Part 15

The principal events of this period were as follows: (1.) The accession of Hazael in Syria, Jehu in Israel, and Athaliah in Judah, B.C. 842. (2.) The destruction of Baal worship in Israel. (2 Kings 10.) (3.) The conquests of Hazael on the east of Jordan. (2 Kings 10:32, 33.) (4.) The slaughter of Athaliah, and accession of Jehoash in Judah. (2 Kings 11.) (5.) The repairs of the Temple by Jehoiada. (2 Kings 12.) (6.) The prophecies of Jonah and Joel. (7.) The subjection of Israel under Hazael. (8.) Hazael's campaign against Judah, and capture of Gath. (9.) The death of Hazael.

3. =The Restoration of Israel=, B.C. 779-742. The Syrian conqueror, Hazael, left as his successor a weak prince, Ben-hadad III., who was unable to hold his dominions against the ability of the third king of the house of Jehu in Israel, Jehoash, or Joash, and his greater son, Jeroboam II. Under these two able rulers the kingdom of the Ten Tribes arose to its culmination, the territory lost was regained, nearly all Syria was conquered, Judah was made tributary, and Samaria gave laws to a large part of Solomon's empire. This period was marked as the era of two great prophets, Jonah and Joel; and, from its brilliant but brief prosperity, has been called "the Indian Summer of Israel." At the opening of this epoch, Amaziah reigned in Judah. He won a victory in Edom, but, venturing to attack Israel, was routed at Beth-shemesh; and, for the only time in Judah's history, the army of the Ten Tribes entered Jerusalem as victors. (2 Kings 14.) Uzziah, his successor, was more successful, and held his kingdom in security both against Israel and the enemies on the south. The outline map represents the kingdoms during the reign of Jeroboam II., about B.C. 800.

4. =The Fall of Israel=, B.C. 742-721. The decline of Israel after the reign of Jeroboam II. was rapid. A succession of usurpers seized the throne, the foreign conquests melted away, and anarchy prevailed. The cause of these sudden changes was the growth of the Assyrian power under a succession of warlike kings, who made Nineveh the capital of the Eastern world. Syria fell before their arms, and Israel soon followed. In the reign of Menahem, Israel became tributary to Assyria; and in that of Pekah, B.C. 735, the portion of Israel on the north, including the tribe of Naphtali, was carried into captivity by Tiglath-pileser. (2 Kings 15:29.) In the reign of Hoshea, Samaria itself was taken (B.C. 721) by Sargon (having been besieged by Shalmaneser); and the Ten Tribes were finally carried into captivity to Halah and Habor. (2 Kings 17.) This period belongs to the map of the Assyrian Empire.

5. =The Fall of Judah=, B.C. 721-587. The kingdom of Judah lasted more than a hundred years after that of Israel, though most of the time as a subject-nation to the "great king" of Assyria, to whom Ahaz and most of the kings of Judah after him paid tribute. The most important events of this period were: (1.) The reforms of King Hezekiah, and the deliverance of Jerusalem from the Assyrians under Sennacherib. (2 Chron. 30-32.) (2.) The captivity of King Manasseh among the Assyrians, and his return. (2 Chron. 33.) (3.) The attempt at reformation by King Josiah, and his death at the battle of Megiddo. (2 Chron. 34, 35.) (4.) The rise of the power of Babylon, and Nebuchadnezzar's first invasion of Judah, in the reign of Jehoiakim, B.C. 606. From this date Judah was subject to Babylon, and the "seventy years' captivity" began. (5.) The rebellion of Zedekiah, the last king, against Nebuchadnezzar, the siege of Jerusalem, the destruction of the kingdom, and the final carrying of Judah into captivity to Babylon, B.C. 587.

[Illustration: THE RESTORATION OF ISRAEL, B.C. 800.]

We notice the most important wars, sieges and battles of this period, indicated upon the map of the Division of Solomon's Empire, by flags.

1. The battle of =Zemaraim=, near Bethel, fought between Jeroboam and Abijah, the second king of Judah, B.C. 917, and resulting in the defeat of Israel, and the ruin of Jeroboam's plans of ambition. (2 Chron. 13.)

2. The battle of =Mareshah=, in Judah, on the border of the mountain region, in which King Asa defeated Zerah, the Ethiopian king of Egypt, and an immense host, B.C. 900. (2 Chron. 14.)

3. The siege of =Samaria=, by Ben-hadad, king of Syria, in the reign of Ahab, who was able to repel the invaders. (1 Kings 20.) We notice, that from this time, for a century, the principal wars of Israel are with Syria.

