Jewish Bubba: September 2021

Thursday, September 30, 2021

TIMELINE OF ANCIENT REVOLTS, BATTLES and WARS OF ISRAEL-JUDEA-Including Chanukah

Nadene Goldfoot

Assyrian battles with Israel and Judah

Lachish relief showing the siege of Lachish.

1. Battle of Qarqar

The Battle of Qarqar took place in 853 BCE, and was fought by Shalmaneser III, king of Assyria, and a coalition of 11 kings including Ahab, king of Israel, son of Omri ruled (876-853 BCE), wife was Jezebel, daughter of king of Sidon, who introduced Baal worship into Isrel. There was a big struggle betweein the king and and prophets headed by Elijah. Ahab was killed by fighting in Damascus. In the Kurkh Monoliths, it is mentioned that the Israelite forces constituted 10,000 troops and 2,000 chariots. It seems unlikely that the Kingdom of Israel could possess an army superior to that of the Kingdom of Aram-Damascus. The number of chariots in Ahab's forces was probably closer to a number in the hundreds (based upon archaeological excavations of the area and the foundations of stables that have been found). Archaeologist Nadav Na'aman believes it to be a scribal error in regard to the size of Ahab's army and suggested that the he sent 200 instead of 2,000 chariots. Another possible explanation is that the forces attributed to Ahab include those belonging to his allies, such as the Kingdom of Judah, the Kingdom of Tyre and the Kingdom of Moab; however, those kingdoms aren't named in the monolith.

Battle

Siege of Jerusalem

2. In 721 BCE, the Assyrian army captured the Israelite capital at Samaria and carried away the citizens of the northern kingdom into captivity (Lost Ten Tribes of Israel) . The virtual destruction of Israel left the southern kingdom, Judah, to fend for itself among warring Near Eastern kingdoms. The siege took place in approximately 701 BCE by Sennacherib, king of Assyria. The siege failed and Jerusalem survived until its eventual destruction by the Neo-Babylonian Empire under Nebuchadnezzar.

3. King of Assyria, Sennacherib, and his campaign in Judah was a military conflict in 701 BCE between Kingdom of Judah and the Neo-Assyrian Empire, the conflict is part of the greater conflict of Sennacherib's campaigns. The conflict is considered one of the greatest victories of Judah at that time, from being a vassal state of Assyria, to beating the Assyrian empire and being completely independent. The story of the Assyrian siege is told in the Biblical books of Isaiah (7th century BCE), Second Kings (mid-6th century BCE) and Chronicles (c. 350–300 BCE). As the Assyrians began their invasion, King Hezekiah began preparations to protect Jerusalem. In an effort to deprive the Assyrians of water, springs outside the city were blocked. Workers then dug a 533-meter tunnel to the Spring of Gihon, providing the city with fresh water. Additional siege preparations included fortification of the existing walls, construction of towers, and the erection of a new reinforcing wall. Hezekiah gathered the citizens in the square and encouraged them by reminding them that the Assyrians possessed only "an arm of flesh", but the Judeans had the protection of Yahweh.

According to 2 Kings 18, while Sennacherib was besieging Lachish, he received a message from Hezekiah offering to pay tribute in exchange for Assyrian withdrawal. According to the Hebrew Bible, Hezekiah paid 300 talents of silver and 30 talents of gold to Assyria—a price so heavy that he was forced to empty the temple and royal treasury of silver and strip the gold from the doorposts of Solomon's temple. Nevertheless, Sennacherib marched on Jerusalem with a large army. When the Assyrian force arrived, its field commander Rabshakeh brought a message from Sennacherib. In an attempt to demoralize the Judeans, the field commander announced to the people on the city walls that Hezekiah was deceiving them, and that Yahweh could not deliver Jerusalem from the king of Assyria. He listed the gods of other peoples defeated by Sennacherib then asked, "Who of all the gods of these countries has been able to save his land from me?"

During the siege, Hezekiah dressed in sackcloth (a sign of mourning), but the prophet Isaiah assured him that the city would be delivered and Sennacherib would fail. Overnight, an angel killed 185,000 Assyrian troops. Some scholars believe this number has been transcribed incorrectly, with one study suggesting the number was originally 5,180.

4. Siege of Lachish

Lachish was an ancient Canaanite town of 15th century BCE. It was captured by Joshua and fortified by King Rehoboam. It was Sennacherib who besieged and took the town. The siege of Lachish occurred in 701 BCE, by the Neo-Assyrian empire, and ended with the conquest of the town. The towns inhabitants were led into captivity and the leaders of Lachish tortured to death. The town was abandoned, but resettled after the return from Babylonia. Nebuchadnezzar destroyed the city some time before the fall of Jerusalem. A Temple stood here. 21 letters were found here written on pottery (potsherds).

