Israel in the Time of Kings:
Social Structures and Social
K. C. Hanson
Resources for Chapter 5
Politics in Ancient Israel
Chronology of the Kings of Israel and Judah c. 1020587 BCE
Chronology of the Kings of Ugarit, c. 18501180 BCE
Chronology of the Kings of Assyria c. 960604 BCE
Family Tree of the Assyrian Royal Family
Provinces of the Assyrian Empire in the 7th century BCE
FULL-TEXT ARTICLES ON THE WEB
Cynthia R. Chapman,
"Sculpted Warriors: Sexuality and the Sacred in the Depiction of Warfare in the Assyrian Palace Reliefs and in Ezekiel 23:14-17."
Lectio difficilior (2007) .
Abstract: Dismembered, stripped, and bereft of her children, Ezekiel’s imagined Jerusalem stands in sharp contrast to the conquered women depicted on the Assyrian palace reliefs who together with their children remain clothed and unmolested. Instead, Ezekiel’s female-gendered sacred city resembles the feminized conquered male soldiers of the reliefs who are likewise dismembered, stripped, and shamed before their families. What both sets of images share is an aesthetic sense that the sculpted male warrior is radiantly alluring in his divinely empowered masculinity while victims of violence are feminized through sexual exposure and penetration. Repeated images of sexualized violence constitute an indigenous vocabulary for an aesthetic depiction of earned power.
"Assyrian Downfall through Isaiah’s Eyes (2 Kings 15–23): The Historiography of Representation."
Biblica 89 (2008) 116.
Abstract: In this article I compared Assyrian expansion as presented in the Bible with that presented in the Assyrian sources. Then I pointed out the problems of the
historical events presented in the Bible. Combining these problems with the results of source-criticism I argued that the biblical “distortion” of the historical events was intentional. The writers probably did it to offer their interpretation of the downfall of Assyria. This presentation and organization of the events can be explained in terms of the historiography of representation. By applying this concept it is possible to explain several textual and historical problems of these chapters.
"Tiglath-pileser III’s Campaigns in 734-732 B.C.: Historical Background of Isa 7; 2 Kgs 15–16 and 2 Chr 27–28."
Biblica (2006) 15370.
Abstract: The aim of this article is to investigate Tiglath-pileser III’s campaigns against the Levant in 734-732 B.C. The campaigns can be divided into three phases. In the first phase, the Assyrians conquered Tyre and the coast. In the second phase, they defeated Syrian troops in battle, conquered Transjordan and made a surprise attack on the Arabian tribes. In the last phase, they conquered Damascus, Galilee and Gezer. In the second part of this article, the author investigates the logistics of these campaigns and at the end the author evaluated the consequences of the Assyrian invasion in terms of human and material losses and the administrative reorganization of the region.
"Evil-Merodach and the Deuteronomist: The Sociohistorical Setting of Dtr in the Light of 2 Kgs 25,27-30."
Biblica 88 (2007) 17490.
Abstract: The article demonstrates that four concluding verses of the Former Prophets (2 Kgs 25,27-30) militate against the recent tendency to view Deuteronomism as a lasting phenomenon, especially against its extension into the late exilic and postexilic periods. Because Evil-Merodach proved an ephemeral and insignificant ruler, the account of Jehoiachin’s release and exaltation under his auspices could be reasonably expected to shore up the notion of an eternal Davidic dynasty only as long as the Babylonian king remained on the throne (562-560 BCE). Since the dynastic promise to David and associated concepts rank high on Dtr’s agenda, it means that the Former Prophets was not updated along Deuteronomistic lines to reflect the shift in the audience’s perspective on Evil-Merodach caused by his downfall. If so, there was no Deuteronomistic literary activity in the corpus after 560 BCE.
Jeffrey C. Geoghegan,
"Israelite Sheepshearing and David’s Rise to Power."
Biblica 87 (2006) 5563.