4. The victory at =Aphek=, won by Ahab over Ben-hadad and the Syrians. Ahab, however, allowed the fruits of the victory to be lost, when he might have made it decisive in its results. (1 Kings 20:26-43.)

5. The battle of =Ramoth-gilead=, in which the Syrians, under Ben-hadad, were victorious over allied Israel and Judah, and Ahab was slain. (1 Kings 22.)

6. The slaughter of the allied Moabites, Ammonites and Edomites, at =Berachah=, "the valley of blessing," in the reign of Jehoshaphat, king of Judah. (2 Chron. 20.)

7. The war of Israel, Judah and Edom, against the Moabites, in which a great battle took place at =Kir-haraseth=, in the land of Moab, when the king of Moab offered his own son as a sacrifice in presence of the contending armies. (2 Kings 3.) This was during the reign of Jehoshaphat in Judah, and of Jehoram in Israel.

8. A second siege of =Samaria=, by the Syrians, under Ben-hadad, in the reign of Jehoram; and a miraculous deliverance. (2 Kings 6, 7.)

9. A battle at =Zair= (probably Sela, or Petra), in Edom, in which Jehoram was surrounded by the revolting Edomites, and won a victory, yet could not prevent the Edomites from gaining their liberty. (2 Kings 8:21, 22.)

10. The capture of =Gath=, by the Syrians, under Hazael, in the reign of Jehoash, king of Judah. (2 Kings 12:17.)

11. The victory of King Jehoash, of Israel, over the Syrians, at =Aphek=, foretold by Elisha. (2 Kings 13:17-25.)

12. The battle of =Beth-shemesh=, a victory of Israel over Judah, resulting in an Israelite army entering Jerusalem, in the reign of Amaziah. (2 Kings 14.)

13. The final capture of =Samaria= by the Assyrians, and the extinction of the kingdom of the Ten Tribes. (2 Kings 17:1-6.)

14. The battle of =Megiddo=, in which King Josiah, of Judah, lost his life while resisting the invasion of Pharaoh-necho, the king of Egypt. (2 Kings 23:29.)

15. Two battles at =Carchemish=, near the Euphrates, in the first of which, Pharaoh-necho, of Egypt, was victorious (B.C. 608) over the Assyrians, and in the second (B.C. 606) was thoroughly defeated by Nebuchadnezzar, and compelled to relinquish all his conquests in Asia. (2 Chron. 35:20.)

16. The destruction of =Jerusalem= by Nebuchadnezzar, and the extinction of the kingdom of Judah. (2 Kings 25.)

OUTLINE FOR TEACHING.

1. Draw on the blackboard the map of _Solomon's Empire_, as already given, showing its boundaries, and placing on it the city of Jerusalem, the river Jordan, etc.

2. Divide the map into the _five kingdoms_ of _Syria_, _Israel_, _Judah_, _Moab_ and _Edom_, and show their capitals and political relations.

3. Drill the class upon the leading events of the _five historical periods_ named in the above description, placing upon the map the localities named in the history.

4. Name the _battles_ of the periods, and state the circumstances of each battle, placing them upon the map in their historical order.

5. Through all the work let the class draw their own maps, following that upon the board, and at the close carefully review all the work. This subject might require several lessons in a normal class.

[Illustration: MOSQUE EL AKSA.]

THE GREAT ORIENTAL EMPIRES.

THE history of the Bible is so interwoven with that of the East, that a view of its great empires is necessary. All the lands between the Persian Gulf and the Mediterranean were united at different periods under one government, and formed an empire which was constantly changing according to the power or weakness of its dominant state; for in the Oriental world there never has existed anything like a confederation of states on an equality. At different periods Ur, Babylon or Nineveh conquered all the surrounding lands; or at other periods a single race, as the Medes and Persians, obtained supremacy. The empire thus arose and fell, to be succeeded by a similar empire with another centre. During the Old Testament history, between the days of Abraham and of Ezra, more than 1,500 years, four successive empires appeared in the East. These were:

I. The Early Babylonian Empire. B.C. 2280-1120.

II. The Assyrian Empire. B.C. 1120-626.

III. The Babylonian Empire. B.C. 606-538.

IV. The Persian Empire. B.C. 538-330.

I. =The Early Babylonian Empire= began about 3000 B.C., with several states, each having a city as its capital. Among these were Ur (_Mugheir_), Lagesh (Shirpurta), and Isin. These separate kingdoms were united in an empire, of which Babylon was the capital, in the reign of Hammurabi (the Amraphel of Gen. 14:1), about 2280 B.C. It lasted, with varying fortunes, for 1,000 years. A map of this empire, in the time of Abraham, is given on page 34.

