it is nearly weightless and cuts like fine steel. Harrigan sets up a meeting with King Willy, the Jamaican drug lord leading the Voodoo Gang. Willy seems to be slightly insane, but insists that the man killing everybody is not of this world, speculating he is some demon, and that he cannot be killed. Harrigan leaves, and Willy is killed seconds later by the Predator, who was listening to their conversation.

A popular explanation for the missing years suggests that the Jewish sages interpreted the prophecy in [[Book of Daniel|Daniel]] 9:24–27 as meaning that there would be 490 years from the destruction of the [[First Temple]] to the destruction of the [[Second Temple]] and, working backwards from the destruction of the [[Second Temple]] (in 3828 AM), wrongly dated the destruction of the [[First Temple]] (in 3338 AM).

Leona believes that the person responsible for the killings is aiming for Harrigan, if only for the fact that Danny was killed only minutes before Harrigan arrived, and that King Willy was murdered only minutes after Harrigan left. She and Jerry meet again with the medical examiner, who tells Harrigan that the special task force (who incidentally took the surviving prostitute from the gang murder site to an undisclosed ___location) deleted everything from the database, except for a piece of evidence that suggests strongly that whoever murdered Danny had only recently been in a [[slaughterhouse]]. Jerry reveals that he lost Keyes while tracking him in the slaughterhouse district. Harrigan tells them he'll meet up with her and Jerry, (pausing in front of a [[taxidermy]] shop; perhaps for a moment, Harrigan realizes what he is facing, but it passes). He visits Danny's grave, and upon leaving, finds Danny's necklace on a tree branch.

A variation on this argument states that the Jews deliberately altered the dating so that the true date of the "anointed one" mentioned in [[Book of Daniel|Daniel]] 9:25 would be hidden. One version of the argument states that the Jews deliberately distorted the dating to hide that the prophecy refers to Jesus. Other apologists have countered with claims that the dating was indeed altered for one or another reason and should be understood as fable not history.

Meanwhile, as Jerry and Leona make their way to Harrigan on the LA subway, a group of thugs threaten a man who pulls out a gun. The thugs also produce firearms, as well as half the people in the car, including Jerry and Leona. During a pause in which trigger-fingers are itchy, the Predator attacks. Leona manages to make it past the hunter and push everybody to the forward cars, while Lambert stays behind to battle the Predator, which he shoots a few rounds at. As the subway stops, Leona doubles back to check up on Lambert, only to find that Jerry is dead, and encounters the Predator, who scans her body closely with [[infrared]] technology. Upon seeing a fetus growing inside her, the Predator refrains from attacking her, and leaves her alive.

However, these explanations are problematic as the verse in question refers to a period of "70 weeks," that is, 490 days, not years. The traditional Jewish understanding is that the prophecy relates to the Persian king [[Cyrus II of Persia|Cyrus]] who is also called the "anointed one" in [[Book of Isaiah|Isaiah]] 45:1. The interpretation of the verses as years between the destructions of the temples is due to the 11th century commentator [[Rashi]] writing long after the chronicles giving this difference as 490 years. (Christians also interpreted these verses as years in order to connect them to Jesus although Rashi's interpretation is such that it upholds the tradition that the anointed one in question is Cyrus.)

Harrigan arrives on the scene and sees that Leona is alive. Before she is taken away in an ambulance, Harrigan overhears that she is pregnant. Harrigan meets with Captain Pilgrim, who tells him about the attack. Harrigan concludes that only people who were brandishing weapons were attacked. He runs down the tunnel following a blood trail, just in time to witness the Predator rip Jerry's skull and spine from his body. Harrigan pursues the being by car, only to be stunned and captured by the special task force team led by Keyes.