5. Battle of Megiddo

The Battle of Megiddo is recorded as having taken place in 609 BCE with Necho II of Egypt leading his army to Carchemish to fight with his allies the Assyrians against the Babylonians at Carchemish in northern Syria. This required passing through territory controlled by the Kingdom of Judah and Necho requested permission from its king, Josiah. Josiah refused to let the Egyptians pass and a battle took place in which Josiah was killed. The battle is recorded in the Bible, 1 Esdras, and the writings of Josephus.

6. Jewish–Babylonian war

Zedekiah is chained and brought before Nebuchadnezzar, from Petrus Comestor's "Bible Historiale," 1670

The Jewish–Babylonian war was a military conflict between the Kingdom of Judah and Babylonia that lasted 15 years from 601 to 586 BCE. The conflict marked the end of the Kingdom of Judah and Jewish independence until the Hasmonean revolt. After Babylonia invaded Jerusalem it destroyed the First Temple, and started the Babylonian exile.Nebuchadnezzar had besieged Jerusalem in 597 BCE, and managed to capture the city and king Jehoiachin, along with all of the aristocracy of Jerusalem. He also looted the treasures of the temple, including the golden implements. Then Nebuchadnezzar exiled 10,000 of the officers, and the craftsmen, and 7,000 soldiers. Then, he appointed Jehoiachin's uncle, Mattaniah as king of Judah. Later, Mattaniah changed his name to Zedekiah.

6a. First siege of Jerusalem

In 605 BCE Nebuchadnezzar II, king of Babylon defeated Pharaoh Neco at the Battle of Carchemish, and subsequently invaded Judah. To avoid the destruction of Jerusalem, King Jehoiakim of Jerusalem, in his third year, changed allegiances from Egypt to Babylon. He paid tribute from the treasury in Jerusalem, some temple artifacts, and some of the royal family and nobility as hostages. In 601 BCE, Nebuchadnezzar failed to invade Egypt, the failure led to rebellions among states in the Levant including Judah. Nebuchadnezzar sieged Jerusalem in 597 BCE, and managed to get in and capture king Jehoiachin, and all of the Aristocracy of Jerusalem. The siege resulted with fall of Jerusalem and destruction of the First Temple. Then Nebuchadnezzar exiled 10,000 of the officers, and the craftsmen, and 7,000 soldiers.

6b. Second Siege of Jerusalem

In July 587 BCE, Zedekiah rebelled against Babylonia, making an alliance with Egypt, and Nebuchadnezzar sieged Jerusalem again, starving the people. The siege resulted in the destruction of Jerusalem and the fall of the Kingdom of Judah.

Classic era

Maccabees
Judah Maccabee, the Hammerer, son of Mattathias, military leader of the revolt against Syria in 168 BCE. His father had created the Hasmonean dynasty. Chanukah comes to us from this history of saving Judaism. Judah hit his enemy again and again in guerilla fighting, first used; thus called the Hammer.

The Maccabees (Hebrew: מכבים or מקבים, Makabim) were a Jewish warrior community who spearheaded a national liberation movement that fought for and won independence from Antiochus IV Epiphanes of the Hellenistic Seleucid dynasty, who was succeeded by his infant son Antiochus V Eupator. The Maccabees founded the Hasmonean royal dynasty and established Jewish independence in the Land of Israel for about one hundred years, from 164 BCE to 63 BCE.

Jewish–Roman wars
General (Aluf) Bar Kokhba (Simeon ben Kosiba)

The Jewish–Roman wars followed the Roman annexation of Iudaea, taking place from 66 to 135 CE. Those were the First Jewish–Roman War, Temple destroyed and city of Jerusalem burned in 70 CE, Kitos War and finally Bar Kokhba revolt 132-135 CE. He was the nephew of Rabbi Eleazar of Modiin and of Davidic descent. He revolted against Hadrian in 132, which he led. Why revolt? The Romans were rebuilding Jerusalem as a roman colony and the prohibition of circumcision were factors; the practice of crucifiction for little reason, taking away their right to govern themselves with a king of their own choice, not Rome's.

Himyarite Kingdom

In modern day Yemen, the Ancient Himyarite Kingdom appears to have abandoned polytheism and converted to Judaism around the year 380. Accompanied with a strong military prowess, they proved to be a matching force to the Christian empires of Byzantium and Axum for 200 years. After having conquered a major part of the Arabic peninsula, the Himyarite Empire has been annexed by the Kingdom of Axum.

