JUDAH AT ITS GLORY כ " ג כסלו תשע " א NOVEMBER 30, 2010 Ahaz Hezekia Manasseh Amon Josiah

AHAZ BCE

Ahaz BCE Evil King Was under the influence of Assyrian expansion He called on Assyria to attack Israel and Damascus The Attack led to the destruction of Damascus Ahaz was influenced by the Assyrian Avodah Zarah and even brought his own son to Molech They brought sacrifices to Avodah Zarah throughout the land of Judah He traveled to Damascus to meet with Tiglath- pileser While there he saw and Assyrian Altar and built a copy of an Assyrian Altar in the Beis Hamikdash

HEZEKIAH BCE

Hezekiah BCE Population Influx Assyrian Avodah Zarah – sun worship After the destruction of Samaria the people of Israel who were not deported moved to Judah Judah’s population doubled in the decade after the fall of Samaria Imported were all the craftsmen, traders, and people who live in the big cities With the people of Israel also came much of the syncretistic worship that they practiced

Hezekiah BCE Relations with Assyria the New Encyclopedia of Archaeological Excavation in the Holy Land A victory stele of Sargon II written in cuneiform, of which just three tiny pieces have been recovered, used to be the only archaeological evidence of an Assyrian presence at Ashdod. However, the recently discovered palace just north of Tel Ashdod now confirms that, after conquering and exiling the local peoples, the Assyrians built a provincial center here from which to rule a part of their western empire. This black basalt fragment measures approximately 9 inches square and is written in a different hand from the other two fragments, so there may have been more than one victory stele. The attribution to Sargon II is based on parallel inscriptions by him listing a number of peoples whose land he laid waste during his conquests. 716 BCE Sargon invaded the coast of Israel all the way down to the “City of the Brook of Egypt” He wanted to open up trade with Egypt 713 BCE Ashdod revolted and the revolt was put down by Sargon and he put his brother in charge of the city The next year the people of Ashdod rebelled against Sargon’s brother, appointed a new king who attempted to bring Edom, Moab, Egypt and Judah to rebel As Sargon invaded Hezekiah pulled his support from Ashdod and Judah was not harmed for joining the rebellion

Hezekiah BCE Relations with Assyria Erich Lessing/Art Resource, NY Holding the staff of kingship and wearing the royal conical crown, Sargon II (721–705 B.C.E.) meets with one of his court officials. This alabaster bas-relief is one of several from Sargon’s palace at Khorsabad that depicts themes of procession and tribute. It is now in the Louvre. Sargon dies in battle in 705 BCE his body is not recovered This led to widespread rebellion In Egypt the 25 th dynasty just came to power ◦ They are the Nubian dynasty ◦ They get stronger ◦ Look to resist Assyria Merodach-baladan takes control of Babylon and starts to plot against Assyria With these two allies Hezekiah decided to rebel along with Ashdod and Ekron

Hezekiah BCE Preparation for War Hezekiah’s water tunnel Hezekiah’s rebellion would cause the Assyrians to put a siege on Jerusalem Hezekiah fortified its walls Food stored Built a water tunnel

Hezekiah BCE Sennacherib BCE The Lachish relief First puts down the Babylonian revolt Then puts down the revolt in the Levant Took Moab, Ammon, Edom, Philistia Egypt sent an army and battled Assyrian forces indecisively They besieged and captured 46 cities in Judah They captured Lachish the second city of Judah Claim to have taken 210,000 people to exile Sannacherib – mixed up the nations according to חז " ל and we no longer have prohibitions against marrying certain nations

The Lachish Relief

Hezekiah BCE Siege of Jerusalem The Assyrian annals say that they captured Jerusalem and Hezekiah paid tribute The Navi says that there was a miracle and an angle of Hashem killed 185,000 Assyrian soldiers at night We clearly believe the Navi Historically, one could easily reconcile the propaganda that was recorded as the Assyrian annals a Assyria stopped expanding after this campaign Assyria accepts Judean independence

Hezekiah BCE Religious Reforms 2 Kings ch. 18 He did what was right in the eyes of Hashem as all that David his father did. He removed the high places and broke the altars and cut down the Asheros and ground up the copper snake that Moses made because until then the children of Israel had been burning incense to it and they called it Nechushtan. He trusted in Hashem and after him there were none like him of all the kings of Judah and with those before him. מלכים ב פרק יח וַיַּעַשׂ הַיָּשָׁר בְּעֵינֵי יְקֹוָק כְּכֹל אֲשֶׁר עָשָׂה דָּוִד אָבִיו : הוּא הֵסִיר אֶת הַבָּמוֹת וְשִׁבַּר אֶת הַמַּצֵּבֹת וְכָרַת אֶת הָאֲשֵׁרָה וְכִתַּת נְחַשׁ הַנְּחֹשֶׁת אֲשֶׁר עָשָׂה מֹשֶׁה כִּי עַד הַיָּמִים הָהֵמָּה הָיוּ בְנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל מְקַטְּרִים לוֹ וַיִּקְרָא לוֹ נְחֻשְׁתָּן : בַּיקֹוָק אֱלֹהֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל בָּטָח וְאַחֲרָיו לֹא הָיָה כָּמֹהוּ בְּכֹל מַלְכֵי יְהוּדָה וַאֲשֶׁר הָיוּ לְפָנָיו :