Destruction of Jerusalem Predicted by Ashkelons Fall

Destruction of Jerusalem Predicted by Ashkelon's Fall The Destruction of Jerusalem in 586 B.C. caused the period in Jewish history known as the Babylonian Exile. Ironically, as with the prophets warnings in the book of Jeremiah in the Hebrew Bible, Babylonian King Nebuchadnezzar also gave the Jews fair warning of what could happen, if they crossed him, in the way he devastated Ashkelon, the capital of their enemies, the Philistines. The Warning from Ashkelon New archaeological findings in the ruins of Ashkelon, Philistias main seaport, are providing evidence that Nebuchadnezzars conquest of his enemies was utterly merciless. If Judahs kings had heeded the warnings of the prophet Jeremiah about imitating Ashkelon and embracing Egypt, Jerusalems destruction might have been avoided. Instead, the Jews ignored both the religious rantings of Jeremiah and the unequivocal real-world implications of Ashkelons fall. In the late 7th century B. C., Philistia and Judah were battlegrounds for the power struggle between Egypt and a resurgent neo-Babylonia to take over the remnants of the late Assyrian Empire. In the mid-7th century B.C., Egypt made allies of both Philistia and Judah. In 605 B.C, Nebuchadnezzar led Babylonias army to a decisive victory over Egyptian forces at the Battle of Carchemish on the Euphrates River in what is now western Syria. His conquest is noted in Jeremiah 46:2-6. Nebuchadnezzar Fought Through the Winter After Carchemish, Nebuchadnezzar pursued an unusual battle strategy: he continued to wage war through the winter of 604 B.C., which is the rainy season in the Near East. By fighting through sometimes torrential rains despite the hazards posed to horses and chariots, Nebuchadnezzar proved to be an unorthodox, persistent general capable of unleashing terrifying devastation. In a 2009 article titled The Fury of Babylon for the Biblical Archaeology Societys e-book, Israel: An Archaeological Journey, Lawrence E. Stager cites a fragmentary cuneiform record called the Babylonian Chronicle: [Nebuchadnezzar] marched to the city of Ashkelon and captured it in the month of Kislev [November/December]. He captured its king and plundered it and carried off [spoil from it ...]. He turned the city into a mound (Akkadian ana tili, literally a tell) and heaps of ruins ...; Evidence Sheds Light on Religion and Economy Dr. Stager writes that the Levy Expedition uncovered hundreds of artifacts at Ashkelon that shed light on Philistine society. Among the items recovered were dozens of large, wide-mouth jars that could hold wine or olive oil. The climate of Philistia in the 7th century B.C. made it ideal to grow grapes for wine and olives for oil. Thus archaeologists now think its reasonable to propose that these two products were the Philistines principal industries. Wine and olive oil were priceless commodities in the late 7th century because they were the basis of food, medicines, cosmetics, and other preparations. A trade agreement with Egypt for these products would have been financially advantageous to Philistia and Judah. Such alliances also would pose a threat to Babylon, because those with wealth could better arm themselves against Nebuchadnezzar. In addition, the Levy researchers found signs that religion and commerce were closely intertwined in Ashkelon. On top of a pile of rubble in ​the main bazaar they found a rooftop altar where incense had been burned, usually a sign of seeking a gods favor for some human endeavor. The prophet Jeremiah also preached against this practice (Jeremiah 32:39), calling it one of the sure signs of the destruction of Jerusalem. Finding and dating the Ashkelon altar was the first time an artifact confirmed the existence of these altars mentioned in the Bible. Sobering Signs of Mass Destruction The archaeologists uncovered more evidence that Nebuchadnezzar was ruthless in conquering his enemies as he was in the destruction of Jerusalem. Historically when a city was besieged, the greatest damage could be found along its walls and fortified gates. In Ashkelons ruins, however, the greatest destruction lies at the center of the city, spreading outward from areas of commerce, government, and religion. Dr. Stager says this indicates that the invaders strategy was to cut off the centers of power and then pillage and destroy the city. This was precisely the way the destruction of Jerusalem proceeded, evidenced by the devastation of the First Temple. Dr. Stager acknowledges that archaeology cant precisely confirm Nebuchadnezzars conquest of Ashkelon in 604 B.C. However, it has proven clearly that the Philistine seaport was utterly destroyed around that time, and other sources confirm the Babylonian campaign of that same era. Warnings Unheeded in Judah The citizens of Judah may have rejoiced to learn of Nebuchadnezzars conquest of Ashkelon  since the Philistines had long been enemies of the Jews. Centuries earlier, David had mourned the death of his friend Jonathan and King Saul in 2 Samuel 1:20, Tell it not in Gath, proclaim it not in the streets of Ashkelon, lest the daughters of the Philistines rejoice.... The Jews rejoicing at the Philistines misfortunes would have been short-lived. Nebuchadnezzar besieged Jerusalem in 599 B.C., conquering the city two years later. Nebuchadnezzar captured King Jeconiah and other Jewish elites  and installed his own choice, Zedekiah, as king. When Zedekiah rebelled 11 years later in 586 B.C., Nebuchadnezzars destruction of Jerusalem was as merciless as his Philistine campaign. Sources: Exile of the Jews - Babylonian Captvity, http://ancienthistory.about.com/od/israeljudaea/a/BabylonianExile_2.htmThe Fury of Babylon by Lawrence E. Stager, Israel: An Archaeological Journey (Biblical Archaeology Society, 2009). The Oxford Study Bible with the Apocrypha, New Revised Standard Version (1994 Oxford University Press). Comments? Please post in forum thread.

