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To: "Hebraic Heritage Newsgroup"<heb_roots_chr@geocities.com>
Date: Tue, 29 Apr 1997 23:08:32 +0000
Subject: Biblical History: The Days of the Northern and Southern
>From JUICE Administration juice at INTERNET
juice@jer1.co.il
To: Contemporary Jewish History history at INTERNET
history@jer1.co.il
Reply-To history at INTERNET
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Subject: JUICE History 10
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WZO Student and Academic Department
Jewish University In CyberspacE (JUICE)
juice@wzo.org.il birnbaum@wzo.org.il
http://www.wzo.org.il
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Course: Introduction to Biblical History
Lecture: 10/12
Lecturer: Yoel Duman
email: juice@wzo.org.il
The Assyrian Era ca. 780 - ca. 700 BCE
II Kings 14-17
As we mentioned at the end of our last lecture, the first half of the 8th century BCE finally saw a period of peace
and prosperity for both Israel and Judah. The lengthy reigns of Jeroboam II of Israel and Uzziah of Judah provided
their kingdoms with stability, while Assyrian pressure on Aram allowed the kingdoms to regain much of their former
foreign holdings. As it would turn out this was not only the calm before the storm; in fact this period of seeming
well-being saw the development of internal tensions which would greatly damage the social cohesion of the people of
Israel.
It is highly questionable if the petty rivalries and passing failures and successes of Israel and Judah would have been
remembered if not for an extraordinary group of personalities who appeared during this period. Modern
scholarship refers to this group as the Classical Prophets.
Prophecy was, of course, known in Israel from much earlier times. There are clear indications within the Bible that
the later prophets saw themselves as the heirs of Moses and Samuel. Prophecy also existed in the neighboring cultures
of Egypt, Canaan and Mesopotamia. But the 8th century BCE saw the sudden appearance in Israel and Judah of a
strikingly new form of prophecy, which can be identified objectively by its use of writing. While these prophets
certainly continued to deliver their message orally, before the general public as well as before the nation's leaders,
they were also involved in literary and scribal activity uncharacteristic of their predecessors.
A perusal of the introductions to the Latter Prophets reveals that Isaiah, Micah, Hosea and Amos preached in Judah
and Israel during the first half of the 8th century BCE. These are the first prophets to leave us written accounts of
their activities and their words (while Jonah belongs to this period as well, he does not appear to be the author of
the book of Jonah, which also has a different literary form than those of the other prophets of the era). Although each
of these prophets certainly had his own causes and interests, all four exhibit a new concern with social
injustice not encountered in the reported activities of Samuel, Nathan, Elijah and Elisha. And while religious
failings are still a major focus of the preaching of these prophets, the thrust of their condemnation is against the
hypocrisy of the cult rather than against apostasy:
Hear the word of the Lord, you chieftains of Sodom; Give ear to our God's instruction, You folk of Gomorrah!
"What need have I of all your sacrifices?", says the Lord. "I am sated with burnt offerings of rams, and suet of
fatlings, and blood of bulls; and I have no delight in lambs and he-goats...Bringing oblations is futile, incense is
offensive to Me. New moon and sabbath, proclaiming of solemnities, assemblies with iniquity, I cannot abide...
Wash yourselves clean; put your evil doings away from My sight. Cease to do evil; learn to do good, devote
yourselves to justice; aid the wronged. Uphold the rights of the orphan; defend the cause of the widow."
Isaiah 1:10-17
Assuredly, because you impose a tax on the poor and exact from him a levy of grain, you have built houses of hewn
stone, but you shall not live in them; You have planted delightful vineyards, but shall not drink their wine. For I
have noted how many are your crimes, and how countless your sins - you enemies of the righteous, you takers of bribes,
you who subvert in the gate the cause of the needy! Amos 5: 11-12
Although the historical context of both of these prophecies was the period of economic and political prosperity in Judah
and Israel in the first half of the 8th century BCE, there is a cloud of impending disaster in these words. Again and
again these "writing prophets" declare that the social evils of the two kingdoms would bring about national catastrophe.
