Alphabetical Index to Bible Timeline – Page 33 – Amazing Bible Timeline with World History

Posted on May 10, 2016May 10, 2016 by Kat Cendana — 9 Comments

Ezekiel

Background

Ezekiel, whose name means ‘God strengthens,’ was born in Jerusalem during a time of great upheavals caused by the invading Babylonian army. He can be found on the Biblical Timeline at the end of 600 BC. Ezekiel is introduced in the first chapter as ‘the priest, the son of Buzi’. He received one of his first fantastic visions of four-faced and winged creatures as well as ‘the appearance of the likeness of the glory of God’ while living in exile near the Kebar river in Babylon. His ministry started seven years before the final destruction of Jerusalem in 586 B.C. and covered the events between 590 B.C. and 571 B.C. He was already working as a priest when he was captured and taken to Babylon in 597 B.C.

Daniel and Ezekiel were roughly the same age, although Daniel was already established in his prophetic ministry in Babylon by the time Ezekiel arrived (Ezekiel 14:14 and 20, 28:3). Ezekiel was married, the death of his wife is recorded in Ezekiel 24:15-27.

The Book of Ezekiel

“Biblical illustration of Book of Ezekiel Chapter 37”

Destruction of Jerusalem

Ezekiel’s prophecies are divided into three parts:

the condemnation of Judah and the total destruction of Jerusalem (chapters 1-24)
the prophecies against foreign nations (25-39)
the plans for rebuilding the new temple (40-48)

The first part consists of a series of prophecies concerning Judah. He was called by God to prophesy against the people by eating a scroll with laments written on it (2:8-10; 3:1-3). The prophecies of Ezekiel about the fall of Jerusalem were full of symbolism which included

* The drawing of a map of Jerusalem under siege on a clay tablet (4:1-3).

* Lying on his left side for 390 days for each year of Israel’s sins and 40 days on his right side for each year of Judah’s sins (4:4-8).

* The ration of bread baked with cow dung as fuel to symbolize scarcity and Israel’s impending captivity into the land of the Gentiles (4:9-17).

* The divine razor used by Ezekiel in cutting up his hair into three parts which symbolized the people who will die of famine and disease in the city, those killed outside the city walls, and those who will be scattered (5:1-13).

The last prophecies against Jerusalem can be read on the 24^th chapter, while the 25^th chapter up to the 32^nd is series of messages against Judah’s neighbors. Those who received condemnation were the Ammonites, Moabites, Edomites, Philistines, the Phoenicians of Tyre and Sidon, and Egyptians.

Promise of Restoration

Ezekiel is not all gloom and doom. The last parts of his prophecies were promises of restoration. His fantastic vision of a valley full of dry bones connecting with each other and coming back to life is a symbol of hope for the people of Israel who will be freed from captivity and will return to Jerusalem in due time (37:1-14). He received a vision as early as the 14^th year from the fall of Jerusalem (40:1) about God’s detailed plans for a new temple. Ezekiel also received instructions on the new borders and divisions of the land for each tribe. A sacred site will be allotted between Judah and Benjamin as the place where the new temple will stand. A river of healing will flow out from the temple to the Dead Sea.

References:
Curtis, Adrian, and Herbert G. May. Oxford Bible Atlas. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2007
https://bible.org/article/introduction-book-ezekiel
Picture By Distant Shores Media/Sweet Publishing, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=18884417

Posted on May 6, 2016May 6, 2016 by Kat Cendana — 9 Comments

Jews Return from Captivity in Babylon and Begin to Rebuild the Temple

The nobles and elite of Judean society remained in Babylonian captivity years after they were driven out from Judah by Nebuchadnezzar. After seventy years, another powerful kingdom rose east of Mesopotamia led by King Cyrus of Persia of the Achaemenid dynasty. Who allowed the Jews their freedom which is recorded on the Biblical Timeline Chart around mid 500 BC. After securing his kingdom in 554 BC, Cyrus looked outward and conquered neighboring states which included the Neo-Babylonian empire.

“Zerubbabel displays a plan of Jerusalem to Cyrus the Great.”

By 539 BC, Cyrus had defeated Babylon’s last king Nabonidus. Cyrus was known as a clever strategist and a savvy political king, and he presented himself as a liberator of the people conquered by Babylon. He was tolerant of other religions, and one of his greatest acts as king was to free the Jews who lived in captivity in Babylon since the time of Nebuchadnezzar. His goodness to the Jews was so appreciated that he was considered as the only foreign messiah (Isaiah 45:1-13) chosen by the Lord.

