This history of the Kingdom of Jerusalem and Judah is quite different from the usual narratives of biblical history. It parallels the same author's History of the Kingdom of Israel (OLA 275) and is mainly based on information provided by epigraphic sources dating from the 19th/18th century B.C. on, when Jerusalem and its rulers are first mentioned. The book is divided in seven chapters. The first one deals with the proto-history of Jerusalem in Bronze Age and Iron Age I. The second one concerns the Davidic dynasty whose lineage is followed until the mid-ninth century. Chapters III and IV continue the history of the kingdom until the destruction of Jerusalem by Babylonians in 587. After ca. 800 B.C. the name of the kingdom was changed from Beth David in Judah following internal dynastic problems. Chapter V examines some questions concerning religion in Jerusalem and Judah, especially the alleged "sacred prostitution" and the "molk-sacrifices". Chapter VI discusses the special case of the relations between the Yahwistic sanctuary of Bethel, annexed to Judah by king Josiah, and the theonym Bethel, attested in Jewish-Aramaean ambiences of the Persian period. Chapter VII deals with burial customs and the conception of the netherworld or Sheol, mainly from the monarchic period on.

The period of the demise of the kingdom of Judah at the end of the 6th century B.C.E., the fall of Jerusalem to the Babylonians, the exile of the elite to Babylon, and the reshaping of the territory of the new province of Judah, culminating at the end of the century with the first return of exiles--all have been subjects of intense scrutiny during the last decade. Lipschits takes into account the biblical textual evidence, the results of archaeological research, and the reports of Babylonian and Egyptian sources and provides a comprehensive survey and analysis of the evidence for the history of this 100-year-long era. He provides a lucid historical survey that will, no doubt, become the baseline for all future studies of this era.

A significant achievement, this book moves our understanding of the history of Israel forward as dramatically as John Bright's A History of Israel, Martin Noth's History of Israel, and William F. Albright's From the Stone Age ot Cristianity did at an earlier period.

Steering a middle course between those who argue that a history of Israel can no longer be written because the sources that we have prove inadequate, and what now seems to be the extreme conservatism of the old classic, John Bright's History of Israel, this book presents all the problems and where they cannot be resolved, provides the evidence and leaves the reader with the current situation.

An incomparable interdisciplinary study of the history of Judah Experts from a variety of disciplines examine the history of Judah during the seventh century BCE, the last century of the kingdom’s existence. This important era is well defined historically and archaeologically beginning with the destruction layers left behind by Sennacherib’s Assyrian campaign (701 BCE) and ending with levels of destruction resulting from Nebuchadnezzar’s Babylonian campaign (588-586 BCE). Eleven essays develop the current ongoing discussion about Judah during this period and extend the debate to include further important insights in the fields of archaeology, history, cult, and the interpretation of Old Testament texts. Features A new chronological frame for the Iron Age IIB-IIC Close examinations of archaeology, texts, and traditions related to the reigns of Hezekiah, Manasseh, and Josiah An evaluation of the religious, cultic, and political landscape /UL

You will learn how David unified the nation, but you'll also find out about his dark secret and its terrible consequences. You will discover all about the golden age of Solomon, the building of his Temple, and the legendary Ark of the Covenant-and you'll also learn how ruthless he was toward his subjects near the end of his reign.