== Resolving the discrepancy ==

Keyes reveals his agenda: [[Black Ops]] have been following encounter sites of the titular alien [[Predator (alien)|Predator-race]]. To do this, they have discreetly set up a modular [[pheromone]] detector network around the city, referred to in the film by the fictional [[acronym]] OWLF. The detectors are keyed specifically to the smells unconsciously emitted by the Predator species. Keyes and his men hope to capture and study it, particularly because of its advanced technology. The government is well aware of the situation that occurred in the first film and has theorized that the species come from an environment with a much higher temperature (and favor areas of conflict, where their activities can go relatively unnoticed), thus explaining this preference for hunting in LA during the heatwave. Armed with suits which block out body heat (the manner in which a Predator sees), and with weaponry that is intended to freeze and immobilize the creature, they set a trap for it in a warehouse. They also flood the warehouse with [[radioactive]] trace particles, believing that this will give them additional help in distinguishing the Predator's movements against the [[background count]]. They then go in to the warehouse and attempt to capture him.

===Mistakes in the Hebrew or secular dating===

If traditional dates are assumed to be based on the standard Hebrew calendar, then the differing traditional and modern secular dating of events cannot both be correct. Attempts to reconcile the two systems must show one or both to have errors.

====Missing reign lengths in the Hebrew dating====

However, they are unaware that the Predator actually has the technology to see in several different spectrums with the aid of his mask, including one that allows him to track the presence of the [[ultraviolet]] lamps and tactical lights the agents are using. The Predator seizes the advantage and kills everyone except Keyes, as Harrigan escapes custody and arms himself. A short battle follows between Harrigan and the alien, resulting in the horrific death of Keyes (and the humorous question of where the top half of his body went - he was killed with the predator disk, and his legs and a glob of blood fell to the floor, but his torso was nowhere in sight). The Predator flees, followed closely by Harrigan, who manages to use the Predator's smartdisk to deactivate the Predator's explosive device by severing the Predator's arm. The pursuit ends underground, onboard the Predators' ship.

Those supporting the modern secular dating reject the [[Hebrew Bible]] as an historical source as many of its claims have no independent corroborating sources. Later Jewish chronicles and commentaries are dismissed on the grounds that they were written centuries after the events they date and are based either directly on the [[Hebrew Bible]] or on oral traditions.

The modern secular dating of the Babylonian and Persian periods is therefore reconstructed using the following sources:

The two have a final battle that ends with Harrigan's use of the smartdisk to kill the Predator. Harrigan becomes aware that there are other Predators onboard, and drops the smartdisk in defeat, knowing he is outnumbered &mdash; however, they do not attack. They instead take their fallen comrade's body away, and the elder of this tribe gives Harrigan an antique pistol inscribed "[[Raphael Adolini]] 1715", strongly implying that the Predators had long been visiting Earth to kill for sport. The ship fires up for takeoff and Harrigan flees. He emerges from the ship's underground hiding place covered with ash and ignores Keyes' assistant's questions as he trudges away.

* Greek sources: The historians [[Herodotus]], [[Ctesias]], [[Thucydides]], [[Xenophon]], [[Dinon]] and [[Diodorus Siculus]] as well as the philosopher [[Aristotle]], the playwriter [[Aeschylus]] and the Egyptian priest [[Manetho]].

== New facts about Predators ==

* The [[Royal Canon]] of the astronomer [[Claudius Ptolemy]], which provides astronomically tabulated dates of the kings of the period.

* Persian sources, including king lists like the [[Saros Canon]], as well as other inscriptions such as the [[Behistun inscription]] or the [[Cyrus Cylinder]], and administrative records as the [[Persepolis Fortification Tablets]], and the [[Persepolis Treasury Tablets]].

* Babylonian sources such as astronomical records recording [[eclipse]]s, temple inscriptions and various royal documents including the [[Nabonidus Chronicle]], as well as business documents as the [[Marashu Archive]].

Secular scholars see the discrepancy between the traditional and secular date of the destruction of the First Temple arising as a result of Jewish sages missing out the reign lengths of several Persian kings during the Persian Empire's rule over [[Land of Israel|Israel]]. Modern secular scholars tally ten Persian kings whose combined reigns total 208 years. By contrast, ancient Jewish sages only mention four Persian kings totaling 52 years. The reigns of several Persian kings appear to be missing from the traditional calculations.

