Babylonians, Medes, and Persians

History of Empires in Mesopotamia

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

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

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)

Ninevah

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

Assyria's Demise

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

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...”

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…’

(cont.)

“When Nebuchadnezzer, Beladon’s 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)

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

Daniel

A History of EmpireThrough The Eyes of a Prophet

Daniel

Prophecy is history Written in advance.

“IN THE THIRD YEAR OF THE REIGN OF JEHOIAKIM, KING OF JUDAH, CAME NEBUCHADNEZZAR KING OF BABYLON UNTO JERUSALEM AND BESEIGED IT.

Daniel 1:1

How did we get to daniel 1:1

Genesis 10:10 -- 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).

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.

How did we get to Daniel 1:1

ISAIAH 39:5-8 : SETTING – CHALDEAN KING MERODOCH-BALADAN REQUESTS JUDAH JOIN IN CONSPIRACY AGAINST ASSYRIA – HEZEKIAH IS FLATTERED AND SHOWS OFF THE TEMPLE TREASURES

JEREMIAH 25:9; 27:6; 43:10 – NEBUCHADNEZZAR IS GOD’S SERVANT

JEREMIAH 27:2-11 : RESISTANCE IS FUTILE

A Chronology of the Kings of the Neo-babylonian Empire

562 b.c. - Nebuchadnezzar dies after reigning 40 years

560 b.c. – Evil-Merodach (Nebucadnezzar’s 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.

(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????!!!!

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

Nabonidus

Belshazzar was Nabonidus’ eldest son (and Nebuchadnezzar’s grandson)

Nabonidus was an academic, a religionist, archeaologist, and builder – he wasn’t that interested in affairs of state and was happier letting Belshazzar take care of them.

Daniel 5:16,29 – “third ruler”

(continued)

The Annalistic Tablet of Cyrus indicates that the night Babylon fell “the king’s son died.”

Nabonidus captured four months later.

The Sweep of human history

Daniel 2:31-33

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?