In addition to their social message, the Classical Prophets, like earlier prophets, were highly involved in political
matters. But among these prophets there is a new, recurring call to desist from international intrigue:
Assyria shall not save us,
No more will we ride on steeds;
Nor ever again will we call
Our handiwork our god,
Since in You alone orphans find pity
Hosea 14:4
(Note that the "steeds" mentioned here are probably a reference to Egypt; see the footnote to this verse in the
JPS translation).
This rejection of foreign alliances became a central aspect of the message of prophets in following generations:
What, then, is the good of your going to Egypt
To drink the waters of the Nile?
And what is the good of your going to Assyria
To drink the waters of the Euphrates...
You shall be put to shame through Egypt,
Just as you were put to shame through Assyria.
Jeremiah 2:18,36
As we shall see, these pronouncements reflect the political maneuverings of Judah and Israel in the international scene
that would soon embroil the two kingdoms.
Were these prophets simply astute observers of their times, who were able to perceive the coming threat posed by
Assyria's imperial aspirations, despite the seeming well-being? Or were they speaking the divine word without any
real understanding of realpolitik? There is no real answer to this question, since this is a matter of faith. But
certainly these prophets were met by general opposition and even disdain by the rich and powerful and apparently even by
the common folk. In fact we find these prophets constantly at odds with their society, to the extent that some scholars
see "prophetic conflict" as one of the major functions of this type of prophecy.
In any event, the period of tranquillity soon ended. In "II Kings" 15, we hear of the death of Jeroboam II of Israel
(ca. 745 BCE), who was followed by his son Zechariah. However, Zechariah's reign was to last only 6 months; he was
assassinated by one Shallum, who assumed the throne, beginning a period of regicide and instability in the
kingdom of Israel which would continue until its demise. In the same chapter are found three notices, which are perhaps
even more ominous:
King Pul [Tiglath-Pileser III] of Assyria invaded the land, and Menahem [the reigning usurper in Israel] gave Pul a
thousand talents of silver that he might support him and strengthen his hold on the kingdom. "II Kings" 15: 19
In the days of King Pekah of Israel, King Tiglath-Pileser of Assyria came and capture Ijon, Abel-beth-maacah, Janoah,
Kedesh, Hazor - Gilead, Galilee, the entire region of Naphtali; and he deported the inhabitants to Assyria.
"II Kings" 15:29
In those days, the Lord began to incite King Rezin of Aram and Pekah son of Remaliah against Judah. "II Kings" 15: 37
Thanks to the discovery of the royal annals of Assyria, we are able to fully corroborate these reports and fill out
their context. The annals of Tiglath-Pileser III are unfortunately quite damaged and in need of restoration
(indicated by square brackets). They also may not be entirely exact in their identification of personalities;
these were merely minor irritations as far as the Assyrians were concerned.
[As for Menahem I ov]erwhelmed him [like a snowstorm] and he...fled like a bird, alone,[and bowed to my feet(?)] I
returned him to his place [and imposed tribute upon him, to wit:] gold, silver, linen garments with multicolored
trimmings,...[I re]ceived from him. Bet Omri(Israel)...all its inhabitants (and) their possessions I led to Assyria.
They overthrew their king Pekah and I placed Hoshea as king over them. I received from them 10 talents of gold, 1000
talents of silver as their tribute.... ANET, p. 284
The accepted date for the major Assyrian attack mentioned here and in "II Kings" 15 is 732 BCE. Israel was left
impoverished, partially depopulated and severely truncated. Aram suffered much the same fate, according to these annals.
Judah, meanwhile, managed to stay out of harm's way, once again, due to its less critical geographic position.
However, within a short time, Judah was also pulled into the fray. The note in "II Kings" 15:37 of hostility directed by
Israel and Aram against Judah is detailed in the following chapter of Kings, where we are told of a siege on Jerusalem
in the days of Ahaz, the ruling heir to the throne. The report of this siege in "Kings" reveals that Ahaz responded
to his predicament by appealing to Tiglath-Pileser, who was only too happy to oblige; the Assyrian king proceeded to
attack Damascus, captured it and executed Rezin, King of Aram.