''Predator 2'' established several new facts about the [[Predator (alien)|Predators]], and actually painted them in a somewhat less harsh light than the previous film. The Predators are something of a noble hunter, and as a code they refuse to hunt or kill any unarmed, ill, or pregnant prey (though this was hinted at in the original film when Anna ([[Elpidia Carrillo]]) was never attacked). Also, at the end of the film after Glover chases the alien back to his spaceship and kills him, he comes face to face with a dozen more Predators as they decloak and surround him. Presumably because their comrade was defeated in a fair match, they let the human leave while attending to the dead Predator, even giving him a trophy in honor of his victory.

==== Lerman's theory ====

At the end of the movie, a [[Xenomorph (Alien)|Xenomorph]] skull can be seen in the Predator's trophy collection. In retrospect this could have appeared to be a hint for the upcoming spinoff, ''[[Alien vs. Predator (movie)|Alien vs. Predator]]'', but the movie had been made fourteen years prior to ''AvP''. Many people including the writers of ''Predator 2'' believed that Stan Winston indeed put the Alien head in the Predators' skull collection to intentionally connect the two franchises, both owned by [[20th Century Fox]]. However, the first appearance of the mixed franchises, the first comic of ''[[Aliens vs. Predator (comics)|Aliens vs. Predator]]'', was released by [[Dark Horse Comics]] in November [[1989]], a year before ''Predator 2'' was released.

Moshe Lerman suggested a solution to the missing-year problem by pointing out a possible connection between the traditional Hebrew dating and the two Mahzorim (cycles) that are observed in Jewish tradition - the "small" 19-year cycle which is the basis of the Jewish calendar, and the "big" 28-year cycle which determines the year in which [[Birkat HaHammah]], the Blessing of the Sun, is recited. Mathematically, if one knows the position of a certain year in both cycles, one can compute the number associated to the year modulo 532 (19 times 28), given that the starting point of both cycles is year 1.

Lerman's theory really starts with the biblical account of Creation, according to which the Sun was created on the fourth day. Jewish tradition commemorates the creation of the Sun by reciting a special Blessing when the Spring equinox is thought to be occurring at nightfall before the fourth day of the week, the moment the Sun is assumed to have been created (Babylonian Talmud, Berachot 59b). Jewish law stipulates that the Blessing be said every 10,227 (28 times 326.25) days. The next date set is April 8 2009 ([[5769 (Hebrew year)]|Hebrew year 5768]). Because the astronomical year is slightly shorter than 365.25 days, the date of the Blessing shifts away from the Spring equinox as history proceeds. A simple astronomical calculation shows that 84 cycles of 28 years before 5769, in the Jewish year 3417, the Spring equinox was in the beginning of the night before the fourth day of the week as stipulated by the Talmud. Lerman takes this as a hint that the astronomically astute Jewish sages of the time concluded that the Jewish year 3417 was a first year in the cycle of 28 years. Moreover, Lerman suggests that these same Jewish sages would have reasoned that year 3421 was a first year in the 19-year cycle, in accordance with an ancient tradition that the world was created in the first week of the month of Nissan. They would have concluded this from the Spring equinox occurring early in the night leading to the fourth day of the Jewish month of Nissan in the Jewish year 3421.

== Trivia ==

[[Image:Trophycase.jpg|right|200px|thumb|A [[Xenomorph (Alien)|xenomorph]] skull in ''Predator 2'']]

*In the final shot where all the other Predators decloak, we see the lead Predator, or Elder, of this clan. It is the same Predator that gives Danny Glover an antique flintlock pistol. The flintlock pistol has an inscribed plate dated 1715 and a name - Raphael Adolini. Look very closely at the design of that particular suit. It is the same suit that was used in the first Predator movie, although slightly changed in color. Kevin Peter Hall, who played both Predators for both films, also doubled as the Elder Predator in the ending. This is revealed in the commentary on the new Predator 2 Double Disc DVD.

