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Manasseh of Judah (697-643 BC)

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son of Hezekiah

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55 year reign

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the Bible vilifies him

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Judah had a steadfast loyalty to the Assyrian empire

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resulted in remarkable prosperity

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King Josiah (reign 640–609 BC)

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properity changed under his reign

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began reigning as a boy (age 8) in 640 BCE

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father was King Amon

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instituted major reforms

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credited by most historians with having established or compiled important Hebrew Scriptures during the Deuteronomic reform

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when he came of age, he wanted to prove himself as a king

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the Assyrian Empire was subsiding so he had a lot of room to do this

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according to the Bible, enacted religious reforms

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2 Kings 22-23

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historians suggest that he was attempting to consolidate his realm

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would have affected the way the imperial palace expressed its loyalty to the Assyrian authorities and to the imperial gods

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followed in the steps of Hezekiah

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like him tried to rally his subjects around powerful symbols such as national deities

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in the case of Judah this was Yahweh

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did not die peacefully

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executed by the Egyptian Pharaoh Necho II

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Necho placed Joachim (joh-ah-KEEM) on the throne

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609-597 BCE

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the final years of the Kingdome of Judah

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605 Nebuchanezzar had defeated the Assyrians

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proceded to make his way down toward Egypt

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601 BCE Necho II stops him

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inspired Joachim to join forces with Egypt

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a bad decision

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597 BCE Nebuchanezzar

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attacked Jerusalem

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deported Jeconiah and elites from Jerusalem to Babylon

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the Biblical account is supported by the Babylonia Chronicle

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although it does not mention the names of the kings themselves

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burnt Jerusalem to the ground

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the reason was Judah's attempt to revolt

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seen historically the attempt to rebel was foolish, inspired by a religious fervor

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going back to the memories of divine salvation during the years of Hezekiah and Isiah

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Biblical books had purported Hezekiah was saved by a divine miracle from the armies of Sennacherib (son of Sargon II)

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in the Book of Jeremiah you can read about these events in legendary form

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Jeremiah insists on bowing down to Babylon so that they could live and see another day

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his opponents, some more respected prophets of Yahweh than he was, denied that Yahweh would allow Jerusalem to be conquered as during the days of Hezekiah

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others believed there was a good chance of resisting if they joined with the forces of the neighbors

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Ammonites, Moabites, Edomites, Phoenicians

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archeological record contains firsthand witnesses to this period

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Lachish letter

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a letter which stated that one city could no longer see the signal fires from neighboring cities

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a way they communicated with each other

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"we see signal of Lachish but not Azekah"

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Biblical account

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the Babylonia armies destroyed Jerusalem and deported its population

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King Zedekiah's eyes gouged out by the Babylonians

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the final thing he is allowed to see is the execution of his own sons before he is deported

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the formation of Israel and Judah as kingdoms

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imperial centers in Mesopotamia and Egypt

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evacuate the Levant

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create breathing space for the states in the Levant to emerge and develop

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this is the gap in time when Judah and Israel become states and kingdoms

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also the time when most of the Biblical history unfolds

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Israel, Judah and neighboring kingdoms enjoyed several centuries of existence

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until Mesopotamia and Egypt reorganized themselves

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slowly expanded their borders

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met each other on the land bridge of the Levant

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Egypt was no long able to make its presence felt in Canaan

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the small kingdoms of the Levant were left in ruins

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were not able to hold there own against the great civilization centers of the ancient world