The ages of biblical figures like Adam and Noah in Dr. Wise's book are derived from which manuscript of the Old Testament?

The ages of biblical figures such as Adam and Noah are derived from the Masoretic Text, which is the authoritative Hebrew text of the Jewish Bible. This text serves as the basis for most translations of the Old Testament in Christianity and includes genealogies and lifespans that are critical for calculating the ages of these early figures. Dr. Wise's reliance on this manuscript suggests that he is using the specific historical and genealogical details as recorded in the Masoretic Text to derive these ages.

In contrast, the Septuagint is an ancient Greek translation of the Hebrew Scriptures that may have different numeration for some ages and may reflect theological differences in interpretation. The Vulgate, a Latin translation, is also based on the Septuagint and the Masoretic Text, but it too can present variations from the Hebrew. The Dead Sea Scrolls include a variety of texts and versions of biblical books, which sometimes contain alternative readings and additional documents, but they are not the primary source for the ages listed in the context of Dr. Wise's work.