The Jews, led by Zerubbabel and others, traveled from Babylon in 538 BC, and the full list of people who returned with him is listed in the 2nd chapter of Ezra. Upon their arrival, some of the people settled in Jerusalem while others returned to their own towns. They began to rebuild the temple during the second year after they arrived in Jerusalem (Ezra 3:8).

References:
Picture By Jacob van Loo – http://www.allposters.com/-sp/Zerubbabel-Showing-a-Plan-of-Jerusalem-to-Cyrus-Posters_i1739460_.htm, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=5972166

Posted on May 5, 2016March 10, 2023 by Kat Cendana — 2 Comments

Temple, The Completion of the Second

In 586 BC, Nebuchadnezzar destroyed the temple Solomon built and proceeded to deport the people of Judah to Babylon. The temple was rebuilt later, which is recorded on the Biblical Timeline Poster with World History around 530 BC.

According to the Bible, they stayed in captivity for seventy years until the rise of King Cyrus of Persia, who conquered the Neo-Babylonian empire. Cyrus allowed the exiles to return to Jerusalem from Babylon in 538 BC, and more than 40,000 people (Ezra 2:64) chose to go back to Jerusalem under the leadership of Zerubbabel. They brought with them gold and silver articles recovered from the Babylonian temple after Nebuchadnezzar destroyed Jerusalem.

The first thing they did was to rebuild the altar and offer sacrifices to the Lord after they had settled in Jerusalem. The construction of the second temple began in 520 BC, which was two years after they arrived in Jerusalem. Cedar logs from Lebanon were imported to build the temple, and the foundation was completed soon after. But some local residents opposed the building of the second temple, and they discouraged the former exiles from continuing with the construction. The construction work will not resume until the second year of the reign of King Darius (Ezra 4).

The people led by Zerubbabel and Jeshua resumed the construction of the temple after the encouragement of prophets Haggai and Zechariah. But the governor of Trans-Euphrates Tattenai banded together with some people to discourage them again. He schemed by sending a letter to the new Persian king Darius asking him to confirm an earlier decree by King Cyrus, which permitted the people of Judah to rebuild their temple.

Darius discovered a memorandum by Cyrus and told Tattenai to allow the people to continue the temple construction. Tattenai was also instructed to help the Jews and pay for the full construction cost. He followed Darius’ decree and the second temple was completed in 516 BC, which was the sixth year of Darius’ reign (Ezra 6). The temple was dedicated to the Lord and sacrifices were offered there once again. Ezra the scribe arrived in Jerusalem soon after the construction of the temple was completed.

References:
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Building_of_Solomon%27s_temple-_The_Craftsmen_in_the_quarries.jpg

Posted on May 4, 2016May 4, 2016 by Kat Cendana — Leave a comment

Jerusalem, Destruction of

The destruction of Jerusalem that was done by King Nebuchadnezzar is recorded on the Bible Timeline Poster with World History around 600 BC. This started with King Jehoiakim of Judah who decided to rebel after three years of paying tribute to King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon. Nebuchadnezzar assembled his army and raided Judah as punishment for Jehoiakim’s rebellion. Egypt was also subdued at this point and this expansion of territory made Babylon the greatest empire during this period (2 Kings 24:1-7).

Jehoiakim’s son Jehoiachin succeeded his father as king of Judah and was taken as a prisoner by Nebuchadnezzar to Babylon during the first stage of exile. Nebuchadnezzar also deported Jehoiachin’s wives, mother, officials, troops, craftsmen, artisans, and other members of Jerusalem’s nobles. He stripped the temple of Jerusalem of its treasures and carried them away to Babylon.

Jerusalem_Destroyed — “Nabuchodonosor Has Zedekiah’s Children Killed before his Eyes”

“Nabuchodonosor Has Zedekiah’s Children Killed before his Eyes”

The second phase of exile was during the reign of Zedekiah whom Nebuchadnezzar himself appointed to rule the province of Judah. Zedekiah rebelled against Nebuchadnezzar and because of this the Babylonian king led a siege of Jerusalem for two years. The siege was followed by severe famine, and soon the defenses of the city failed. The king’s soldiers fled, and Zedekiah made an attempt to escape the city. But the Babylonians caught up with him on the plains of Jericho. He was brought to Nebuchadnezzar, who then killed his sons, blinded him, and carried him off to Babylon as punishment for his rebellion.