Revolt against Gallus

In mid-4th century Jews of Galilee launched the Revolt against Gallus, aiming to defeat Roman troops across Galilee.

Exilarch revolt in Persia

Mar Zutra II, who came into Exilarch office at the age of fifteen, took advantage of the confusion into which Mazdak's communistic attempts had plunged Sasanian Persia, to obtain by force of arms for a short time a sort of political independence for the Jews of Babylon. King Kobad, however, punished him by crucifying him on the bridge of Mahuza c. 502.

Byzantine period

In early 7th century Near Eastern Jews launched Jewish revolt against Heraclius, in hopes of gaining an autonomy in Jerusalem with Persian Sasanian support.

Resource:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jewish_military_history

Before the Roman Enemy, There Were the Greeks : Our Chanukah Story from JOSEPHUS

Nadene Goldfoot Another War: Jews fighting the Greeks

Antiochus IV Epiphanes was one of 13 Greek Kings of the House of Seleuces who ruled Syria in the Hellenistic period, reining from 175-163 BCE. His father, Antiochus III, transferred 2,000 Jewish families from Babylon to Lydia and Phrygia. He captured Jerusalem in 198 BCE. Greek presence is attested from early on, and in fact, the name of Syria itself is from a Greek word for Assyria.The Greek presence in Syria began in the 7th century BCE and became more prominent during the Hellenistic period and when the Seleucid Empire was centered there. Today, there is a Greek community of about 4,500 in Syria, most of whom have Syrian nationality and who live mainly in Aleppo (the country's main trading and financial centre), Aleppo had been populated by Jews since then up until a few years ago.

Antiochus IV was on his 2nd try to attack Egypt but was turned back by Rome, so he then went to Jerusalem and occupied it. He plundered the Temple treasure and tried to Hellenize Judea by force in order to convert it into a reliable frontier province. This brought about a great rising which Antiochus suppressed with great cruelty; thousands of Jews were killed and many sold into slavery.

Ptolemy I
At one time between 186-145 BCE, Antiochus quarreled with the 6th Ptolemy, the Greek king of Ptolemaic Egypt about his right to the whole country of Syria. At this time, a great sedition came over the men of power in Judea, and they had a contention about obtaining the government; with each one vying for power.

In 175 BCE, conflict broke out between High Priest Onias III (who opposed Hellenization and favoured the Ptolemies) and his son Jason (who favoured Hellenisation and the Seleucids). A period of political intrigue followed, with both Jason and Menelaus bribing the king to win the High Priesthood, and accusations of murder of competing contenders for the title. The result was a brief civil war. The Tobiads, a philo-Hellenistic party, succeeded in placing Jason into the powerful position of High Priest. He established an arena for public games close by the Temple. The high priest, Jason, converted Jerusalem into a Greek polis replete with gymnasium and ephebeion (2 Maccabees 4).

According to writer, General Josephus, Onias, one of the high priests, won out against Jason and kicked out the sons of Tobias from the Jerusalem. Joseph was one of the sons of Tobias and nephew of Onias. Onias I had refused to pay his taxes to Ptolemy III. That made the governor of Jerusalem threaten to destroy Jerusalem. Joseph heard about it and scolded his Uncle Onias for putting Jerusalem in such danger. Onias let Joseph go to Alexandria, Egypt to pacify the king. Joseph found out when he arrived that he needed a lot of money to gain high favor in the court. He had to go to Samaria to his friends and get a loan. He did, and was later made the tax collector. Onias then went to Antiochus IV and begged him to make use of them for his leaders. Then they could make an expedition into Judea.

The king, thinking this a great idea, complied and came upon the Jews with a great army, and took their city by force, and slew a multitude of men of those that favoured Ptolemy, and sent out his soldiers to plunder them without mercy. He also spoiled the Temple, and put a stop to the constant practice of offering a daily sacrifice of expiation for 3 years and 6 months. (Expiation "a religious act, by which satisfaction or atonement is made for the commission of some crime, the guilt done away,)

But Onias, the high priest, fled to Ptolemy, and received a place from him in the Nemus of Heliopolis ( a major city , the capital of ancient Egypt), where he built a city resembling Jerusalem, and a Temple that was like Jerusalem's Temple.

According to I and II Maccabees, the priestly family of Mattathias (Mattitiyahu in Hebrew), which came to be known as the Maccabees, called the people forth to holy war against the Seleucids.

