Thursday, September 20, 2018

Hezekiah, Josiah, similarities


Image result for king josiah


 

by

 

Damien F. Mackey

 

 

 

 

The reason why various commentators have been able to point to a host of comparisons and similarities between Hezekiah and Josiah is because, according to my biblico-historical revision at least, e.g.:

 

A Revised History of the Era of King Hezekiah

 


 

Hezekiah was Josiah.

 

My above-mentioned article, by the way, significantly revises - and raises out of a certain former obscurity - king Hezekiah of Judah as he is to be found in my earlier postgraduate thesis:

 

A Revised History of the Era of King Hezekiah of Judah and its Background

 


 

 

The author of “The Passovers of Hezekiah and Josiah in Chronicles: Meals in the Persian Period”, for instance, who accepts the conventional view that Hezekiah and Josiah were two different kings - and who does not tend to believe in the historicity of Hezekiah’s Passover - has pointed to certain similarities: http://prophetess.lstc.edu/~rklein/Doc15/meals.pdf

 

….

The descriptions of the Passovers of Hezekiah and Josiah in Chronicles are centralized festivals, held in Jerusalem and linked in both cases to the feast of Unleavened Bread (2 Chr 30:13, 21 and 2 Chr 35:17), and linked to an additional second week of celebration in the case of Hezekiah (2 Chr 30:23). In 2 Chronicles 30 this two-week celebration is followed by various reform activities by all Israel in the territories of Judah, Benjamin, Ephraim and Manasseh. In Chronicles this festive celebration forms the climax of the reign of Josiah, followed only by his death at the hands of Necho. These two Unleavened Bread and Passover feasts enhance the reputation of two of the Chronicler’s favorite kings, Hezekiah and Josiah.

 

The meals in both cases are accompanied by a full array of the clergy from the Persian period [sic]. The addition of the Passover of Hezekiah and baroque expansion and development of the three-verse celebration of the Passover of Josiah may conform the story of this eighth and seventh century kings to the tradition of royal banquets associated with kings in the Persian period. Ahasuerus, for example, gave a 180-day banquet for all his officials, ministers, the army of Persia and Media and the nobles and governors of the province (Esth 1:2-4), only to be followed by a seven day banquet for everyone (1:5-8). Vashti held a simultaneous banquet for the women (1:9).16 Unlike the Persian banquets, the Passovers of Hezekiah and Josiah in Chronicles were not characterized by excessive drinking. In fact, alcohol is not mentioned at all. ….

[End of quote]

 

John Mayne investigates it more deeply in “Hezekiah and Josiah: Comparisons and Contrasts”: https://www.academia.edu/12836231/Hezekiah_and_Josiah_Comparisons_and_Contrasts

 

Abstract:

 

Hezekiah and Josiah were the joint authors of unparalleled and unprecedented religious reforms that found their purpose in Yahweh, and their presence in Jerusalem.  Through dissecting their methods and motivations, we can begin to uncover the full extent to which their reforming stratagem converged, diverged, or existed in parallel.  Factoring in the contribution of the Historian and Chronicler, the geopolitical situation, personal devotion to Yahweh, monarchical relationships with the prophetic conscience and each king’s lasting historical legacy, we can begin to also shed light on what role their transformative measures carried out on the macro scale of Israelite history. ….

[End of quote]

 

Previously I have written:

 

"There was no one like him [Hezekiah] among all the kings of Judah, either before him or after him."  2 Kings 18:5 (NIV?)
"Neither before nor after Josiah was there a king like him ..."  2 Kings 23:25 (NIV?)

 

 

“The reigns of the goodly, reforming kings Hezekiah and Josiah are so alike - with quite an amazing collection of same-named officials - that I had actually once begun a series (but then scrapped it) in which I had attempted an identification of Hezekiah with Josiah”.

 

Since writing this I have stumbled (again) on The Domain of Man’s Chart 37, which shows up some striking comparisons between Hezekiah and Josiah (I do not necessarily endorse every single detail to be found in this chart): http://www.domainofman.com/book/chart-37.html

  

 

Comparison of Hezekiah and Josiah Narratives

 




 