Nebuchadnezzar commanded his captain of the guards to spare nothing and set all of Jerusalem on fire in the nineteenth year of his reign. The royal palace and temple of the Lord were destroyed. The walls of Jerusalem were also torn down under his supervision and the rest of the people (except those who tended the fields) were exiled to Babylon (2 Kings 25:8-12).

Before the complete destruction of the temple of Jerusalem, Nebuzaradan broke up the bronze pillars of the temple and took away the bronze, gold, as well as silver articles. The remaining people including the high priest, an officer of the Judean army, the king’s personal advisers, and others were put to death at Riblah before Nebuchadnezzar.

Nebuchadnezzar appointed Gedaliah as governor of Judah, but he was killed in Mizpah along with other Babylonians and Judeans by a member of the royal family called Ishmael. The people of Judah remained captives in Babylon for seventy years until the rise of King Cyrus of Persia (Jeremiah 25:1-14 and 29:10).

Picture Reference:
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:François-Xavier_Fabre_-_Nabuchodonosor_Has_Zedekiah%27s_Children_Killed_before_his_Eyes.jpg

Posted on May 2, 2016May 2, 2016 by Kat Cendana — 12 Comments

Temple, The Second Decree to Rebuild the

The rebuilding of the temple started with Cyrus the Great but was completed under the reign of Darius I. This is recorded on the Bible Timeline Chart with World History about 500 BC.

After the fall of Babylon to the Achaemenid king Cyrus the Great in 539 BC, the exiled Jews were absorbed into the vast Persian empire. Since the fall of Judah and their captivity in Babylon, the Jews had been looking forward to their liberation. It seemed that they looked on Cyrus the Great as the liberator they had been promised in Isaiah 45.

Cyrus allowed the exiles to return to Judah and build a temple for God in Jerusalem by issuing a decree. Nearly 50,000 Jews traveled from Babylon to Jerusalem (Ezra 2:64). They brought with them silver and gold, as well as other important articles from Solomon’s temple that were looted by Nebuchadnezzar. These were entrusted to the care of Sheshbazzar (Zerubbabel) and were carried to Jerusalem.

Darius_I — “The temple was finished and blessed in 516 BC with a lavish celebration.”

“The temple was finished and blessed in 516 BC with a lavish celebration.”

Rebuilding the temple was not an easy task after their arrival in Jerusalem, and they faced opposition from people who were resettled there by King Esarhaddon of Assyria (Ezra 4:1-5). The construction work stopped because of strong opposition from the locals, and it was not until Darius I became king of the Persian empire when the rebuilding of the temple resumed.

Tattenai, governor of Trans-Euphrates, sent a letter to Darius to stir trouble for the temple builders. He asked the king to investigate if Cyrus indeed issued a decree for rebuilding the temple during the first year of his reign. Tattenai’s plot to discourage the Jews backfired when Darius found a scroll of Cyrus’ decree in the citadel of Ecbatana in Media which allowed the exiles to return and rebuild the temple. In addition, Tattenai received additional instruction from Darius to help the Jews rebuild their Temple by paying for the construction cost. Anyone who changed the edict would be punished severely according to the edict of Darius (Ezra 5:1-17 and 6:1-12).

Tattenai and the people who banded with him stopped opposing the builders after the second decree by Darius I was issued. The temple was finished and blessed in 516 BC with a lavish celebration. The celebration of the Passover was revived shortly after the temple was rebuilt (Ezra 6:13-22).

Posted on April 29, 2016April 29, 2016 by Kat Cendana — Leave a comment

Burial Mounds in Illinois

One of the most distinct aspects of native North American culture is the presence of mounds. Most of these earthworks were constructed by Native Americans of the Mississippian culture and have been around for over 5000 years. The Burial mounds are listed on the Bible Timeline with World History around 500 BC. These mounds are scattered around Illinois, Mississippi, Ohio, and Tennessee River Valleys; the oldest of which is the Watson Brake near the Ouachita River in Louisiana.

These mounds were constructed to be used as simple platforms, landmarks, and bases of temples or houses. Others were used as bases for mortuary temples while others were constructed exclusively for burial. Some were shaped to resemble rings, domes, cones, ovals, and larger complex geometric forms.