Mattathias' sons, Judas (Yehuda), Jonathan (Yonoson/Yonatan), and Simon (Shimon) began a military campaign, initially with disastrous results: one thousand Jewish men, women, and children were killed by Seleucid troops because they refused to fight, even in self-defence, on the Sabbath. Other Jews then reasoned that they must fight when attacked, even on the Sabbath. The institution of guerrilla warfare practices by Judah over several years led to victory against the Seleucids:

It was now, in the fall of 165, that Judah's successes began to disturb the Greek central government. He appears to have controlled the road from Jaffa to Jerusalem, and thus to have cut off the royal party in Acra from direct communication with the sea and thus with the government. It is significant that this time the Syrian troops, under the leadership of the governor-general Lysias, took the southerly route, by way of Idumea.

Towards the end of 164, Judah the Maccabee felt strong enough to enter Jerusalem and the formal religious worship of Yahweh was re-established. The feast of Hanukkah was instituted to commemorate the recovery of the temple. This was the Hasmonean Period ruling Judea. Josephus tells what happened.

Antiochus, however, remembering his struggles in the fight, decided to compel the Jews to dissolve the laws of their country, and to keep their infants uncircumcized, and to sacrifice swine's flesh upon the altar; against which they all opposed. Some even had to be put to death. Bacchides, who guarded the fortresses, became even more barbaric than usual, and indulged in all sorts of wickedness and tormented the worthiest of the inhabitants, man by man, and threatened their city every day with open destruction till at length he provoked the poor sufferers by the extremity of his wicked doing, to avenge themselves.

Matthias, the son of Asamoneus, one of the priests who lived in a village called Modin, armed himself, together with his own family, which had 5 sons of his in it, and slew Bacchides with daggers, and thereupon, out of the fear of the many garrisons of the Greeks, he fled to the mountains, and so many of the people followed him, that he was encouraged to come down from the mountains, and to fight Antiochus's generals, when he beat them, and drove them out of Judea. So he joined the government and became the prince of his own people by their own free consent, and then died, leaving the government to Judas, his eldest son.

Josephus was born in about 38 CE, dying in 100 CE. Romans attacked Galilee in 67, he directed the resistance and was besieged in Jotapata, but when the city was captured, he went over to the Romans and called himself Flavius, the family name of Emperor Vespasian. He went with Vespasian and Titus during the siege of Jerusalem and tried to persuade the Jews to leave their resistance. After the crushing of the revolt, he was given some confiscated estates in Judea, but lived in Rome instead.

Titus Flavius Josephus, born Yosef ben Matityahu ha Cohen was a first-century Romano-Jewish historian, best known for The Jewish War, who was born in Jerusalem—then part of Roman Judea—to a father of priestly descent and a mother who claimed royal ancestry. Josephus, as he is known to us, a Jewish general whose life was spared by becoming their historical writer, considered a traitor by many Jews, said, "Our city of Jerusalem had arrived at a higher degree of felicity (happiness) than any other city under the Roman government, and yet at last fell into the sorest calamities again. Accordingly it appears to me the the misfortunes of all men, from the beginning of the world, if they be compared to these of the Jews, are not so considerable as they were; while the authors of them were not foreigners neither. This makes it impossible for me to contain my lamentations.......However, I may justly blame the learned men among the Greeks...they also write new histories about the Assyrians and Medes as if the ancient writers had not described their affairs as they ought to have done...everyone took upon them to write what happened in his own time." So I find that Josephus had many details in his special book than in any other history I have read.

The Pyrrhic War (280–275 BCE) was largely fought between the Roman Republic and Pyrrhus, the king of Epirus, who had been asked by the people of the Greek city of Tarentum in southern Italy to help them in their war against the Romans. After several years of campaigning there (278–275 BCE), Pyrrhus returned to Italy in 275 BCE, where the last battle of the war was fought, ending in Roman victory. Following this, returned to Epirus, ending the war. Three years later, in 272 BC, the Romans captured Tarentum.

Roman Syria was an early Roman province annexed to the Roman Republic in 64 BCE by Pompey in the Third Mithridatic War following the defeat of King of Armenia Tigranes the Great. Following the partition of the Herodian Kingdom of Judea into tetrarchies in 6 CE, it was gradually absorbed into Roman provinces, with Roman Syria annexing Iturea and Trachonitis.

The first is the revolt of 167-160 BC, when Judah Maccabee led an uprising against the Seleucid Greek rulers of Judaea, painted in Jewish memory as a virtuous struggle against persecuting overlords.

