by
Damien F. Mackey
The
reason why various commentators have been able to point to a host of comparisons
and similarities between Hezekiah and Josiah is because, according to my biblico-historical
revision at least, e.g.:
A Revised History of the Era of King Hezekiah
Hezekiah
was
Josiah.
My
above-mentioned article, by the way, significantly revises - and raises out of
a certain former obscurity - king Hezekiah of Judah as he is to be found in my earlier
postgraduate thesis:
A Revised History of the Era of King
Hezekiah of Judah and its Background
The
author of “The Passovers of
Hezekiah and Josiah in Chronicles: Meals in the Persian Period”, for instance, who
accepts the conventional view that Hezekiah and Josiah were two different kings
- and who does not tend to believe in the historicity of Hezekiah’s Passover -
has pointed to certain similarities: http://prophetess.lstc.edu/~rklein/Doc15/meals.pdf
….
The descriptions of the Passovers of Hezekiah and
Josiah in Chronicles are centralized festivals, held in Jerusalem and linked in
both cases to the feast of Unleavened Bread (2 Chr 30:13, 21 and 2 Chr 35:17),
and linked to an additional second week of celebration in the case of Hezekiah
(2 Chr 30:23). In 2 Chronicles 30 this two-week celebration is followed by various
reform activities by all Israel in the territories of Judah, Benjamin, Ephraim
and Manasseh. In Chronicles this festive celebration forms the climax of the
reign of Josiah, followed only by his death at the hands of Necho. These two
Unleavened Bread and Passover feasts enhance the reputation of two of the
Chronicler’s favorite kings, Hezekiah and Josiah.
The meals in both cases are accompanied by a full
array of the clergy from the Persian period [sic]. The addition of the Passover
of Hezekiah and baroque expansion and development of the three-verse
celebration of the Passover of Josiah may conform the story of this eighth and
seventh century kings to the tradition of royal banquets associated with kings
in the Persian period. Ahasuerus, for example, gave a 180-day banquet for all
his officials, ministers, the army of Persia and Media and the nobles and
governors of the province (Esth 1:2-4), only to be followed by a seven day
banquet for everyone (1:5-8). Vashti held a simultaneous banquet for the women
(1:9).16 Unlike the Persian banquets, the Passovers of Hezekiah and
Josiah in Chronicles were not characterized by excessive drinking. In fact,
alcohol is not mentioned at all. ….
[End of quote]
Abstract:
Hezekiah and Josiah were the joint authors of
unparalleled and unprecedented religious reforms that found their purpose in
Yahweh, and their presence in Jerusalem. Through dissecting their methods
and motivations, we can begin to uncover the full extent to which their
reforming stratagem converged, diverged, or existed in parallel.
Factoring in the contribution of the Historian and Chronicler, the geopolitical
situation, personal devotion to Yahweh, monarchical relationships with the
prophetic conscience and each king’s lasting historical legacy, we can begin to
also shed light on what role their transformative measures carried out on the
macro scale of Israelite history. ….
[End of quote]
Previously I have written:
"There was no one like him
[Hezekiah] among all the kings of Judah, either before him or after
him." 2 Kings 18:5 (NIV?)
|
"Neither before nor after
Josiah was there a king like him ..." 2 Kings 23:25 (NIV?)
|
“The
reigns of the goodly, reforming kings Hezekiah and Josiah are so alike - with
quite an amazing collection of same-named officials - that I had actually once
begun a series (but then scrapped it) in which I had attempted an
identification of Hezekiah with Josiah”.
Since
writing this I have stumbled (again) on The
Domain of Man’s Chart 37, which shows up some striking comparisons
between Hezekiah and Josiah (I do not necessarily endorse every single detail to
be found in this chart): http://www.domainofman.com/book/chart-37.html
Comparison of Hezekiah and Josiah Narratives
Hezekiah Narrative
2 Chron. 29-32
2 Kings 18-20
Book of Isaiah
|
Josiah Narrative
2 Chron. 34-35
2 Kings 22-23
Book of Jeremiah
|
Hezekiah, "son" of Ahaz
mother: Abijah daughter of Zechariah
|
Josiah, "son" of Amon
mother: Jedidah daughter of Adaiah
|
25 years at ascension, reigned 29 years
|
8 years at ascension, reigned 31 years
|
"There was no one like him [Hezekiah] among all the
kings of Judah, either before him or after him." 2 Kings 18:5
(NIV?)
|
"Neither before nor after Josiah was there a king
like him ..." 2 Kings 23:25 (NIV?)
|
Jerusalem to be spared destruction in his lifetime
2 Kings 19:1; 20:2-19; 2 Chron. 32:20,26
|
Jerusalem to be spared destruction in his lifetime
(2 Kings 22:14-20; 2 Chron. 34:22-28)
|
Revival of Laws of Moses
"according to what was written"
2 Chron. 30:5,16, 18; 31:2-7,15
|
Discovery of the Book of the Law (of Moses)
2 Kings 22:8-10; 2 Chron. 34:14-15
|
Passover Celebration
|
Passover Celebration
|
"For since the days of Solomon son of David king of
Israel there had been nothing like this in Jerusalem."