Lerman surmises that the Jewish sages at the time could argue for a determination of the position of their years in both cycles and could therefore compute the absolute year-count modulo 532 years. They were left with a number of options, 532 years apart from each other, and Lerman suggests that they chose the dating closest to what seemed to be the truth according to biblical accounts. This provides a solution to the missing-year problem: If such was the beginning of the Jewish year-count, and no such count existed before, only dates later than the beginning of the 34 Jewish century would be historically reliable. The sages evidently fixed the small mismatch between their understanding of the biblical accounts and the dating that they had computed by contracting the length of the Babylonian exile, and they legally defined future equinox times by instituting the 28-year cycle, to protect the Hebrew dating against future change, and to leave a remembrance to what they had done.

*''Predator 2'' is set during an unusually severe heat wave. In the original film, Anna reminisces about what is assumed to be a Predator attack in her village when she was a child. Agent Keyes also suggests that the Predator is attracted to "heat and conflict," citing possible appearances in Beirut (Lebanon) and Iwo Jima during [[World War II]].

This theory not only explains the existence of the missing-years period, but also its approximate length: It naturally accounts for a mismatch between zero and one half of 532 years. In addition, it paints a uniquely substantial background for the otherwise mysterious Blessing of the Sun.

* This was the first film to be given the newly instituted NC-17 rating in the US for its graphic violence before it was re-cut to its final theatrical length.

==== Missing years in Jewish tradition ====

*Arnold Schwarzenegger was originally asked to reprise his role as Dutch Shaeffer, now intent on capturing the Predator, but thought the idea of the Predator in Los Angeles ridiculous, and also didn't want to reprise his character as a villainous role.{{Fact|date=February 2007}} The character was remade into Special Agent Keyes, played by [[Gary Busey]], after Schwarzenegger signed on for [[Terminator 2: Judgment Day]].

R' [[Azariah dei Rossi]], in his magnum opus, Me'or Einayim, was likely the first Jewish authority to state that the traditional Hebrew dating is not historically precise regarding the years before the second Temple.

R' [[Nachman Krochmal]] in ''Guide to the perplexed of our times'' (Heb.) points to the greek name Antigones mentioned in the beginning of Avot as proof that there must have been a longer period to account for this sign of Hellenic influence. He posits that certain books of the Bible such as Kohelet and Isaiah were written or redacted during this period.

* In the government agents' surveillance trailer, [[Elpidia Carrillo]]'s character appears on a video screen showing the devastating damage previous Predator's self-destruct on the South American jungle.

R' [[David Zvi Hoffman]] points out that the Mishna in Avot (1:4) in describing the chain of tradition uses the plural "accepted from them" even though the previous Mishna only mentions one person. He posits that there must have been another Mishna mentioning two sages that was later removed.

* The shady government agent named '''Keyes''' (played by [[Gary Busey]]) is named in homage to the similarly named '''Keys''' in [[E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial]]. Both are Special Agents for a government agency hunting an alien organism.

It has also been pointed out that certain calculations in the Talmud compute better according to the secular dating (Y2K solution to the Chronology Problem, Hakirah Vol. 3).

* A Predator [[comic book]] story by [[Dark Horse Comics]] entitled ''Predator: 1718'' [[retcon]]s the pistol as belonging to a [[pirate]] captain who, as he dies, gives it to a Predator.

Three reasons are given as to why the Rabbis may have deliberately removed years from the timeline.

* According to the end credits, the subway scenes were filmed on the [[San Francisco]] [[BART]] system.

*1. R' [[Shimon Schwab]] points to the words "seal the words and close the book" in the book of Daniel as a positive commandment to obscure the calculations for the Messiah mentioned within.

