Babylonians, Medes, and Persians

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Babylonians, Medes, and Persians
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History of Empires in Mesopotamia

• Sumerians
• Akkadians
• Old Assyrian Empire
• Old Babylonian Empire
• Assyrian
• Babylonian
• Medes and Persians

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Today's Reading

• New Assyrian Empire has taken control of all of
  Mesopotamia
• Under Sargon II Conquer and deport the northern
  10 tribes in 721 BC (or 722)
• Sennacherib brings his armies down and destroys
  Babylon
• In a strange twist of events, his son rebuilds
  Babylon
• Eventually, a Chaldean Nabopollasar is sent down
  to be Viceroy he rebels declaring himself king
  and eventually conquers the Assyrian Empire

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What do you think . . .

• Hezekiah's unilateral disarmament (when
  chastised by Isaiah for showing the Chaldean
  embassadors his strength he responded Oh well,
  we will have peace in my lifetime.)
• about Bauer's description of Sennacherib's
  besieging of Jerusalem (page 386)

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Ninevah

• After reading this material, do you better
  understand Jonah's reluctance to go to Ninevah?

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Assyria's Demise

• Ninevah falls in 612 BC
• At the Battle of Charchemish the Babylonians
  defeat the Egyptians and the Assyrians

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And now for Judah

• Disorder everywhere Elamites, Scythians,
  Judeans, Egypt.... when
• Nebuchadnezzar comes to the throne in Babylon
• Conquests begin in Western Semitic lands
  surrounding Judea
• Jeremiah warns that Nebuchadnezzar's takeover is
  inevitable and divinely ordained.
• My servant Nebuchadnezzar...

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Why Nebuchadnezzar?

• The Talmud gives the following account
• When Beladon, king of Babylon, heard that King
  Hezekiah of Judaea had recovered his health after
  being near death, he commanded his secretary to
  write an epistle of congratulation to Hezekiah.
  He wrote Peace unto King Hezekiah greetings
  unto the city of Jerusalem, and respect unto the
  great God that dwelleth therein

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(cont.)

• When Nebuchadnezzer, Beladons grand-vizier,
  heard of this, he said You called him the great
  God, yet you mention him last.
• The king gave him permission to intercept the
  message, and another epistle was written
  mentioning God first, then Jerusalem, then
  Hezekiah. When Judaeans sinned, it was decided
  in Heaven to designate Nebuchadnezzar, who had
  shown respect unto God, to punish those who had
  shown disrespect unto Him. (Sanhedrin, 96)

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Pretty Smooth Takeover

• Jehoiachin turns it over to the Babylonians (597)
• Judah makes the mistake of allying with Egypt and
  Nebuchadnezzar takes out his wrath on Judah (586)
• Resettlement of the people into Babylon

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Daniel
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A History of EmpireThrough The Eyes of a Prophet

• Daniel

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Prophecy is history Written in advance.
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In the third year of the reign of jehoiakim,
king of Judah, came Nebuchadnezzar king of
babylon unto Jerusalem and beseiged it.

• Daniel 11

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How did we get to daniel 11

• Genesis 1010 -- Nimrod builds city of Babel on
  the Plain of Shinar
• Old Babylonian Empire includes many great and
  famous kings including the Amorite lawgiver,
  Hammurabi
• After Hammurabi, the city and nation not so
  impressive and Assyrians rule Mesopotamia Valley
  from Nineveh
• A thousand years later the Neo-Babylonian kingdom
  rises to world dominion under a Semitic king,
  Nebuchanezzar, after his father Nabopolassar
  joins with Medes and Scythians against Assyria
  (the Battle of Charchemish).

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Battle of carchemish

• Pharoah-Necho of Egypt sees what Babylon is doing
  to Assyria and thinks opportunity
• Necho enters Palestine, slays king Josiah at
  Armageddon
• Marches armies North to Carchemish to join
  Assyrians armies and destroy Babylon Egypt will
  control Western Asia
• Nabopolassar, aging and ailing, sends son
  Nebuchadnezzar to confront Egyptians and he
  crushes them.
• Egypt is never a world power again.

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How did we get to Daniel 11

• ISAIAH 395-8 SETTING CHALDEAN KING
  MERODOCH-BALADAN REQUESTS JUDAH JOIN IN
  CONSPIRACY AGAINST ASSYRIA HEZEKIAH IS
  FLATTERED AND SHOWS OFF THE TEMPLE TREASURES
• JEREMIAH 259 276 4310 NEBUCHADNEZZAR IS
  GODS SERVANT
• JEREMIAH 272-11 RESISTANCE IS FUTILE

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A Chronology of the Kings of the Neo-babylonian
Empire

• 562 b.c. - Nebuchadnezzar dies after reigning 40
  years
• 560 b.c. Evil-Merodach (Nebucadnezzars son) is
  assassinated by his brother-in-law Neriglissar
  after reigning two years.
• 556 b.c. Neriglissar dies after reigning four
  years and leaves kingdom to his infant son
  Labashi-Marduk
• 556 b.c. Labashi-Marduk deposed after nine
  months by a priestly revolution. Nabonidus made
  king.

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(Cont.)

• 539 b.c. Nabonidus, the last Babylonian king,
  rules for 17 years before being taken captive by
  Cyrus as the Persians conquer the Empire.
• Nabonidus the last king????!!!!
• What about Belshazzar????!!!!

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Belshazzar was nabonidus son and served as a
co-ruler with Nabonidus

• Belshazzar was Nabonidus eldest son (and
  Nebuchadnezzars grandson)
• Nabonidus was an academic, a religionist,
  archeaologist, and builder he wasnt that
  interested in affairs of state and was happier
  letting Belshazzar take care of them.
• Daniel 516,29 third ruler

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(continued)

• The Annalistic Tablet of Cyrus indicates that the
  night Babylon fell the kings son died.
• Nabonidus captured four months later.

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The Sweep of human history

• Daniel 231-33
• The golden empire of Babylon (70 years)
• The two-armed silver kingdom of the Medes and
  Persians (200 years)
• The brass kingdom of Greece (130 years)
• The iron legs of Rome (500 years in undivided
  state lasted until 1453 in its divided state
  when the Turks overwhelmed Constantinople)
• Stone cut without hands?