[Illustration: AN ASSYRIAN PALACE.]

II. =The Assyrian Empire= arose from the small country Asshur, about 25 square miles in extent, lying east of the Tigris and north of the lower Zab. Its capital was the city Asshur, now called _Kileh Sherghat_, 60 miles south of Nineveh. The city rose to power in the 14th century B.C., when, under Tukulti-ninib, Babylon was captured and the Babylonian empire became the Assyrian. Afterward _Nimrud_, 20 miles south of Nineveh, became the capital. Not until 702 was NINEVEH made by Sennacherib the royal residence. It soon surpassed the earlier capitals in size and magnificence, and became one of the largest cities of the East. It then included four cities, surrounded by one wall, and forming a parallelogram, as shown on the plan on page 96. The greatest kings of this empire were: Shalmaneser, who made war on Samaria, and erected the "Black Obelisk," which now stands in the British Museum, and by its inscriptions furnishes the best record of the kingdom down to its own age; Sargon, who completed the conquest of Samaria, and otherwise added to the empire; Sennacherib, who enlarged and beautified Nineveh, warred from Babylon to Egypt, and extorted tribute from Hezekiah, king of Judah; and Esar-haddon, son of the preceding, who saw the empire at its height, embracing, besides Assyria, Armenia, Media, Babylonia, Elam, Mesopotamia, Syria, Israel, Judah, and the northern portion of Egypt. These lands, however, for the most part retained their own rulers, customs and government, but recognized themselves as vassals to the "Great King," as he is styled in the inscriptions. Esar-haddon took Manasseh, king of Judah, captive to Babylon, and repopulated Samaria with colonists from other lands. His son, Asshur-bani-pal, witnessed his kingdom declining, and was the last of the great kings, though he built a vast palace at Nineveh. There was no coherence or unity in the empire, whose provinces were held together only by the strong arm of the king; and, on the death of Asshur-bani-pal, a general revolt took place among the subject nations, his son perished, and Nineveh was utterly destroyed, never again to appear in history.

The boundaries of the Assyrian empire are given upon the map according to the best authorities. On the north they were the Armenian Mountains, the river Cyrus (now called the _Kur_), north of the Araxes, and the northern range of Mount Taurus; on the east, the Caspian Sea and the great salt desert; on the south, the Persian Gulf, the Arabian desert and Upper Egypt; on the west, the Mediterranean and the river Halys.

[Illustration: THE ASSYRIAN EMPIRE.]

[Illustration: THE BABYLONIAN EMPIRE AND ITS SURROUNDINGS.]

III. =The Babylonian Empire=, B.C. 606-538. This period has been more correctly termed that of the "four kingdoms," since the East was not then, as during the Assyrian period, under one government. The destruction of Nineveh had been wrought by the union of the Medes and Babylonians, under their kings, Cyaxares and Nabopolassar, and these peoples succeeded to most, but not all, of the conquests of Assyria.

1. Media won its own independence, and obtained possession of Armenia, Assyria Proper (north of the Tigris), and Elam. Persia had already been conquered, so that the largest, though less important, portion of the Assyrian empire now belonged to Media.

2. Babylonia obtained Chaldea, Mesopotamia, Syria and Palestine. Most of these countries had claimed their independence on the fall of Assyria; and their conquest occupied the reign of Nabopolassar, and his greater son, Nebuchadnezzar. Thus the important parts of the Bible world were nearly all under the rule of Babylon.

3. A new kingdom arose in Asia Minor, that of Lydia, embracing all the lands between the Ægean Sea and the river Halys; destined, however, to a short history, for it formed one of the earliest conquests of Cyrus the Great.

4. Cilicia also appears for the first time upon the map, being situated between the Euphrates and Lydia, north of Syria, and south of the Halys river, and retained its independence until the close of the Babylonian period, when it was annexed to Persia, though even then it retained its own kings.

5. To these might be added Egypt, though outside of the Asiatic world. It soon shook off the yoke of Assyria, and resumed its independence; but, endeavoring to contest with Babylon the empire of the East, was defeated at Carchemish by Nebuchadnezzar, and compelled to retire from Asia. Some suppose that it was conquered by Babylon; and it is possible that for a few years Egypt may have recognized the supremacy of Nebuchadnezzar by paying tribute, but it was never a part of his empire.