* Contrary to popular belief the apartment of the ill-fated key honcho was not shot at the [[Ennis House]]. The square relief on the apartment's columns is of similar design, attributed to co-producer [[Joel Silver]] who is a known afficionado of [[Frank Lloyd Wright]] and his textile block houses.

*2. The Y2K solution proposed in the Hakirah article suggests that the sages were concerned with the acceptance of the [[Mishna]]. There existed a Rabbinical tradition that the year 4000 marked the close of the "era of Torah". They therefore arranged the chronology so that the redaction of the Mishna should coincide with that date and thus have a better chance of acceptance.

*3. Moshe Lerman suggests that the sages who instituted the Hebrew dating were concerned with unifying a chronically dispersed Jewish nation, and deemed an attractive selling story for their enactment more important than historical accuracy.

====Critiques of secular dating====

*The death of Jerry Lambert meant that Bill Paxton's characters had been killed by three of the deadliest on-screen killers of all time: a Predator, an Alien and a [[Terminator (character)|Terminator]]. The two latter came from Paxton's appearences in ''[[Aliens (film)|Aliens]]'' and ''[[The Terminator]]'', which also featured [[Lance Henriksen]]. In 2004, Henriksen appeared in ''[[Alien vs. Predator (film)|Alien vs. Predator]]'' and managed to match Bill's achievement.

Those supporting the traditional dating point out that many statements made by classical historians, as well as those contained in ancient inscriptions, are also made without corroborating sources. In addition the Greek sources are based largely on hearsay and oral tradition. Thus the systematic ignoring of the [[Hebrew Bible]] and other Jewish sources on such grounds is unjustified bias.{{Fact|date=February 2007}}

It is emphasized that key events in the period, such as the destruction of the [[First Temple]], the assassination of [[Gedaliah]] and the foiled extermination of Jews at the time of [[Purim]], were events that have been commemorated every year by Jews since their occurrence and thus account of their dates have always been kept.{{Fact|date=February 2007}}

== External links ==

* {{imdb title | id=0100403 | title=Predator 2}}

*[http://www.iinet.net.au/~jaherne/thehunted/ ''Predator: The Hunted''] - fan site; contains all Predator info

The astronomical data used by the secular historians has been criticized. Physicist and science historian [[Robert R. Newton]] has found Ptolemy's work to contain errors and fraudulent observations. (Bickerman questions if the Royal Canon is actually the work of Ptolemy.) Dolan notes that Babylonian records of astronomical events are subject to interpretation as they do not clearly distinguish between eclipses and weather phenomena; moreover eclipses may have been missed or their extent misrecorded as a result of observation conditions. Dolan also notes that the dates of ancient texts have also been the subject of interpretation due to broken texts and uncertainty about ordering. Aaronson points out that the Persian inscriptions consist only of names and titles with virtually no explanatory content, and that the identification of the individuals mentioned is also a matter of interpretation. (Aaronson also notes that some ancient Persian sources, such as two of the inscriptions of Arsames and Ariaramnes, have subsequently been revealed to be forgeries.)

{{alien}}

Aaronson and Heifetz note that the Greek sources contradict each other and the archaeological sources and reconciling the difference involves additional interpretation. They argue that the sources can be interpreted in a manner consistent with the traditional dating as well as with the secular dating. They consider the reigns of certain Median and Persian monarchs to have been overlapping whereas the secular dating counts them as non-overlapping. They are also argue that certain kings named in Greek sources who have been counted as separate monarchs are in fact the same individual - in particular they argue that the [[Alexander the Great|Alexander]] of Macedonia who fought a king Darius of Persia in the historical sources is one person, not two as the secular dating requires.

[[Category:1990 films|Predator 2]]

[[Category:Predator series|Predator 2]]

[[Category:Sequel films]]

[[Category:20th Century Fox films]]

[[Category:Los Angeles in fiction]]

[[Category:Alien visitation films]]

The following sources are thus taken into consideration in support of the traditional dating:

[[bg:Хищникът 2]]

* The internal chronology of the [[Hebrew Bible]].

