Ussher is likely most remembered for his scholarly analysis of the genealogies of the Book of Genesis which led him to date the origin of the earth at 4004 B.C.

James Ussher, the Irish-born linguist, scholar, pastor-theologian and Anglican Archbishop, was born January 4, 1581. He was reared in Calvinism, and at 13 years of age entered Trinity College of Dublin.

In 1615, Ussher wrote the Irish Articles of Religion which served as the basis of the Westminster Confession of Faith and the Catechisms. A.A. Hodge in his Evangelical Theology said this about Ussher’s influence: “[His book] had more to do in forming the Catechism and Confession of Faith than any other book in the world…”

Ussher is likely most remembered for his scholarly analysis of the genealogies of the Book of Genesis which led him to date the origin of the earth at 4004 B.C.

The study of the Bible’s chronology was published in his massive The Annals of the Old Testament, first printed in London in 1650. He later added a second part to the volume which focused on the later Old Testament times up to the Apostolic era with the destruction of the Temple in Jerusalem in 70 A.D.

Ones like William Shakespeare, Reformer Martin Luther and Astronomer Johannes Kepler espoused similar views as Ussher’s regarding the age of the earth.

There’s the story of a London bookseller Thomas Guy who in 1675 began printing Bibles with Ussher’s study notes and dates printed in the margin. The Church of England in the early 1700s adopted Ussher’s dates for use in its official Bible. From 1700-1900, Ussher’s studies and chronological dates were routinely cited in Bibles and were thought to carry the weight of biblical authority.

Happy Birthday, Mr. Ussher.
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Mark Sumpter is the pastor of Faith Orthodox Presbyterian Church in Grants Pass, Oregon. He blogs at http://rivercitypastor.blogspot.com/ where this article first appeared. It is used with his permission.