The organisation states as a principle that where the secular record and the Bible differ on chronology, the Bible is to be followed, and that it does not feel obliged to reconcile its chronology with the Assyrian records at all.
Claim ID claim-chronology-bible-over-secular-principleConcerns 1988Organisation's explanation
The organisation’s position or later explanation: Insight: ‘Where differences appear, one can confidently rely on the Biblical record’; and ‘By contrast, the Bible has proved true in all fields dealt with, giving by far the most accurate picture of the ancient times it treats. Its chronology is also reliable.’
1988 · pp.457-458 · under “Historians of the Classical Period” and “The Biblical Count of Time” · Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society of Pennsylvania
“However, the information presented earlier shows there is no reason for placing their histories and chronologies on a par with the Bible itself. Where differences appear, one can confidently rely on the Biblical record…”
The next section opens: “The ancient secular records obviously must all be used with due caution. They are known to have inaccuracies in many matters, and it is most unlikely that their chronologies should somehow have escaped such inaccuracies. By contrast, the Bible has proved true in all fields dealt with, giving by far the most accurate picture of the ancient times it treats. Its chronology is also reliable.”
Provenance and verification note for Insight on the Scriptures, Volume 1, Chronology
Confidence note. Full article fetched from the Watchtower Online Library on 19 September 2026; the quotation and the page were confirmed against the text and its embedded page markers. Insight on the Scriptures is undated on the Online Library; the 1988 publication year is the work’s own imprint date.
1988 · p.452 · under “Assyrian Chronology” · Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society of Pennsylvania
“The information above points to the conclusion that Assyrian historiography either is not correctly understood by modern historians or is of very low caliber. In either case, we do not feel compelled to attempt to coordinate the Biblical chronology with history as presented in the Assyrian records.”
The reference work’s statement of method, made about the Assyrian eponym lists, immediately before the section on Babylonian chronology that underlies the 607 BCE date.
Provenance and verification note for Insight on the Scriptures, Volume 1, Chronology
Confidence note. Full article fetched from the Watchtower Online Library on 19 September 2026; the quotation and the page were confirmed against the text and its embedded page markers. Insight on the Scriptures is undated on the Online Library; the 1988 publication year is the work’s own imprint date.
Accessed. 19 September 2026 · Source ID.src-chr-o-it1-chronology-assyrian
1 October 2011 · p.26 · par. 6 · Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society of Pennsylvania
“So why do Jehovah’s Witnesses hold to a date that differs from widely accepted chronology by 20 years? In short, because of evidence within the Bible itself.”
The same paragraph gives the reason the question matters: that “knowing the actual year when this ‘ultimate catastrophe’ began and understanding how the restoration of true worship in Jerusalem fulfilled a precise Bible prophecy will build your confidence in the reliability of God’s Word.”
Provenance and verification note for The Watchtower, When Was Ancient Jerusalem Destroyed?—Part One
Confidence note. Full document fetched from the Watchtower Online Library on 19 September 2026 and read in full; the quotation, the paragraph and the page were confirmed against the article text and its embedded page markers (span class=“pageNum”).
1 November 2011 · p.27 · pars. 35-36 · Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society of Pennsylvania
“At present, the majority of secular historians believe that Jerusalem was destroyed in 587 B.C.E. However, the Bible writers Jeremiah and Daniel clearly state that the Jews were in exile for 70 years, not 50 years. (Jeremiah 25:1, 2, 11; 29:10; Daniel 9:2) Those statements strongly indicate that Jerusalem was destroyed in 607 B.C.E. As the above evidence shows, that conclusion has some secular support.”
The closing section, headed “Why Trust the Bible?”, continues: “Secular experts have repeatedly questioned the Bible’s accuracy. Yet, when more evidence is uncovered, the Bible record has time and again been vindicated.”
Provenance and verification note for The Watchtower, When Was Ancient Jerusalem Destroyed?—Part Two
Confidence note. Full document fetched from the Watchtower Online Library on 19 September 2026 and read in full; the quotation, the paragraph and the page were confirmed against the article text and its embedded page markers (span class=“pageNum”).
Notes. The organisation’s own summary of its case, and its best counter-argument, in its own words.
Accessed. 19 September 2026 · Source ID.src-chr-o-w-2011-1101-why-trust-bible
A direct link to this claim is https://jwtruth.org/evidence/claim-chronology-bible-over-secular-principle/. Every source above opens the original document or the best available copy. If you believe the wording, date or context is wrong, report an error.