2 Chron. 30:26
|
"Not since the days of the Judges (Samuel) who led
Israel, nor throughout the days of the kings of Israel and the kings of
Judah, had any such Passover been observed." 2 Kings 23:22
|
Year not given
14th day of the second month
|
Year 18
14th day of the first month
|
17,000 sheep and goats, 1,000 bulls
(not including the sacrifices of the first seven days) (1 Chron. 30:24)
|
30,000 sheep and goats, 3,000 cattle
|
Participating tribes: Judah and Benjamin,
Manasseh, Ephraim,
Asher, Zebulun & Issachar
(2 Chron. 31:1)
|
Participating tribes: Judah and Benjamin,
Manasseh, Ephraim,
Simeon & Naphtali
(2 Chron. 34:9,32)
|
Temporary priests consecrated for service
|
Employed "lay people" 2 Chron. 35:5
|
". smashed the sacred stones and cut down the
Asherah poles" 2 Kings 18:4; 2 Chron. 31:1
|
". smashed the sacred stones and cut down the
Asherah poles" 2 Kings 23:14
|
High places and altars torn down
|
High places and altars torn down
|
". broke into pieces the bronze snake"
|
". burned the chariots dedicated to the sun"
|
Name Comparisons
|
Hezekiah Narrative
|
Josiah Narrative
|
Sennacherib oppresses Jerusalem
|
Assyrian oppression omitted
|
Name of High Priest omitted
|
Hilkiah, "High Priest"
|
Eliakim son of Hilkiah, palace administrator
|
Eliakim "son" (?) of Josiah (future Jehoiakim)
|
Zechariah (descendant of Asaph)
Azariah, the priest (from family of Zadok)
|
Zechariah
Zechariah
(variant of Azariah)
|
Shaban/Shebna/Shebniah, scribe
|
Shaphan, scribe
(son of Azaliah son of Meshullam)
Hashabiah/Hashabniah (2 Chron. 35:9)
|
Jeshua
Isaiah son of Amoz, prophet
|
Joshua, "city governor"
Hoshaiah (Jer. 42:1; 43:2)
Asaiah, "king's attendant"
Ma'aseiah, "ruler of the city"
|
Jerimoth
|
Jeremiah son of Hilkiah
|
Conaniah and his brother Shemei, supervisors
(2 Chron. 31:12)
|
Conaniah/Cononiah, along with his brothers Shemaiah and
Nethanel (2 Chron. 35:9)
Hananiah the prophet, son of Azzur/Azur (Azariah) (Jer. 28)
|
Nahath
|
Nathan-el/Nathan-e-el/El-Nathan/Nathan-Melech
2 Kings 23:11
|
Mattaniah, Mahath
|
Mattaniah (future Zedekiah)
|
Jehiel
|
Jehiel, "administrator of God's temple"
|
Asaph, Heman and Jeduthun
2 Chron. 29:13-14
|
Asaph, Heman and Jeduthun
(2 Chron. 35:15)
|
Shallum/Meshillemoth (reign of Ahaz)
|
Meshullam (the Kohathite)
Shellemiah son of Cushi (Jer. 36:14)
|
No mention of a prophetess
[Mackey: What about Judith?]
|
Huldah, wife of Shallam/Meshullam,
prophetess (spokeswoman of the "Lord")
|
Shemaiah
|
Shemaiah
|
Jozabad
|
Jozabad
|
Jeiel
|
Jeiel
|
Joah son of Zimmah ("wicked")
Joah son of Asaph, recorder
|
Joah son of "wicked" Jo-Ahaz (King Ahaz)/
Imnah?
|
Obed, prophet (reign of Ahaz), Abde-el, Tabeel
|
Obadiah
|
The least reconcilable detail of comparison at this stage has to be this
one:
Hezekiah Josiah
25 years at ascension, reigned 29 years
|
8 years at ascension, reigned 31 years
|
I do not have any
convincing solution for this one.
A thought: Could it be that some biographical details for Josiah
were confused with those of the earlier Joash (Jehoash), also a boy-king, who
worked at
restoring the Temple in much the same fashion as would Josiah?