Hezekiah Narrative
2 Chron. 29-32
2 Kings 18-20
Book of Isaiah
Josiah Narrative
2 Chron. 34-35
2 Kings 22-23
Book of Jeremiah
Hezekiah, "son" of Ahaz
mother:  Abijah daughter of Zechariah
Josiah, "son" of Amon
mother:  Jedidah daughter of Adaiah
25 years at ascension, reigned 29 years
8 years at ascension, reigned 31 years
"There was no one like him [Hezekiah] among all the kings of Judah, either before him or after him."  2 Kings 18:5 (NIV?)
"Neither before nor after Josiah was there a king like him ..."  2 Kings 23:25 (NIV?)
Jerusalem to be spared destruction in his lifetime
2 Kings 19:1; 20:2-19; 2 Chron. 32:20,26
Jerusalem to be spared destruction in his lifetime
(2 Kings 22:14-20; 2 Chron. 34:22-28)
Revival of Laws of Moses
"according to what was written"
2 Chron. 30:5,16, 18; 31:2-7,15
Discovery of the Book of the Law (of Moses)
2 Kings 22:8-10; 2 Chron. 34:14-15
Passover Celebration
Passover Celebration
"For since the days of Solomon son of David king of Israel there had been nothing like this in Jerusalem."
2 Chron. 30:26
"Not since the days of the Judges (Samuel) who led Israel, nor throughout the days of the kings of Israel and the kings of Judah, had any such Passover been observed."  2 Kings 23:22
Year not given
14
th day of the second month
Year 18
14
th day of the first month
17,000 sheep and goats, 1,000 bulls
(not including the sacrifices of the first seven days)  (1 Chron. 30:24)
30,000 sheep and goats, 3,000 cattle
Participating tribes:  Judah and Benjamin,
Manasseh, Ephraim,
Asher, Zebulun & Issachar
(2 Chron. 31:1)
Participating tribes: Judah and Benjamin,
Manasseh, Ephraim,
Simeon & Naphtali
(2 Chron. 34:9,32)
Temporary priests consecrated for service
Employed "lay people" 2 Chron. 35:5
". smashed the sacred stones and cut down the Asherah poles"  2 Kings 18:4; 2 Chron. 31:1
". smashed the sacred stones and cut down the Asherah poles"  2 Kings 23:14
High places and altars torn down
High places and altars torn down
". broke into pieces the bronze snake"
". burned the chariots dedicated to the sun"
Name Comparisons
Hezekiah Narrative
Josiah Narrative
Sennacherib oppresses Jerusalem
Assyrian oppression omitted
Name of High Priest omitted
Hilkiah, "High Priest"
Eliakim son of Hilkiah, palace administrator
Eliakim "son" (?) of Josiah (future Jehoiakim)
Zechariah (descendant of Asaph)
Azariah, the priest (from family of Zadok)
Zechariah
Zechariah
(variant of Azariah)
Shaban/Shebna/Shebniah, scribe
Shaphan, scribe
(son of Azaliah son of Meshullam)
Hashabiah/Hashabniah  (2 Chron. 35:9)
Jeshua
Isaiah son of Amoz, prophet
Joshua, "city governor"
Hoshaiah (Jer. 42:1; 43:2)
Asaiah, "king's attendant"
Ma'aseiah, "ruler of the city"
Jerimoth
Jeremiah son of Hilkiah
Conaniah and his brother Shemei, supervisors
(2 Chron. 31:12)
Conaniah/Cononiah, along with his brothers Shemaiah and Nethanel (2 Chron. 35:9)
Hananiah the prophet, son of Azzur/Azur (Azariah)  (Jer. 28)
Nahath
Nathan-el/Nathan-e-el/El-Nathan/Nathan-Melech 
2 Kings 23:11
Mattaniah, Mahath
Mattaniah (future Zedekiah)
Jehiel
Jehiel, "administrator of God's temple"
Asaph, Heman and Jeduthun
2 Chron. 29:13-14
Asaph, Heman and Jeduthun
(2 Chron. 35:15)
Shallum/Meshillemoth (reign of Ahaz)
Meshullam (the Kohathite)
Shellemiah son of Cushi (Jer. 36:14)
No mention of a prophetess
[Mackey: What about Judith?]
Huldah, wife of Shallam/Meshullam,
prophetess (spokeswoman of the "Lord")
Shemaiah
Shemaiah
Jozabad
Jozabad
Jeiel
Jeiel
Joah son of Zimmah ("wicked")
Joah son of Asaph, recorder
Joah son of "wicked" Jo-Ahaz (King Ahaz)/
Imnah?
Obed, prophet (reign of Ahaz), Abde-el, Tabeel
Obadiah

 

 

The least reconcilable detail of comparison at this stage has to be this one:

 

 

Hezekiah                                                Josiah

 

25 years at ascension, reigned 29 years
8 years at ascension, reigned 31 years

 

I do not have any convincing solution for this one.

A thought: Could it be that some biographical details for Josiah were confused with those of the earlier Joash (Jehoash), also a boy-king, who worked at restoring the Temple in much the same fashion as would Josiah?

 

 

Image result for king joash of judah

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