Lecture 7-4/20/10

Although the latter portion of the lecture shifted toward a focus on the rule of Josiah, the primary focus of today was the rule of Hezekiah over Judah. Responsible both for religious reform and a period of great urbanization, Hezekiah ruled over Jerusalem during a period of great distress for the people of the village. Because of the threat posed by the great menace of the Assyrian Empire, villagers across the region flocked to the relative safety of walled cities such as Jerusalem. As a result of this threat, Jerusalem saw its population increase five fold, transitioning from a small city of around 8,000 to a vibrant metropolis of 40,000 people from varying backgrounds in a matter of just a few years. Along with the increased population and thus physical growth of the city came a multitude of problems associated with diversity of background, class, and belief set. The social stratification that resulted became the focus of many contemporary prophets who saw the lackluster treatment of the city's poor as antithetical to the Jewish faith at that point in time.

However, Hezekiah's pivotal moment came when the Assyrian ruler, Sennacherib, came to Jerusalem's doorstep. Threatening siege and total destruction, the Assyrians first tried to induce surrender, at which point Hezekiah turned to prayer in the hopes of divine deliverance from the Assyrian threat. In what the bible has portrayed as a miracle, Hezekiah's prayers were answered with the pull out of Assyrian troops following a widespread plague amongst their camp. Thus, Jerusalem's "deliverance" from the Assyrian threat became the basis for its supposed inviolability.

What is intriguing about Hezekiah's rule is that the prophecies of deliverance given in the book of Kings give the king an almost messianic image. Providing at the very least the impetus for, and perhaps even the specific text concerning the rise of Jesus some 700 years later, Hezekiah's deliverance from the Assyrian threat is mirrored during the rule of the Romans. This theme of prophetic re-interpretation is common throughout the biblical text, allowing for much of the foundation in both the Christian and Muslim faiths.