The mounds in the Cahokia, Kincaid, and Dickson archeological sites in Illinois are some of the well-known burial mounds in North America. The Cahokia and Kincaid Mounds are located in the southern part of the state while the Dickson Mounds are found in central Illinois near Lewistown.

Cahokia Mounds

“One of the most distinct aspects of native North American culture is the presence of mounds.”

The Cahokia site was named after the Native American tribe that settled in the area much later than the original settlers and builders of the mounds. One of the most important finds in the area is Mound 72, a burial mound located in Collinsville, Illinois. It is south of the Monks Mound and rises to 2,789 feet. Up to 250 skeletons were found in the burial pits after excavations made between 1967 and 1971 by the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee crew.

This carefully planned mound revealed the “beaded burial” of an important member of the Cahokian community. It contained an adult male buried on top of a platform of marine shell beads and other individuals buried with grave goods. The male may have been the city’s ruler and buried with him were slaves who were to serve him in the afterlife.

Later burials within the area of Mound 72 included a quartet of skeletons with missing heads and hands. A rectangular pit that served as the burial ground for 53 females whose age ranged between 15 to 30 years old was also excavated.

Another burial pit was discovered along the southern part of the mound, and this contained the skeletons of 39 individuals who met a violent end. They were a mix of males and females, and their gruesome deaths were evident with their decapitated or fractured skulls and broken jawbones.

Kincaid Mounds

The Kincaid Mounds located near the Ohio River straddles the Illinois-Kentucky border and feature a burial mound excavated by the University of Chicago in 1936. The Pope County Mound 2 is located at the east end of the Kincaid Mound where two separate-leveled burials were found in a single mound. The upper-level burials have stone-lined crypts while the lower level burials were lined with logs.

Dickson Mounds

The Dickson Mounds were named after the chiropractor Don Dickson, who owned the family farm where the mounds were discovered. The excavation began in 1927, and they unearthed up to 3000 burials, including four decapitated individuals who were sacrificed at the site. The excavated skeletons were on display in the museum during the 1930s but are now sealed from public view at the request of the Native American people.

References:
http://archive.archaeology.org/9801/newsbriefs/mounds.html
http://www.examiner.com/article/why-and-how-did-native-americans-build-mounds
http://www4.uwm.edu/archlab/cahokia/mound72.cfm
http://www.kincaidmounds.com/history.htm
Snow, Dean R. Archaeology of Native North America. Boston: Prentice Hall, 2010

Posted on April 28, 2016April 28, 2016 by Kat Cendana — 1 Comment

Shishak (Shoshenq I) Against Jerusalem

Shishak (Shoshenq I) of Egypt was one of the few foreign kings named in the Bible and was known for his raid in Jerusalem during the time of Rehoboam. He can be found on the Bible Timeline around 979 BC. 2 Chronicles 12 offers a detailed account of Shishak’s raid on Jerusalem, which happened in the fifth year of Rehoboam’s reign. Shishak took with him thousands of chariots, horses, and soldiers to strike the fortified towns of Judah. These towns fell under the onslaught of Shishak’s troops, and they continued to Jerusalem for another wave of attacks. Shishak then invaded Jerusalem and looted the treasures of the Lord’s Temple. He also stole the treasures of Solomon’s royal palace including the gold shields, which were replaced by Rehoboam with bronze shields.

Libyan Origin and Rise to Power

The Libyans who lived on the coast of Marmarica and Cyrenaica first appeared during the rule of the 18^th Dynasty Pharaoh Akhenaten. They were included as military escorts of the king. High ranking Libyans also accompanied Egyptian nobility to temple ceremonies. Evidence of this can be seen on various stone reliefs in the Tomb of Ahmose and Meryra at Amarna.

The Meshwesh and Libu tribes raided Egyptians territories and clashes with the Egyptian troops were common at the time of the 19th and 20th Dynasties. Libyan immigrants also settled in the nome of Bubastis in the Nile Delta during periods of famine, but some of them were children of early Libyan garrison troops who grew up in Egypt. As centuries passed, the population of the immigrants increased and they successfully integrated into the Egyptian society. Their chieftains also gained enough wealth and power to marry into Egyptian noble families.

