How A.M. (Anno Mundi) Dating Works in the FullBibleTimeline.com System

The A.M. (Anno Mundi, “Year of the World”) system used by FullBibleTimeline.com is a biblical chronology that begins not at Creation, but at the Fall of Man. According to Romans 5:12, death enters the world through sin.

Because time is measured through aging, mortality, and genealogy, the first measurable year of human history begins only after the Fall.

 
AM 1 = the first year after Adam becomes mortal.

This approach differs from traditional Jewish and Christian systems, which begin counting at Creation.

The FullBibleTimeline.com model begins with the moment human aging begins.

1. How AM Time Begins (Genesis 5 and 11)
The genealogies of Genesis 5 and 11 form the backbone of the AM system.

Genesis 5:3 states:
“Adam was 130 years old when he fathered Seth.”

This means:

• AM 1 = the first year after the Fall

• AM 130 = the year Seth is born
   

The pattern continues:

• Seth was 105 → Enosh born at AM 235

• Enosh was 90 → Kenan born at AM 325

• Kenan was 70 → Mahalalel born at AM 395

• And so on…

The system is self-contained.
 
Scripture determines each date by adding the literal “age at begetting” from the biblical text.
Archaeology supports the timeline but does not set it.

2. Converting AM Years to B.C. Years
FullBibleTimeline.com uses a simple, universal conversion:
 
AM 4000 = 1 B.C. / A.D. 1 boundary

This creates a direct formula:
B.C. = 4000 − AM

Examples of converting an AM date to a BC date:

• AM 3004 → 4000 − 3004 = 996 B.C.

• AM 2453 → 4000 − 2453 = 1547 B.C.

• AM 2525 → 4000 − 2525 = 1475 B.C.

This makes it easy for readers to translate biblical events into recognizable historical dates.

3. Why This System Works
Other AM chronologies begin at Creation (Ussher: 4004 BC; Seder Olam: 3761 BC; Bede: ~3952 BC).

But these approaches begin counting before human mortality exists, and there is no way to be certain about the date of creation. Creation was made without the presence of death. It was timeless. Therefore, there is no way to be absolute regarding the time that Adam and Eve were actually in the garden. See our article on Adam and Eve.

The FullBibleTimeline.com system solves this problem:

• Time begins when death begins.

• Genealogical ages work only after the Fall.

• The biblical text itself dictates the timeline.
   

This produces a consistent, literal, and internally governed chronology.

4. How AM, BC, and AD Interact
To integrate biblical time with world history:

• AM shows internal biblical chronology

• BC counts backward from Christ’s birth

• AD counts forward after Christ
   

Using AM 4000 = 1 B.C./A.D. 1, all three frameworks align smoothly.

This allows biblical history (AM) to harmonize with archaeological and historical records (BC/AD).

5. Summary for Readers

• FullBibleTimeline.com begins with AM 1 at the Fall

• Genesis genealogies provide exact age-to-age calculations

• The system is fully text-based and Scripture-driven

• A simple conversion formula links AM to BC

• AM, BC, and AD together form a unified historical timeline

• The model is clear, literal, and consistent from Adam to Christ
   

Thank you,
M. Joseph Hutzler
Eschatologist