The Bible attributes this attack on Judah to the will of the Lord. Modern scholarship has suggested a more mundane
motivation, on the basis of the Assyrian documents and references to these events in "Isaiah" 7, in which Aram and
Israel plan to replace Ahaz with one Ben Tabeel. The Syro-Ephramite war, as the attack on Judah is termed in the
literature, was an attempt to force Judah to join an anti-Assyrian coalition, as in the days of Ahab. Ahaz' appeal to
the Assyrians for aid was no easy or popular action; according to "Isaiah" 7, the prophet himself commanded the
king to rely on God's aid. However, Isaiah's "advice" was rejected. Apparently, Ahaz calculated that the best means
to maintain the security and prosperity of his kingdom was to submit to the overwhelming might of Assyria. As we shall
see, the people of Judah and Jerusalem were divided on this issue. Although it may be tempting to refer to the camps
representing the opposing attitudes toward Assyria as supporters of nationalism, on the one hand, and of peace or
appeasement, on the other, we must be careful with such historical analogies. We shall return to this issue, with
regard to the prophet Jeremiah, in the following lectures.
Ahaz' political decision did bring about the desired military support. Despite the death of Tiglath-Pileser III
in 727 BCE, Assyrian domination of the region remained in tact. Hoshea of Israel, attempting to exploit possible
Assyrian weakness in the first years of the reign of Shalmaneser V, the new king, formed an alliance with the
traditional alternate super-power, Egypt, and withheld tribute, as a declaration of his rebellion. But Egypt was
of no avail, and Shalmaneser quickly sent troops to besiege Samaria. Hoshea was somehow eliminated, but forces in
Samaria managed to hold out for three years. From Assyrian documents, we learn that the capital finally fell in 722
BCE, not to Shalmaneser, but to his successor, Sargon II:
I besieged and conquered Samaria, led away as booty 27,290 inhabitants of it. I formed from among them a contingent of
50 chariots and made the remaining (inhabitants) assume their (social) positions. I installed over them an officer
of mine and imposed upon them the tribute of the former king. ANET, pp. 284-285
This document casts a fascinating light on the story of the exile of the people of Israel and the origin of the
"Samaritans", found in "II Kings" 17. According to this biblical account, Israel was entirely depopulated by the
Assyrians, who brought other conquered populations into the land of Israel and settled them there, as part of their
general imperial policy. After some time, according to the Biblical report, it was found necessary to reintroduce
elements of the Israelite cult; the foreign population was instructed in these matters by an Israelite priest who had
formerly resided in Samaria. Thus these foreigners, later known as the Samaritans, adopted a degenerate form of Hebrew
worship. The Samaritan for their part have a completely different rendition of their origins, claiming that they
are, in fact, the only true descendants of the 12 original tribes.
While no clear judgment can be made regarding these conflicting accounts, it is noteworthy that the report of
Sargon II quoted above refers to 27,900 exiles. Most scholars today see this figure as an indication that the
Assyrians did not deport entire populations, but only the social and ruling elites, transposing such classes as a
means of pacifying the general public and depriving them of their leadership.
Thus, the separate existence of two Israelite states came to an end after some 200 years and the kingdom of Israel ceased
to exist. For a number of years, the kingdom of Judah continued to function as an Assyrian vassal under Ahaz' son,
Hezekiah.
This descendent of David and Solomon stands out in "Kings" as a champion of the pure Israelite religion. Hezekiah's
piety is stressed throughout the detailed account of his reign in "II Kings" 18-20, particularly in his dealings with
Isaiah the prophet. As we shall see next week, Hezekiah eventually attempted to radically alter the political status
of the kingdom.
Additional information
A fascinating site on the subject of the Assyrian culture may be found at:
http://www-oi.uchicago.edu/OI/MUS/QTVR96/QTVR96_Image_AS_Menu.html
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