Abstract: An analysis of the relevant texts (Genesis 31; 38; 1 Samuel 25; 2 Samuel 13) reveals that sheepshearing in ancient Israel was a significant celebration characterized by feasting, heavy dirinking, and the settling of old scores. As a result of these associations, sheepshearing became an ideal backdrop for events in Israel’s past involving the repayment of debts or the righting of wrongs. Because both David and Absalom took advantage of sheepshearing for this purpose — and in the process aided their own ascents to the throne—sheepshearing became intimately associated with the emergence of the royal clan (Genesis 38) and the establishment of the Davidic dynasty.
"Two Assyrian Campaigns against Hezehiah and Later Eighth Century Biblical Chronology."
Biblica 80 (1999) 36090.
Abstract: The massive Assyrian invasion of Judah in 701 (reflected in 2 Kgs 18,13b; 18,17–19,37) has apparently been confused with an earlier, limited invasion in Hezekiah’s 14th year (reflected in 2 Kgs 18,13a.14-16; 2 Kgs 20; 2 Chr 32; Isa 22). Historically, this earlier campaign can best be dated to 712, when Sargon II apparently led the Assyrian royal guard on a Palestinian campaign. Chronologically, this dating fits perfectly with e.g. recent dating of the definitive fall of Samaria (2 Kgs 18,9: in Hezekiah’s 6th year) to 720. 2 Kgs 18,9’s parallel dating to Hoshea’s 9th year agrees with his apparent accession in 731 or 729. Dating Menahem’s death to 743 (as required, following biblical data, to avoid a triple overlap among Uzziah, Jotham and Ahaz) agrees with Eponym Chronicle evidence for this dating of 2 Kgs 15,19-20’s presumably already desperate fiasco, and is consistent with a plausibly composite 738 tribute-list naming Menahem. Combining these datings produces a workable later 8th century biblical chronology.
"The Design of the ‘Dual Causality’ Principle in the Narrative of Absalom’s Rebellion."
Biblica 88 (2007) 55866. full text article
Abstract: The principle of dual causality, according to which the same event is projected twice for two different reasons — Divine and human — is known among scholars and researchers of the Bible. One of the outstanding narratives in which this principle becomes evident to the reader is Absalom’s rebellion: the narrator tells the story in terms of political conflict, but hints of a deeper explanation, which sees the rebellion as a Divine punishment for David. This paper portrays how ambiguous expressions were employed in order to form the principle of dual causality in this narrative.
K. C. Hanson,
"When Kings Cross the Line: Royal Deviance in Levantine Ideologies."
Biblical Theology Bulletin 26 (1996) 1125.
Abstract: Plagues and famines were recurring problems for people of the ancient Levant (eastern Mediterranean); and since these phenomena were perceived to be the actions of the gods, they required interpretation by authorized prophets and diviners. The seven passages discussed here all articulate a common behavioral pattern (with a king identified as the culpable deviant) and character-set with regard to these catastrophes. The motifs manifested are: breach of the sacred, divine punishment in the form of plague or famine, prophetic interpretation, restitution, and blood-sacrifice. The character-set is: the deity, the king/s, the prophet/s, and the suffering population. These Israelite, Hittite, and Greek narratives, while in the form of stories, prayer, and play, I identify as "Royal Deviance Narratives" (1 Sam 5:1–7:1; 2 Sam 21:1-14; 2 Sam 24:1-25; 1 Kgs 16:29–18:45; KUB xiv,8; Iliad 1.1-475; and Oedipus Tyrannus), and I analyze them in terms of their motifs and their cultural scripts.
"Source of Law in the Biblical and Mesopotamian Law Collections."
Biblica 87 (2006) 32442.
Abstract: This study argues that the source of the law constitutes the crucial ideological and practical difference between man-made and God-given codices. In the Mesopotamian codices, while the gods grant to the sovereign the authority to govern, it is he who ultimately creates the relevant laws. He is thus the source of the law and controls its application. God is the only source of biblical law, and is involved in its implementation. This crucial difference has far-reaching consequences. In particular, Mesopotamian laws focus on the redress of harm done to humans and on disruption of human order; further, legal procedures, sanctions and modes of compensation can be changed, forgiven or abolished. Biblical law regards some infractions as harms against humans, but others are also perceived as crimes against the Lord and a disruption of the divine order. Punishments are fixed by God in both cases, and are eternal and inalterable.