Shoshenq I was one of the first Meshwesh chieftains who rose to power, and he became the second Pharaoh of Libyan origin after his uncle Osorkon, the Elder. Marriage with some of the members of the royal family also played an important role in easing Shoshenq’s rise to power. He arranged the marriage between his son Osorkon I and Maatkare, the daughter of Psusennes II who was the last Egyptian pharaoh of the 21st Dynasty.

Rule of Egypt

The 21st Dynasty was marked by a division of power between the pharaohs ruling from Tanis in Lower Egypt and the High Priests of Amun based in Thebes in Upper Egypt. Shoshenq unified political authority under his rule and ensured that the high priests would not hold as much power as the pharaoh held. Priests were consulted for oracles, but they did not influence political decisions and foreign policies.

He appointed his own son, Prince Iuput, as a High Priest of Thebes to strengthen his own rule and reduce the power of other priests. Iuput was also the commander-in-chief of the army and governor of Upper Egypt. The loyalty of family members and supporters was rewarded with their appointment to administrative posts, as well as marriages to royal daughters.

Shoshenq had planned on building a great court in the temple of Amun at Karnak, but this remained unfinished at the time of his death. Shoshenq’s military victories were inscribed at the Bubastite Portal, which is the entrance to the Precinct of Amun-Re temple complex.

Invasion of Palestine and Death

Egypt’s influence over Palestine decreased during the division of political power of the 21st Dynasty. Shoshenq reestablished Egypt’s power over Palestine by launching a series of raids into a number of towns, including Shunem, Gibeon, Megiddo, Beth Horon, and Ajalon among others.

Shoshenq reestablished trade with Phoenicia during the time of King Abibaal of Byblos. A statue of Shoshenq I that had an inscription of Abibaal, was found in a temple in Byblos. It symbolized the goodwill between two kingdoms during their reign.

Shoshenq died shortly after his invasion of Palestine, and he was succeeded by his son Osorkon I as pharaoh.

References:
http://penn.museum/documents/publications/expedition/PDFs/29-3/Egyptians.pdf
Shaw, Ian, and John Taylor. The Oxford History of Ancient Egypt. Oxford: Oxford UP, 2000
Ash, Paul S. David, Solomon and Egypt: A Reassessment. Sheffield, England: Sheffield Academic Press, 1999. Accessed March 18, 2016
CC BY-SA 1.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=58987

Posted on April 27, 2016April 27, 2016 by Kat Cendana — Leave a comment

Egypt’s 22nd to 30th Dynasties

The Dynasties through this time period had many foreign leaders over Egypt and is recorded on the Bible Timeline Chart with World History from 905 – 305 BC.

Third Intermediate Period

Egypt’s Third Intermediate Period saw the rise of the 21st Dynasty first ruled by Smendes and the transfer of the capital to Tanis in the Nile Delta. The High Priests of Amun were equal in power with the Tanis-based pharaohs, but these priests ruled Thebes in Upper Egypt. The Lower and Upper Egypt rulers respected each other and shared the power while governing their respective parts of Egypt. This period also saw the rise of Israel as a unified nation and the reign of its three first kings. Israel and Egypt strengthened their alliance when Pharaoh Siamun sent his daughter to Israel for King Solomon to marry.

Dynasties 22 to 24: Libyan Rulers

The 22nd Dynasty is marked by the gradual rise to power of the Libyan rulers because of the division of power between Upper and Lower Egypt. Some of the Libyans were immigrants who originally settled in the Nile Delta, but others were also war captives and garrison troops. As their numbers increased and they assimilated in the Egyptian society, the power they had also increased and they soon made good alliances through marriage with the rulers of Thebes. For example, Shoshenq I (the Biblical Shishak) had his son Osorkon I marry Maatkare, the daughter of Psusennes II who was the last pharaoh and priest of the 21st Dynasty. He was also the chief adviser for the last pharaoh, and this made his rise as king of Egypt easier.

Egypt_22_ — “Statue inscribed with the praenomen of Osorkon I discovered at Byblos; the statue itself is probably from the 19th Dynasty”

“Statue inscribed with the praenomen of Osorkon I discovered at Byblos; the statue itself is probably from the 19th Dynasty”

Shoshenq I reformed the government during his time as pharaoh. He lessened the power of the priests in Thebes and appointed his son Prince Iuput as High Priest to solidify his hold over Egypt. He tried to expand Egypt’s territory into Palestine (1 Kings 14:25) and attacked Judah with an army of Libyans and Cushites.

