Category:House of David (subject)

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The House of David ruled over Judea until the beginning of the Second Temple period.

< Timeline (Kings) : Judges -- United Monarchy (1047-930 BCE)-- Kingdoms of Judah and Israel (930-722 BCE) -- Neo-Assyrian Period (722-626 BCE) -- Kingdom of Josiah (626-609 BCE) -- Neo-Egyptian Period (609-605 BCE) -- Neo-Babylonian Period (605-639 BCE) >

Overview

The House of David was the ruling dynasty of Kings in the Kingdom of Judah, from the 10th cent. BCE including the time of the Babylonian Exile, until the beginning of the Persian Period.

Although the united monarchy is held by contemporary scholarship to be a literary construction and not a historical reality, it is generally accepted that a House of David existed, but his power was limited to the southern Kingdom of Judah, while the northern kingdom was a separate development.

The first (although fragmentary) reference to the House of David dates back to 840 BCE in the Tel Dan Stele.

The kingdom of Judah was one of the many Canaanite Kingdoms of the region with no special importance. It existed largely in the shadow of the most powerful northern Kingdom of Israel. The political fortunes of the Kingdom of Judah (as well as the fortunes of the other Canaanite kingdoms) depended on the mood of two powerful neighbors, Egypt and Mesopotamia. The region of Canaan was poor but strategically important; it was the bridge between the two superpowers of antiquity and consequently, the battlefield of their ambitions of expansion.

Only after the destruction of the northern Kingdom by the Assyrians in 722 BCE the kingdom of Judah enjoyed greater autonomy, especially under king Josiah, until it fell in 598 BCE under Babylonian control (see Babylonian Exile).

Contrary to what is claomed in the Book of Chronicle, The Davidic line did not end with the death of Zedekiah. Johoiachin and his successors, Sheshbazzar and Zerubbabel continued to be recognized as Princes of Judah by the Babylonians. The Persian government, however, after a failed attempt to establish a diarchy between the House of David and the House of Zadok, preferred to rely on their alliance with the House of Zadok.

Kings and priests

As the other kings in the region, the Davidic kings claimed a special relationship with their local God, YHWH. The enthronement ceremony was seen as a ceremony in which the king was adopted as "God's son" (see Psalms 20; 110). A covenant was believed to exist between YHWH and the House of David that would guarantee its continuity over the centuries, generation after generation.

2 Samuel 7:4-17 -- "[4] The word of the Lord came to Nathan: [5] Go and tell my servant David: "Thus says the Lord: ... [11] The Lord declares to you that the Lord will make you a house. [12] When your days are complete and you lie down with your fathers, I will raise up your descendant after you, who shall come forth from you, and I will establish his kingdom. He shall build a house for My name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever. I will be a father to him and he will be a son to Me; when he commits iniquity, I will correct him with the rod of men and the strokes of the sons of men, but My lovingkindness will not depart from him, as I took it away from Saul, whom I removed before you. And your house and your kingdom shall endure before Me forever; your throne shall be established forever." [17] In accordance with all these words and with all this vision, Nathan spoke to David.

The king served as the High Priest in the royal sanctuary of Jerusalem. He offered sacrifices (2 Sam 6:13,17; 1 Kings 3:4), blessed the people (2 Sam 6:18; 1 Kings 8:14), wore the priestly ephod (2 Sam 6:14) and most importantly, nominated the two "chief priests," who were reckoned among the king's officials (2 Sam 8:16-18;

In the Second Temple Period

After the demise of the House of David, the prerogative of the king were taken by the high Priests, Sons of Zadok.

In the Maccabean period, a new dynasty of Sons of Aaron managed to rule not only as Priests but also as Kings for almost one century. With the loss of independence under Roman rule, the ancient prophecies were reread by some groups as an announcement of the coming of the eschatological Messiah Son of David and the restoration of the House of David.

List of Davidic Kings

Rulers of the United Monarchy

Kings of Judah

Judah was a colony of Samaria (Ahaz walked in the way of the kings of Israel", 2 Kings 16:3)

Took advantage of the fall of the Northern Kingdom to move toward political and religious autonomy. Hezekiah's pro-Egyptian policy provoke the reaction of Sennacherib, king of Assyria, who in 701 invaded the Kingdom of Judah. The city of Lachish was taken and Jerusalem besieged. Hezekiah capitulated, paid the tribute and gave up his dreams of autonomy (see the Annals of Sennacherib). Hezekiah however managed to remain in power.

Was a faithful vassal of Assyria. His reign was the longest of any Judahite king.

Followed the pro-Assyrian policy of his father

Josiah was 8 years old when he began to reign, following the assassination of his father. At the beginning his policy did not differ from tat of his predecessors. After 626 BCE the decline of the Assyrian Empire, challenged by the rising power of the Babylonians, giave more freedom to the kingdom of Judah. in 621 BCE Josiah undertook a serie of political and religious reforms, which radically reshaped the religion of the Jews. The goal was to strengthen the unity of the state by centralizing the cult in Jerusalem. In 609 BCE, however, Josiah was defeated and killed in the Battle of Megiddo by the army of Pharaoh Neco, who was going north in the attempt to help the Assyrians agains the Babylonians. Judah fell under Egyptian control (2 Kings 23:26-30).

Riuled only 3 monthes, before being taken captive to Egypt, where he died.

When he was appointed as a vassal king by the Egyptians, his name was changed from Eliakim to Jehoiakim. The leader of the nationalistic party (Jeremiah and Uriah) were persecuted. In 605 the Egyptians were defeated by the Babylonians in the Battle of Charchemish. Judah was now under Babylonian rule (2 Kings 24:1). In 601 Jehoiakim, supported by the Egyptians, rebelled against the Babylonians. Jerusalem was besieged by the Babylonians

Jehoiachin reigned only 3 months before Jerusalem fell. The king was deported as hostage to Babylonian with his court

Zedekiah also rebelled against the Babylonians. Nebuchadnezzar marched into Judah, captured Jerusalem, demolished the walls of the town, and set the Temple on fire (Jer 39:1-10). Zedekiah was imprisoned, blinded, and his sons were killed before him. A new deportation followed ("832 people", according to Jeremiah 52:29). A new vassal king was not appointed, Now in the Babylonian archives Jehoiachin, although still in captivity, was recognized as the "king of Judah". Gedaliah served as governor as Judah (587-582). His assassination caused a third deportation ("745 people", according to Jer 52:30).

Davidic Kings in exile

In 561 Jehoiachin was released from prison and "a throne was given to him higher than that of the other kings whi were with him in Babylon" (2 Kings 25:27-30)

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