"Death Formulae and the Burial Place of the Kings of the House of David."
Biblica (2004) 24554.
Abstract: The article re-examines the death formulae of the kings of Judah, in particular
those of the kings from Hezekiah onward. It is suggested the kings of Judah in the tenth-eighth centuries BCE were buried in the palace, and that Hezekiah transferred the burial place of the kings of Judah to a new site (the garden of Uzza) outside the walls of Jerusalem. Hezekiah’s decision to transfer the burial place might have been influenced by the admonitions and possible pressure of the temple priests, who felt that the burial in the palace defiled the adjacent temple (see Ezek 43,7-9). The change in the closing formulae of the late kings of Judah should be explained on the basis of the reality of the late monarchical period and the objectives of the authors of the Book of Kings, and in no way indicates an early edition of the Book of Kings as some scholars suggest.
"The Murder of Sennacherib."
In Death in Mesopotamia, edited by Bendt Alster, 171-82. Mesopotamia 8. Copenhagen: Akademisk Forlag, 1980.
"Sons of God: The Ideology of Assyrian Kingship."
Archaeology Odyssey (1999)
Esarhaddon, King of Assyria (681669)
Online: "Knowledge and Power" at Higher Education Academy (UK).
Neil Asher Silberman,
Two Biblical Kings: 'David and Solomon'
podcast interview with Neil Asher Silberman regarding his book with Israel Finkelstein, David and Solomon: In Search of the Bible's Sacred Kings and the Roots of the Western Tradition
"Exploring the Garden of Uzza: Death, Burial and Ideologies of Kingship."
Biblica 87 (2006) 121.
Abstract: The Garden of Uzza (2 Kgs 21,18.26) is commonly regarded as a pleasure garden in or near Jerusalem which came to be used as a royal burial ground once the tombs in the City of David had become full. However, in this article it is argued that the religious and cultic significance of royal garden burials has been widely overlooked. In drawing upon comparative evidence from the ancient Near East, it is proposed that mortuary gardens played an ideological role within perceptions of Judahite kingship. Biblical texts such as Isa 65,3-4; 66,17 and perhaps 1,29-30 refer not to goddess worship, but to practices and sacred sites devoted to the royal dead.
James G. Williams,
"History-Writing as Protest: Kingship and the Beginning of Historical Narrative."
Contagion 1 (1993) 91-110.
ANCIENT TEXTS AND INTERPRETATIONS
Epic of Kret (c. 14th century BCE)
Tel Dan Inscription (9th8th century BCE)
Mesha Stele (c. 830 BCE)
Black Obelisk of Shalmaneser III (c. 827 BCE)
El-Kerak Inscription (late 9th century BCE)
Amman Citadel Inscription (late 9th century BCE)
Sennacherib Prism (c. 689 BCE)
Lachish Ostracon #3 (589588 BCE)
The Cyrus Cylinder (538 BCE)
Kings of Assyria and Babylon
Ashurnasirpal IIKing of Assyria (884859 BCE)
Shalmaneser IIIKing of Assyria (859824 BCE)
Shamshi-Adad VKing of Assyria (823811 BCE)
Merodach-baladan IIKing of Babylon (722710, 703702 BCE)
EsarhaddonKing of Assyria (681669 BCE)
EsarhaddonKing of Assyria (681669 BCE) with Conquered Vassals
AshurbanipalKing of Assyria (668627 BCE) with Sacred Tree
Assyrian Officers8th century BCE
Assyrian Spearmen8th century BCE
Assyrian Winged Spirit9th century BCE
Warriors in Chariot with FoeZinjirli, 9th8th century BCE (Dick Osseman)
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Last Modified: 20 June 2011