Egypt slipped into decline after the death of Shoshenq, and royal control weakened once again. The 23rd and 24th Dynasties are possibly of similar Libyan Meshwesh origins. The 23rd Dynasty is said to have ruled in Herakleopolis, Hermopolis or Thebes while the 24th Dynasty ruled in Sais. The conquest of Egypt by Piye, a Kushite king, ended the Libyan rule in Egypt and started the 25th Dynasty under Nubian rule.

Late Period

Dynasty 25: Nubian Rulers

Piye ruled in Nubia and Upper Egypt, then invaded Lower Egypt by taking advantage of the weakening of the Libyan rule. Piye removed a local prince named Tefnakht from his power base in the Nile Delta during his campaign to unite Egypt and Nubia. His accomplishments were inscribed in the Victory Stela of Piye, and he created an empire that spanned from modern-day Sudan to the Mediterranean. After the surrender of the local warlords, Piye returned to Nubia and never set foot in Egypt again.

Piye’s heir, Shabaqo, came back and reestablished rule in Lower Egypt. He was succeeded by other Nubian kings Shebitqo, Taharqo (the Biblical Tirhakah), and Tanutamani. Nubian control of Egypt was broken by the invasion of the Neo-Assyrians and by the time of Taharqo, the Nubians had lost control of Lower Egypt. The loss of Upper Egypt followed during the reign of Tanutamani. The Assyrian rule was established, and local Egyptian rulers became vassals of the foreign conquerors.

Dynasty 26: Saite Kings

As the Assyrian power declined in the Near East in 612 BC, its hold over Egypt also loosened. For the first time in many centuries, the power was held by a native Egyptian family of the 26th Dynasty. The Saite Dynasty ruled from 650 BC, and the country was unified by the dynasty’s third pharaoh, Psamtek I. They adopted the culture of the Old Kingdom and trade was established with the Greeks and Phoenicians. For much of the rule of the 26th Dynasty, Greek, Carian, Jewish, Phoenicians, and Bedouins were employed to protect Egypt from the invasion of the Babylonians and Persians.

Dynasty 27: Persian Rule

The Babylonians succeeded in conquering Egypt in 568 BC which later turned into an alliance. They were soon followed by the Persians who conquered Egypt under the Achaemenid Emperor Cambyses. He besieged Memphis in 525 BC and after a 10-day siege, the Egyptian capital fell to the Persians who established the country’s 27th Dynasty. Egypt became one of Persia’s satrapies (provinces) supervised by Persian satraps or governors. Cambyses and his successor Darius allowed the Egyptians the freedom to worship their own gods and even rebuilt some important temples. The Achaemenid hold on Egypt did not last long when Alexander III of Macedonia conquered the Persian empire.

Dynasty 28 to 30: Last of the Native Egyptian Pharaohs

The Egyptians rebelled from Persian rule and Amyrtaios, a descendant of the Saite kings, became one of the rulers of the 28th Dynasty. The 29th Dynasty kings ruled in the Nile Delta city of Mendes while the 30th Dynasty ruled from the city of Sebennytos. The advancing army of Alexander the Great put an end to Egyptian self-rule, and Nectanebo II became the last native Egyptian pharaoh. Alexander the Great led a short-lived Macedonian rule in the history of Egypt.

References:
Taylor, John, and Ian Shaw. The Oxford History of Ancient Egypt. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2000
Myśliwiec, Karol. The Twilight of Ancient Egypt: First Millennium B.C.E. Ithaca, NY: Cornell University Press, 2000
http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/lapd/hd_lapd.htm
Picture By Rama – Own work, CC BY-SA 2.0 fr, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=538598

Posted on April 26, 2016April 26, 2016 by Kat Cendana — 1 Comment

Pul, King (Tiglath-Pileser III) of Assyria

King Pul (Tiglath-Pileser III) was a well-known king of Assyria who was mentioned in the book of Kings and the book of Chronicles. Pul or Pulu was a general and a governor of Calha (Kalhu, modern day Nimrud) who seized the throne from the previous King Ashur-nirari V in a rebellion. He can be found on the Bible Timeline Poster with World History around 779 BC. He took the name Tiglath-Pileser III to honor two of the previous kings of Assyria. It is not clear whether he was Ashur-nirari’s son or brother, or whether he belonged to the royal family at all.