[Illustration: BLACK OBELISK.]

The map of the Oriental world, as thus reconstructed, lasted about a century, though with varying boundary lines; as, for instance, Elam, or Susiana, sometimes formed a part of Babylonia, and at other times of Media. During this period BABYLON was the metropolis of the East. It was raised to greatness by Nebuchadnezzar, who finished the Tower of Belus, raised the Hanging Gardens, and built great palaces. Two-thirds of the bricks unearthed in the ruins of Babylon bear his name. The city formed a square, on both sides of the Euphrates, covering an area of 130 miles, about that of the city and county of Philadelphia. It was surrounded with double walls, one of which is said to have been 300 feet high, and so wide that six chariots could be driven abreast along its summit. The greatness of the city was short-lived. It was taken by the Medes and Persians, B.C. 536, and soon began to decline, though it remained, in a decaying condition, for nearly 1,000 years afterward.

[Illustration: BABYLON.]

[Illustration: COMPARATIVE AREAS OF THE GREAT EMPIRES--ASSYRIAN, BABYLONIAN, PERSIAN.]

[Illustration: THE PERSIAN EMPIRE.]

[Illustration: DIVISION OF ALEXANDER'S EMPIRE.]

IV. =The Persian Empire=, B.C. 538-330. As the Babylonian power arose with Nebuchadnezzar, the Persian began with Cyrus the Great. He was the hereditary king of the Persians, and headed a revolt against the Medes, which resulted in reversing the relations of the two races, so that the Persians became dominant. He then led his united people westward, and conquered Croesus, the king of Lydia, thus extending his dominion from the Persian Gulf to the Ægean Sea. The power of Babylon began to fall on the death of Nebuchadnezzar, whose successors were weaklings, and in B.C. 538 Cyrus took the city of Babylon. His dominions were now larger than those of the old Assyrian empire; and under his successors the conquests of Persia were pushed both eastward and westward, until, under Darius the Great, they embraced all the lands from the Indus to the Nile. The map represents the empire of Persia at this period, with the twenty satrapies, or provinces, into which it was divided by Darius. This empire lasted for 200 years, until its conquest by Alexander the Great, B.C. 330, when the sceptre of the East passed into European hands, and Greece gave law to Asia. In the extent of its territory, in the strength of its dominion, and in the consolidation of its conquests, Persia was far greater than either Assyria or Babylon. It will be observed that the scale of all the maps of the Assyrian, Babylonian and Persian Empires, is the same, so that their relative proportions may be seen.

The map of the Persian Empire represents the political state of the Oriental world at the conclusion of the Old Testament period. When Ezra and Nehemiah were at Jerusalem, and Haggai and Malachi were the prophets of Judah, all the lands were under the dominion of Persia, and were governed from "Shushan the palace," or Susa.

[Illustration: BABYLON.]

PERIOD OF RESTORATION 536 B.C.-70 A.D.

The closing portion of Old Testament history, from the edict of Cyrus the Great, B.C. 536, permitting the captive Jews to return to Palestine, is known as the Period of Restoration. From that time until the end of the Jewish history, the land was under foreign rule. The Period of Restoration, from the return from captivity to the birth of Christ, may be divided as follows:

1. =The Persian Supremacy=, B.C. 538-330. During the 200 years of the Persian empire, the Jews were kindly treated by their sovereigns, and permitted to regulate their own affairs. Under Darius the Great, who reigned B.C. 521-486, the second Temple was completed. Under Xerxes, the next monarch, called in the Bible, Ahasuerus, occurred the romantic events of Esther's deliverance, and the downfall of Haman. Under his successor, Artaxerxes Longimanus, B.C. 465-425, the Jewish state was reformed by Ezra, and the walls of Jerusalem were built by Nehemiah. Soon after this occurred the separation of the Samaritans, and a rival temple was built on Mount Gerizim.

2. =The Macedonian Supremacy=, B.C. 330-321, though brief, brought to pass vast results. Alexander the Great, in a brilliant series of battles, subjugated the entire Persian empire, and became the master of the Oriental world. He dealt kindly with the Jews, notwithstanding their loyalty to the Persian throne, and permitted them to enjoy freedom of worship and of government. We do not give a map of Alexander's empire, as its boundaries in Asia varied but little from those of Persia, and it has no direct relation to Bible history. Soon after Alexander's death, his generals formed a compact for the government of his empire; but it was soon broken, and out of his conquests four kingdoms arose, of which the most important were those of Seleucus in Asia, and of Ptolemy in Africa. In the first division, B.C. 323, Palestine became a part of Syria.