There was about a 100 pause between wars for the Jews between the Greeks and the Romans.

Rome had occupied Judea in 63 BCE and again in 66 CE. The province of Judea was the scene of unrest in 6 CE during the Census of Quirinius, the crucifixion of Jesus circa 30–33 CE, and several wars, known as the Jewish–Roman wars, were fought during its existence.

Resource:

The New Standard Jewish Encyclopedia

Book: Josephus, by Whiston

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ptolemy_VI_Philometor

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heliopolis_(ancient_Egypt)

https://www.biblicalcyclopedia.com/E/expiation.html

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hasmonean_dynasty

Wednesday, September 29, 2021

Kings of Israel and Judah

Nadene Goldfoot

King Saul of Israel, son of Kish of the tribe of Benjamin , 11th century BCE. He died in battle on Mt. Gilboa with his 3 sons. The 4th son, Ishbosheth, aka Esh-Baal, crowned by Abner, ruled over part of the country. The Philistines took over till David fought them and won. Judah accepted David as king led to indecisive war. Abner then backed David. Ishbosheth was murdered by his 2 generals.

King David (1000 ---960 BCE) of Israel, son of Jesse of the tribe of Judah, born in Bethlehem. Best friend of Jonathan, 3rd son of Saul, married Saul's daughter, Michal. Turns out that Saul was very jealous of David, his armor-bearer. With virtues and vices, David became a religious symbol and Jewish messianic hope was attached to his descendants.

The House of David of tribe of Judah started with David's rule over Israel from 1010 BCE till 970 CE. When Solomon died in 920 BCE, Israel divided as the empire ceded from Judah. The House of David continued on ruling Judah. It ended with Zedekiah 597-586 BCE when the Babylonians attacked and took away so much of the population in 597 BCE and 586 BCE.

Israel was ruled by Jeroboam of tribe of Ephraim from 933-912 BCE. He had been Solomon's superintendent of forced labor. He later led the revolt of the people against this burden. When Solomon died, he led a delegation to Solomon's son and heir, Rehoboam, asking for changes in this forced labor system and lower taxation. Being refused, the 10 tribes ceded from the union, and it was Civil War. The Bible is hard on Jeroboam, saying that he sinned and caused Israel to sin. His capital was at Shechem, then moved to Transjordan's Pennel, later to Tirzah. 5 years later, 60 northern towns were ravaged by Egypt. To compete with Jerusalem's religious center, he copied it in his manner by setting up new shrines at Bethel and Dan with a similar cult but, G-d forbid, centering on the symbols of the golden calves!!! Oy Gevalt!!! He was not a religious man, not educated and made a mess of things.

Assyria attacked the 10 northern tribes in 721 BCE and took away most, the best, 27,290 of the population. They replaced them with Syrian and Babylonian prisoners and/or Cutheans,(The Cuthites are mentioned in Josephus, Antiquities Book 11, Chapter 4, as "Cutheans", naming them as those who were brought from Media and Persia and "planted" in Samaria by the King of Assyria after he had conquered the 10 tribes. and they all became the ancestors of the Samaritans. John Hyrcanus took the area in 107 BCE and razed it, but it was restored by Roman General Pompey. Herod renamed in "Sebaste," Greek for Augusta in honor of Augustus Caesar, now called Sebastiya. Samaria is also the name of the whole northern region of Israel.

Israel above is named as Samaria, the name of the capital of Israel.

The 27,290 became the Lost 10 Tribes of Israel but had been taken to Assyria and Media. Media lies eastward of Assyria and northwest of Persia. They could be today's Iraqis, Syrians and Iranians and maybe a few Turkmenistanis.

It ended with King Hoshea 730-721 BCE. This is when the Assyrians attacked them and carried off so much of the population. Hoshea had fought against the yoke led to Shalmaneser V's siege of Samaria and its capture in 721 BCE by his successor, Sargon. Sargon then annexed the country and deported the 27,290 Israelites to Assyria and Media.

A revolt of Ashdod supported by King Hezekiah of Judah (720-692 BCE) was suppressed in 715. Judah had been ravaged but managed to hold out by receiving terms, paying tribute and ceding some land.

Later, Assyria declined rapidly and was succeeded by Babylon.

You wonder why they ever bothered in the first place to take someone's land, but then at the time, they think it will last forever. They do not have the benefit of hindsight. For that moment, they think they are heroes.

Resource;

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Davidic_line#/media/File:Genealogy_of_the_kings_of_Israel_and_Judah.svg