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Assyrian bible audio genesis5/31/2023 On one clay prism, Assyrian King Esarhaddon records how he paraded conquered nobles through the streets “wearing” the heads of fellow nobles on their shoulders. Many other Assyrian reliefs and records also illustrate Assyria’s barbarism. ![]() Pillars of human heads were stacked like totem poles. Heads were hung from walls, and impaled captives were lined up on display. The famous Balawat Gates from his reign depict Assyrian soldiers hacking apart the captured enemy, dismembering hands and feet. His son Shalmaneser iii (reigned 858-824 b.c.e.) continued in his footsteps. He also burned or beheaded his enemies-if they were fortunate-because those still alive would have noses, ears, eyes, arms or other extremities removed. Ashurnasirpal ii (reigned 883–859 b.c.e.) was known for hanging his enemies on posts, flaying them, and lining city walls with their skins. Ancient inscriptions, annals and carvings bring this vividly across. We must go further back to understand what kind of “wickedness” was going on in Assyria.Ĭruelty is perhaps the word most synonymous with Assyria, particularly during this period. This message would have been delivered probably around the first part of the eighth century b.c.e. As the well-known story goes, Jonah was commanded by God, “Arise, and go to Nineveh, that great city, and cry against it for their wickedness is come up before me” (Jonah 1:2). The Prophet Jonah was on the scene during the reign of Jeroboam ii (2 Kings 14:25). This is related through the record of Jonah. Strangely enough, this time period of the Assyrian Empire is first brought up in the Bible in the context of repentance. Thus it is at this time that the Assyrians begin to emerge from the pages of the biblical text as a real threat to Israel’s existence. onward that the Assyrian Empire expanded to truly great heights of power and influence. However, it was from the ninth century b.c.e. In the 14th century b.c.e., Assyria became an independent power, exerting a strong influence over swathes of Mesopotamia, Armenia and Syria. Throughout most of the second millennium b.c.e., Assyria was a dependency of Babylonia (first known as Babel, this was the chief city of the ancient leader Nimrod: Genesis 10:10 and chapter 11), and then subsequently the Mitanni Kingdom. Yet their early dominance was smashed at the hands of Abraham and his men. The historian Josephus reveals that these four rulers were actually part of the wider early Assyrian Empire (Antiquities, i, ix, 1). The patriarch Abraham fought against and conquered an alliance of four belligerent “kings” during the 19th century b.c.e. The second listed ruler, Adamu, is of particular note-his name reveals the remarkably early use of the name Adam.Įarly on, Assyria rose as a strong kingdom and empire. The earliest Assyrian rulers were recorded as “kings who lived in tents,” and start with King Tudiya (c. The lists are largely consistent and point to one original document from which they were sourced. ![]() Three of these lists have been found in three of Assyria’s chief cities: Assur, Nineveh and Dur-Sarukkin. The Assyrian Kings Lists give us a long chronological overview of the rulers of Assyria. ![]() This was held together by two factors: their superior abilities in siege warfare and their reliance on sheer, unadulterated terror. The Assyrians created the world’s first great army and the world’s first great empire. This article will focus largely on the later period of Assyrian history and its parallels with the Bible, so we’ll only briefly cover the intervening time. The Assyrians are not mentioned in detail in the biblical record until nearly 2,000 years after the establishment of Assur (mid-eighth century b.c.e.). ![]() The city Calah, also called Kahlu, is better-known by its more common name, Nimrud. Genesis 10:11 also records the establishment of the cities Nineveh and Calah. Thus the legacy of Assur began, alongside other ancient and verified contemporary cities like Elam (Asshur’s brother of the same name) and Kish (note Asshur’s cousin Cush). Asshur evidently worked in conjunction with Nimrod in establishing this city named after himself (verse 11). The Bible chronology shows the Flood occurred around this time-and one of the “founding fathers” following the Flood was Asshur, son of Shem (Genesis 10:22). The start of this ancient city-site has been set at roughly 2500 b.c.e. The ruins of Assur are located near the Tigris River, in the northern part of what is modern-day Iraq. The Assyrians trace their origins back to one of their founding cities, Assur.
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