Abstract:
This thesis investigates the period in Judah which took place precisely a century
between the death ofHezekiah (687 BCE) and the final fall of Jerusalem (587 BCE)
Seldom has a nation experienced so many dramatically sudden reversals of fortune in
so relatively short a time. Throughout the first half of the seventh century BCE the
Assyrian empire reigned supreme. In the second half, in rapid succession, Judah, as a
vassal, experienced periods of independence and of subjection, first to Egypt, then to
Babylonia, before finally destroying herself in a futile rebellion against the latter.
The aim of the thesis was to set Judah in the global context and investigate the role she
played. To this end the Great Powers, namely Assyria, Egypt and Babylonia were
surveyed, as well as were the Small Powers, like Judah, Phoenicia and the
Transjordanian states, and the relationships probed.
The thesis traces the life of the wicked but extraordinarily successful King Manasseh,
and his equally reprobate son, Amon, who was brutally murdered by his servants, and
was avenged by 'the people of the land'. Josiah is the only monarch who fits the
Deuteronomistic requirements of a good king. Religious and national reform generally
go hand in hand with politics, and the cultic reform and centralization of the cult
characterise his reign. ·
With the fall of Assyria, the temporary surge into prominence by Egypt and the tragic
death of Josiah in 609 BCE, Judah experienced radical political fluctuations and with
them alternate subjugation by, and rebellion against, each of the major powers.
Inexperienced leadership and a situation of dual kings, followed Josiah's death. The
rapidly changing international scene demanded of the rulers of Judah skillful
manoeuvring and exceptional adaptability, and frequently confronted them with
ominous political situations. Judaean leaders and the puppet King Zedekiah, propped
up by false prophets, failed to grasp the shift in the balance of power, and clung to
questionable Egyptian aid against the new world power, Babylonia. Highly vulnerable
and left in the lurch, Jerusalem faced protracted siege and famine in Jerusalem,
destruction ofthe Temple, and deportation ofthe cream ofher people.
