Mr. Lundahl Uses His Own Radiocarbon Dating Calibrations Based on Groundless Bible Genealogies and Stories Rather than Science
Kevin R. Henke
October 5, 2022
In Henke (2022at), I criticize Mr. Lundahl for not obtaining my recommended references and seeing what modern archeology really says about the Old Testament:
“Why does he often avoid them and prefer less reliable sources, such as Wikipedia articles or outdated 18th to 19th century religious books, such as the opinions of 18th century Bishop Richard Challoner? He lives in Paris and certainly he should be able to find a University or other library with science journals. Why does he trust ancient histories, Wikipedia and other websites, but not modern archeology? Why does he trust C.S. Lewis? Why does he blindly trust Kent Hovind, who has no legitimate training in science? Why doesn’t he use Strahler (1999) or other science textbooks for legitimate information on science and the scientific method instead?” [my emphasis]
Besides unreasonably complaining about how I won’t give him enough details about Finkelstein and Silberman (2001) (see Henke 2022gs), Mr. Lundahl in Lundahl (2022r) responds to the bolded sentence by claiming:
“I often refer to modern archaeology in my calibration of C14. Why is 40 000 BP the carbon date for 2957 BC? Because the Neanderthal- and Denisovan-extinctions are by fossils of purebred such 40 000 BP according to archaeologists, and the most likely explanation is the Flood (which a credible, if not sole such, Biblical chronology puts at 2957 BC). Why is 9700 BC the carbon date for 350 years later, Noah's death, and 8600 BC for the birth of Peleg in 401 after the Flood? Because of Göbekli Tepe. Why are the extra years only 1565 in 1935 BC, for a carbon date 3500 BC? Because Genesis 14 when Abraham was roughly 80 (between 76 and 86!) mentioned an attack on Amorrhaean Asason-Tamar, which is En-Gedi, and because the temple treasures from En-Gedi are evacuated on reed mats carbon dated to 3500 BC. Plus equations between Djoser's and Senusret III's sarcophagus or grave ship (carbon datable wood in each case) and the times of Joseph in Egypt and Moses' birth.”
Here, Lundahl (2022r) is abusing and not using radiocarbon dates. He has no justification for making up calendar dates by correlating radiocarbon results with “dates” from unreliable genealogies and groundless stories in the Bible. As I mentioned in Henke 2022do, young-Earth creationists can’t even agree with each other on the “proper dates” from the genealogies and other events in the Bible. For example, young-Earth creationist Taz Walker does not agree with Mr. Lundahl’s date for the Flood at 2957 BC, he prefers a date of 2300 BC. Nevertheless, geology has totally refuted the existence of a worldwide Noah’s Flood, as can be seen by the distribution of fossil genera, glacial deposits, varves, plutons, stratigraphic results and other features in the geologic record (e.g., Strahler 1999, Prothero 2007, No Answers in Genesis, Talkorigins, my website). Radiocarbon dates are calibrated with tree rings and varves as shown here. Notice that the science-based calibration is very linear and the differences between calendar and radiocarbon dates are not nearly as great as what Lundahl (2022r) believes. Also, see Reimer et al. (2004) and Dellinger et al. (2004) for more information on the science of radiocarbon dating and its calibration.
Lundahl (2022r) then continues:
“All of these references to C14 would have been highly impossible for me to do without modern archaeology providing them. What you have provided for Finkelstein, I. and N.A. Silberman. 2001 is: a) a reference, b) a gigantic conclusion going beyond any evidence I think they are likely to have.”
No. Mr. Lundahl is not using modern archeology and radiocarbon dates. Again, he’s abusing them by making up bogus dates based on groundless Bible stories. Also, until Mr. Lundahl actually demonstrates that he has read Finkelstein and Silberman (2001), he has no basis for judging the evidence that is in it. He should, in particular, evaluate what Finkelstein and Silberman (2001, pp. 149-313) say about the actual history of Israel and Judah from about 930 to 440 BC. The Bible cannot be blindly trusted.
References:
Dellinger, F., W. Kutschera, K. Nicolussi, P. Schieβling, P. Steier, and E.M. Wild. 2004. “A 14C Calibration with AMS from 3500 to 3000 BC, Derived from a New High-Elevation Stone-Pine Tree-Ring Chronology”, Radiocarbon, v. 46, n. 2, pp. 969-978.
Prothero, D.R. 2007. Evolution: What the Fossils Say and Why It Matters: Cambridge University Press: New York, NY, USA, 381pp.
Reimer, P.J. et al. 2004. “INTCAL04 Terrestrial Radiocarbon Age Calibration,0-26 CAL KYR BP” Radiocarbon, v. 46, no. 3, pp. 1029-1058.
Strahler, A.N. 1999. Science and Earth History: The Evolution/Creation Controversy: 2nd ed., Prometheus Books: Amherst, NY, USA, 552 pp.