Free eBook †100 Writing Mistakes To Avoid

Free eBook – 100 Writing Mistakes To Avoid Free eBook 100 Writing Mistakes To Avoid Free eBook 100 Writing Mistakes To Avoid By Daniel Scocco One of the fastest ways to improve your writing skills is to free yourself from the most common English mistakes: things like exchanging less with fewer, misspelling its as its, or placing commas where they are not supposed to be. Thinking about this, a couple of months ago I had an idea: what if we could write an ebook with a compilation of the 100 most common writing mistakes of the English language? An ebook containing spelling, grammar, usage and punctuation mistakes, which would work as a quick guide for writers in a hurry who want to avoid such mistakes. I asked Maeve (our editor) what she thought about the idea, and whether or not she would be interested in writing such an ebook. She liked it and started working on the manuscript immediately. After many rounds of revisions and formatting, we are finally glad to announce that our first ebook is available! The title is: 100 Writing Mistakes to Avoid: A practical guide to 100 common mistakes of spelling, usage, grammar, and punctuation. Subscribe below to receive a download link via email What Is Inside The eBook The ebook has 45 pages and four main sections: Spelling, Grammar, Usage and Punctuation Mistakes. Each mistake comes with correct/incorrect examples, as well as with a brief explanation. Here is a sample page from the book: About The Author Born in Chicago, Maeve has lived, studied, and taught English in the United States, France, and the U.K. Her educational qualifications include a B.A. (Hons) in English from the University of London, and a Ph.D. in Comparative Literature from the University of Arkansas at Fayetteville. She is also a published author of both fiction and non-fiction. Here Is What People Are Saying About It Thirty minutes after I got this book I looked up from my screen, a smile of intense satisfaction playing around my lips. It is not every day that one encounters gold nuggets, something this book truly is. (Fredrick Nwonwu) When you’ve been writing for as long as I have (my first piece was published in 1958 when I won a national Sunday school magazine short story contest), there is a dangerous tendency to think you know all you need to know, and it’s only necessary to come up with brilliant ideas. Well, just when you think you know it all someone comes along to pull you back jerkily to reality. 100 Writing Mistakes to Avoid, by Maeve Maddox, is only 45 pages long, but like the proverbial ant in the elephant’s ear, it can have a disproportionate impact on the quality of your writing. (Charles Ray) Unlike other English grammar books, which are lengthy, complex, and boring, â€Å"100 Writing Mistakes To Avoid† is simple, straightforward, and it focus on the 100 mistakes that are probably already hurting your writing pieces. (Satish G.) This book will make it easier to identify and avoid mistakes which might make our clients think less of us. As a British writer who often writes for an American audience, it’s useful to have guidance on a few stylistic points that may feel wrong to me but may be right for my readers. (Sharon Hurley) Where I think the guide comes in really handy is for writers who are committing these mistakes and may not even realize it. These aren’t the kind of things that are picked up in a spell check and unless we know what to look for, in all probability, we will continue oblivious to these types of errors. (Travis King) Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the General category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:20 Types and Forms of Humor40 Fish IdiomsGrammatical Case in English