Bishop James Ussher

b. 1581; d. 1656.

The Bishop of Armagh, and Primate of All Ireland, mostly remembered today his computation that the creation of the universe took place in 4004 BC.

Ussher was one of the most learned and respected intellectual in Britain in his time. Though modern developments have enabled us to know better, Ussher's work, including his computation of the date of creation, represented the latest findings in biblical scholarship and extra-biblical/historical research in his days. While his book, Annales, is today remembered only for the date of creation he proposed, it in fact represented "a comprehensive chronological synthesis of all known historical knowledge, biblical and classical . . . Of its volume only perhaps one sixth or less is biblical material."

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