Listen Everywhere!
What we learned in episode 35
Historical context
- The Assyrian empire lasted from 911 BCE to 609 BCE
- The largest empire the world has ever seen up to that point
- A highliy militaristic and cruel empire
- Paved over the ancient world with deportations and massacres
- Writing became an Assyrian obsession
Assyria and writing
- The writing god Nabu became prominent
- Scribing became a popular noble profession
- Ancient texts became the main tool for diving the future
- Assyrian king Ashurbanipal blatantly edited ancient texts to fit his political needs
- Ashurbanipal made his royal library central in his geopolitics
- He sent emmissaries to the four corners of the empire demanding all local rulers send him their ancient stories
- Scribes became a dominant political class
Assyrian stories in Genesis
- Assyrian mass deportations could be the inspiration for Abraham's journey from the east
- Abraham's slave is Aramean, the people who were deported the most
- Mass deportations could also explain the unknown peoples living in the land in Genesis - they might be deportees of unknown peoples from the other side of the empire
- At least foud Assyrian kings assended to the royal throne in spite of being younger sons. They were favored by their father over their elders who were the logical successors. This is mirrored in Genesis, with four younger Hebrew brothers who get the inheritance over their older brothers because they were favored by their father (Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, Ephraim).
What we learned in episode 36
Historical context
- The kingdom of Israel was destroyed the Assyria in 722 BCE
- Thousands of Israelite elites fled and settled in Jerusalem
- The Babylonians replace Assyria as the empire in 609 BCE
- Judean king Zedekiah stops paying tribute to the Babylonians
- In 586 BCE, Babylonian armies destroy Jerusalem
- The rebellious elite is deported to Babylonian cities
- The Babylonians install a new Hebrew governnor, who is quickly assassinated
- Fearing Babylonian retribution, tens of thousands immigrate to Egypt
The story of Joseph mirrors the real life of Jeremiah
- Joseph and Jeremiah are both special chosen prophets who made correct prophecies
- The prophecies made the Israelites jealous and angry
- They betry Joseph and Jeremiah and throw them into a waterless pit
- Then they force them to go to Egypt
- The propecies come true
The story of Joseph mirrors the real life of Baruch
- Baruch and Joseph weren't respected when they lived in Egypt
- Joseph became the head of the immigrant Hebrew community in Egypt
- As a scribe, Baruch would be the head of the Hebrew immigrant community per Egyptian law
- Joseph and Jeremiah represented their immigrant communities in dealings with the Phaorohnic court
- As a scribe, Baruch was in charge of collecting taxes. Joseph collects taxes too
- In the final chapter Baruch wrote for Jeremiah, he bemoans Jeremiah declining to annoit him a prophet. And he adds the initials יסף, meaning: Joseph. Who was a prophet
The story of Joseph mirrors Hebrew history
- Hebrews immigrated to Egypt en masse following the estruction of Jerusalem in 586 BCE
- They became the most successful and numerous Hebrew population anywhere in the world
- They integrated into Egyptian society, culturally, religiously, economically, etc
- As in the story of Joseph, they worshiped local deities as well
- As in the story of Joseph, they had Egyptian names
- This community was famous for its rich writing culture, and it venerated Baruch