Gedaliah as the governor of Judah: the text (B)

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The Fall and Rise of Jerusalem

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Tel Aviv University

The Fall and Rise of Jerusalem

120 оценки

The destruction of the First Temple in Jerusalem and the Babylonian Exile were a great catastrophe in the history of the Jewish Nation. What really happened during that dark, fateful age, and how did new opportunities arise from the ashes?

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Gedaliah son of Ahikam

In this module we will learn about the transition of the capital city from Jerusalem to Mizpah and the governorship of Gedaliah son of Ahikam in Mizpah following the destruction. We encourage you to use the discussions to ask about anything that isn't clear or raise your own ideas regarding the material you learned.

Gedaliah as the governor of Judah: the text (A)11:10

Gedaliah as the governor of Judah: the text (B)5:57

Gedaliah as the governor of Judah: the history (A)12:10

Gedaliah as the governor of Judah: the history (B)14:38

Познакомьтесь с преподавателями

Professor Oded Lipschits, Ph.D.
Director, Sonia and Marco Nadler Institute of Archaeology
Jacob M. Alkow Department of Archaeology and Near Eastern Cultures

The description of events is vivid, and

the author identifies with the feeling of the protagonist he describes.

Thus, for example the feeling of the fear of the Babylonians is portrayed with

great intensity, and probably the general mood that prevailed after the destruction

of Jerusalem was one of great apprehension of the Babylonian forces that had just

completed the devastation of Jerusalem and had deported its inhabitants.

The fact that God is not mentioned in the description is connected to the time and

place where it was written, as well.

There is further support of my assumption that this story was written close to

the environs, both from the chronological, and from the geographical perspectives.

The entire episode took place within a short period of time, immediately after

the destruction of Jerusalem, and ended quickly after the murder of Gedaliah and

the flight of some of the inhabitants of Mizpah and the events, to Egypt.

We have no way of knowing whether the author of this narrative was

one of those who went to Egypt, because a description of the flight to Egypt

was already part of the biography of Jeremiah that places the prophet and

his experiences at the center of the narrative.

However, the pessimistic ending of the account

emphasizing that the land was being emptied of its inhabitants and

the different details about those who left the country and

its concentrate in the area of the [FOREIGN] support this assumption.

The description of the rule of Gedaliah was used by the redactor of Jeremiah's

biography.

Whom inserted it in order to supplement the lacuna

in information about the prophet during this short period of time.

As mentioned, there is no reference to Jeremiah himself even once in the story.

However, from every aspect this episode was incorporated and

embedded very well within the biography.

The same description of the days of Gedaliah's rule was inserted into

the second Book of Kings, chapter 25, verses 22 to 26, as

one of two appendices that were added to the story of the Destruction of Jerusalem.

In both of them,

there is no reference either to the fate of Jerusalem or Zedekiah.

The destruction and deportation are portrayed as part of the history.

The days of Gedaliah are described in the past tense, and Jehoiachin is depicted

as both the leader of the nation and the hope for a renewal of national life.

Nonetheless, these two appendices belong to the days of exile,

because the Babylonians are portrayed as a central and exclusive force in the region,

and there is no reference to the rise of the Achaemenid dynasty,

the fall of Babylon, and the return to Zion.

The release of Jehoiachin from prison after 37 years, as described in the second

Book of Kings, chapter 25, verse 27, is evidence of this central ideological

purpose that the author wished to convey to the exiled generation.

Patience is an advantage.

It is worthwhile to accept the Babylonian yoke, and the hopes for the future depend

on the nations' ability to understand and acknowledge its situation.

The abstract of the broader description of the account of Gedaliah in

chapter 25 verses 22 to 26, contains a similar message and

is also intended for the second generation of the exiles.

It represents the possibility of restoration,

given to those who remain in Judah,

should they decided to accept Babylonian authority and Gedaliah's leadership.

Nonetheless, the structure of this episode and

its emphasis on the end of Gedaliah's days and the flight to Egypt,

is in my opinion, evidence that these appendices were redacted by the exiles

in Babylon as a continuation, in addition, to the composition of the book of Kings.

The message, too, is aimed primarily at those living in Babylon.

The emphasis on the remnant's fear of the Babylonians after the murder of Gedaliah.

The remnant's flight to Egypt and the population fleeing the country is

different from the message addressed to the remnants in Judah in the original

story and to that which was depicted in the biography of Jeremiah.

Okay, we now know a bit of the history of the text.

There was a story describing Gedaliah's rule in Mizpah.

It was written close to the events,

with some good knowledge on what was really happening.

So let's try to reconstruct,

according to the information embedded in the story, the early phase

of Gedaliah's rule in Mizpah even before the destruction of Jerusalem.

Take a break, keep your Bibles nearby and move to the next unit

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