One of the first things he did as king was to divide the larger provinces of his kingdom. He appointed Assyrian administrators loyal to him in these areas, and they worked directly over the local provincial governors who now had limited powers. This was done so everything the conquered people did was reported to Tiglath-Pileser and this system prevented rebellions even before they started.

“Tiglath-pileser III, an alabaster bas-relief from the king’s central palace at Nimrud, Mesopotamia.”

He was one of the brilliant military leaders of his time, and his army was one of the most professional and effective in the region. He first conquered the kingdoms near Assyria including Urartu (Armenia), Phoenicia, Arpad, and Hamath. The rulers of Damascus, Arabia (Kedar), and Israel paid tributes to this powerful king. Tiglath-Pileser turned east and conquered the territories of the Medes and Persians. Finally, he got rid of Nabu-Mukin-Zeri, the ruler of Babylon and made himself king there.

Although the passages were brief, these few verses show the height of his and the empire’s power over the region. In 2 Kings 15:19, King Menahem of Israel paid Tiglath-Pileser tons of silver as a bribe to gain his support for Menahem’s kingship. King Ahaz of Judah offered his loyalty to Tiglath-Pileser after the king of Aram, and the king of Israel laid siege to Judah (2 Kings 16:5-9). The Assyrian king also forced the Reubenites, Gadites, and the half-tribe of Manasseh into exile, and resettled them in the Assyrian territories of Halah, Habor, and Gozan river (1 Chronicles 5:26).

References:
http://www.ancient.eu/Tiglath_Pileser_III/
http://www.britannica.com/biography/Tiglath-pileser-III
http://www.ucl.ac.uk/sargon/essentials/kings/tiglatpileseriii/
Picture By Osama Shukir Muhammed Amin FRCP(Glasg) – Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=42136792

Posted on April 25, 2016May 16, 2016 by Kat Cendana — Leave a comment

Arab Nations

According to the Bible, the father of the Arabs was Ishmael, Abraham’s son by his wife’s Egyptian maidservant Hagar. The Arab Nation is recorded on the Bible Timeline with World History starting around 1004 BC. Ishmael and his mother were sent away at the request of Sarah after she caught the young Ishmael mocking his brother Isaac. Ishmael’s sons included Nebaioth, Kedar, Adbeel, Mibsam, Mishma, Dumah, Massa, Hadad, Tema, Jetur, Naphish, and Kedema . Ishmael and his family settled in the area of “Havilah to Shur”. Havilah’s possible location is the Hijaz Mountains on the coast of the Red Sea, and Shur is on the northeastern border of Egypt.

The 12 sons of Ishmael multiplied and formed their own tribes. Kedar, one of his sons, is said to be an ancestor of the prophet Muhammed. They were the famous Kedarites (Qedarites) mentioned in the stele of the Neo-Assyrian king Tiglath-Pileser III as one of the Arab nations/tribes that paid him tribute. Queen Zabibe, ruler of the Kedarites, was one of Tiglath-Pileser’s vassals during his reign. Queen Zabibe was succeeded by another queen, Samsi, who rebelled against Tiglath-Pileser. She was defeated by the Assyrian king and forced to pay tribute as a result of her rebellion.

Arab_Nations — “According to the Bible, the father of the Arabs was Ishmael”

The inscription of Tiglath-Pileser mentions the tribes who were descendants of the sons of Ishmael, such as Massa’, Tema’, and Adbeel tribes. The nomadic Sabaeans, as well as the tribe of Ephah (a son of Keturah), were also included. The inscription of Sargon II of Assyria mentions the conquest of Thamud people, who lived in central Arabia.

The Arab tribes were under the Assyrian rule until the empire’s decline. Sennacherib and Ashurbanipal were two of the last Assyrian kings who fought against the Arabs during the height of the Neo-Assyrian empire. Other tribes who lived in the Arabian peninsula during that time include the Dedanites (son of Jokshan), Minaeans, Gerrhans, and possibly Hadhramis (Hazarmaveth, son of Joktan; Genesis 10:26).

References:
http://www.jewishencyclopedia.com/articles/8251-ishmael
Ephʻal, Israel. The Ancient Arabs: Nomads on the Borders of the Fertile Crescent, 9th-5th Centuries B.C. Jerusalem; Leiden: Magnes Press, The Hebrew University; E.J. Brill, 1982. Accessed March 14, 2016
http://www.britannica.com/topic/history-of-Arabia