Jerusalem as an Inviolable City

Week 4 Lecture 2 (1/27/11)

Perhaps that greatest myth that sparked the idea of Jerusalem as a protected city by God is the story of the Assyrian siege on Jerusalem. According to Isaiah 36-39, Hezekiah and the entire city was under siege by the Assyrians, but God sent angels to wipe out the Assyrian army, causing them to retreat. Thus, Jerusalem was spared. Assyrian texts, such as Sennacherib's Prism, also confirm that Jerusalem was never conquered. This event, along with the simultaneous increase in writing and literacy, catalyzed zion theology. This thinking is based on the belief that God is protecting Jerusalem (Mt. Zion), as he had promised David, and that he will never let the city be destroyed. After this miraculous occurrence, Hezekiah initiated religion reform, centralizing religion to one god and worship at one temple in Jerusalem.

Although Hezekiah's son, Manasseh, tried to dismantle these ideologies, the subsequent king, Josiah, also reinforced monotheistic religious reform. Becoming king at age 8, much of the governmental power came from written texts and laws. The finding of the "Scrolls" established the Laws of Deuteronomy, which basically dictates that good things happen to good people, and the vice-versa. This thinking helped instill order among the people since Josiah was not ready to rule. He died in 609 BCE in a battle with Egyptians at Megiddo. This made people question: if Josiah was a good king, why did he die in the battlefield?