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* Transmitted tradition regarding the dates of annually commemorated events.

[[es:Depredador 2]]

* The [[Tannaim|Tannaitic]] chronicle [[Seder Olam Rabba]] and later chronicles such as the [[Seder Olam Zuta]], [[Seder Ha-Dorot]] and [[Toldot Am Olam]].

[[fr:Predator 2]]

* Comments on historical events in other Jewish writings such as the [[Talmud]] and the commentaries of [[Rashi]].

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* The secular Greek writings of the Jewish historian [[Josephus]] and the national traditions preserved by the Persian historian [[Firdausi]].

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* The Greek, Babylonian and Persian sources cited by those supporting the secular dating, but interpreted in a manner consistent with the traditional dating.

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This approach to the discrepancy is the most problematic. The reinterpretation of the Greek, Babylonian and Persian sources that is required to support the traditional dating has been achieved only in parts and appears to be impossible to achieve in its entirety. Similar problems face other attempts to revise secular dating (such as those of [[Peter James]] and [[David Rohl]]) and mainstream scholarship rejects such approaches.

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[[ru:Хищник 2 (фильм)]]

===Evolution of the Hebrew calendar===

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An alternative approach to resolving the discrepancy takes into consideration that the structure of the Hebrew calendar changed at different periods, and that the traditional dates should not be understood as dates on the standard Hebrew calendar. Lerman's theory as well as the Y2K solution are cases in point. In this view, both the traditional dates and those of secular scholars are correct if the changing structure of the Hebrew calendar is acknowledged.

[[sv:Rovdjuret 2]]

== References ==

* ''Jewish History in Conflict: A Study of the Major Discrepancy between Rabbinic and Conventional Chronology'', by Mitchell First (Jason Aronson, 1997)

* ''Talmudic and Rabbinic Chronology'', by Edgar Frank (New York: Feldheim 1956)

* ''Chronology of the Ancient World'', by E.J. Bickerman (Cornell University Press, 1968, 1982)

* ''The Crime of Claudius Ptolemy''. Robert R. Newton (The Johns Hopkins University Press, Baltimore and London, 1977)

* ''Daniel 9'' in ''You Take Jesus and I'll Take God'' by S. Levine, revised edition, Hamoroh Press, Los Angeles, 1980 - explains the Jewish understanding of ''Daniel'' 9:24-27

* R' Shimon Schwab in “Comparative Jewish Chronology in Jubilee Volume for Rav Yosef

Breuer” pp. 177-197.

* David Zvi Hoffman "Ha'mishna Rishona" (Heb.)

* [http://www.starways.net/lisa/essays/heifetzfix.html Fixing the History Books, Dr. Chaim S. Heifetz's Revision of Persian History, by Brad Aaronson] - Jewish scholarly critique of secular dating

* [http://www.talkreason.org/articles/fixing1.cfm Fixing the Mind by Alexander Eterman] - a refutation of Heifetz's critique.

* [http://becomingone.org/cp/cp3.htm Secular Chronology by Walter R. Dolen] - Christian scholarly critique of secular dating

* [http://groups.msn.com/JudaismFAQs/history.msnw Jewish Dating System] - defense of modern secular dating

* [http://www.jewishamerica.com/ja/timeline/adm2abr.cfm Significant Events In Jewish And World History] - timeline based on traditional Jewish sources

* [http://www.israelnationalnews.com/Articles/Article.aspx/5096 Why Do We Live in the Year 5765? by Moshe Lerman]

[[Category:Jewish history]] - theory about the origins of the Hebrew dating

* [http://www.hakirah.org/Vol%203%20Epstein.pdf A Y2K solution to the Chronology Problem]

[[Category:Jewish history]] - theory based on calculations in the Talmud

[[Category:Hebrew calendar]]

[[Category:Chronology]]

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