3. =The Egyptian Supremacy=, B.C. 321-198. Palestine was taken from Syria by Ptolemy Soter, the ruler of Egypt; and his successors, the Greek kings of Egypt, all named Ptolemy, held the Holy Land for 120 years. During this time the Jews were governed, under the king of Egypt, by their high-priests. The most important event of this epoch was the Septuagint translation of the Old Testament, made at Alexandria about 285 B.C. The map of the Division of Alexander's Empire represents the Oriental world at this period, after the lands had settled down into something like order under stable governments.

Omitting the minor states and free cities, the kingdoms of that epoch were as follows:

1. _The kingdom of the Seleucidæ_, sometimes known as Syria, was founded by Seleucus, B.C. 312. It included the largest portion of Alexander's conquests, embracing most of Asia Minor, and those provinces of the Bible world known as Syria, Mesopotamia, Babylonia, Persia Proper, Southern Media, and far beyond them eastward to the Indus. Throughout its history of 250 years, it remained a Greek government, though in Asia, and introduced the Greek language and literature to all the lands of the Orient.

2. _The kingdom of the Ptolemies_ included Egypt, Libya, Palestine, Phoenicia, and the southern provinces of Asia Minor. It was ruled by a succession of Greek monarchs, descended from Ptolemy Soter, and, with changing boundaries, endured until the death of its last queen, the famous Cleopatra, when it became a part of the Roman empire.

3. There were other kingdoms in Asia at this time, appearing upon the map. _Pontus_ and _Cappadocia_ intervened between the two sections of the empire of the Seleucidæ. Southwest of the Caspian, and near the sea, _Media Atropatene_ had gained its independence, and on the southeast _Parthia_ was rising to power; while beyond, on the east, was _Bactriana_. Other lands of less importance might also be named; but these are all that are necessary to the reader of the history.

During this epoch of 125 years, Palestine remained under the control of Egypt.

[Illustration: NINEVEH AND VICINITY.]

4. =The Syrian Supremacy=, B.C. 198-166. By the battle of Mount Panium, Antiochus of the Seleucid line wrested Palestine from Egypt. The Syrian domination, though short, brought to the Jews greater trials than any previous period in their history. Jerusalem was twice taken and sacked, the Temple was desecrated and closed, the Jewish religion was forbidden, and those who remained steadfast to it were subjected to a cruel persecution. The trials named in Heb. 11:35-87, belonged to this period, when every attempt was made by Antiochus Epiphanes to destroy the worship of Jehovah, and introduce Greek customs and religion among the Jewish people. But the very violence of the tyranny reacted, and led to a complete deliverance and a more thorough devotion.

5. =The Maccabean Independence=, B.C. 166-40. A priest named Mattathias raised the banner of revolt; and, after his death, his five sons in succession led the efforts of the Jews for freedom. The greatest of them, though all were heroes, was Judas, called Maccabeus, "the hammer." In B.C. 165 he took possession of Jerusalem; and, after his death, his brother Simon won the recognition of the freedom of Palestine. Other Maccabean princes extended the boundaries of the land over Edom, Samaria and Galilee. Under a succession of these rulers, also called Asmonean kings, Palestine was virtually independent, though nominally subordinate to either Syria or Egypt.

[Illustration: PALESTINE UNDER THE MACCABEES.

B.C. 100.]

6. =The Roman Supremacy=, B.C. 40-A.D. 70. Perhaps this period should begin with B.C. 63, when the Roman general Pompey entered Jerusalem, and the Romans began to exercise a controlling influence. But the representatives of the Maccabean line were allowed to reign until B.C. 40, when they were set aside, and Herod the Great, an Idumean (Edomite), was made king by the Romans. It was in the closing portion of his reign that JESUS CHRIST was born. The last 70 years of the Roman period belong to New Testament history, and will be considered in connection with the maps of that period.

THE ROMAN EMPIRE.

THE last of the Old World empires was that having its capital on the seven hills of ROME. Like most of the others, it was the dominion of a single city; but, unlike others, it represented the conquests, not of a single conquering king, as Nebuchadnezzar or Cyrus, but of a self-governing and conquering people; and, unlike its predecessors, it was not a loose aggregation of states, ready to fall apart as soon as the hand that fettered them was removed, but an empire, carefully welded together, building up in every land its own civilization, and developing a national unity which held its possessions together for a thousand years.

[Illustration: THE COLOSSEUM AT ROME.]