Neo-Babylonian Empire

Background

The name "Neo-Babylonian" distinguishes this kingdom from the Old Babylonian kingdom of Hammurabi's time in the eighteenth century BC. Because the royal house is known to have come from the Chaldeans of southern Mesopotamia, it is also called the "Chaldean dynasty." English Bibles likewise often refer to its people as "Chaldeans." Its capital was Babylon. Until the late seventh century BC, the region was under the rule of Assyria.

Course of Events

• 626 BC: Nabopolassar took the throne in Babylon and won independence from Assyria.
• 612 BC: In alliance with the Medes, Babylon captured Nineveh, the Assyrian capital. The Old Testament book of Nahum deals with the fall of Nineveh.
• 609 BC: The remaining Assyrian forces collapsed at Harran. In the same year, King Josiah of Judah was killed at Megiddo while trying to stop Pharaoh Necho of Egypt, who was marching north (2 Kings 23:29).
• 605 BC: Nebuchadnezzar, son of Nabopolassar, defeated the Egyptian army at Carchemish (Jeremiah 46:2). He became king that same year and reigned until 562 BC. Biblical interpretation has traditionally placed the deportation of Daniel and his companions (Daniel 1:1-6) around this time.
• 597 BC: Babylon captured Jerusalem and carried King Jehoiachin, the nobles, and the craftsmen off to Babylon (2 Kings 24:10-16). Ezekiel is also understood to have been deported at this time. Nebuchadnezzar installed Zedekiah as king of Judah.
• 587 or 586 BC: When Zedekiah rebelled, Babylon burned Jerusalem and the Temple and deported the people once more (2 Kings 25). Scholars' dates differ by one year, depending on the method of reckoning.
• 562–556 BC: After Nebuchadnezzar's death, Amel-Marduk, Neriglissar, and Labashi-Marduk each reigned briefly in succession. Amel-Marduk is the biblical "Evil-merodach," who released the imprisoned Jehoiachin (2 Kings 25:27-30).
• 556 BC: The last king, Nabonidus, came to the throne. He spent several years at Tema (Tayma) in Arabia, during which time his son Belshazzar administered Babylon.
• 539 BC: The empire came to an end when Cyrus of Persia took Babylon.

Consequences and Influence

The Neo-Babylonian conquest brought an end to the Davidic monarchy and to the First Temple built by Solomon. The people of Judah were carried into the Babylonian exile and scattered. The grief of this period is expressed in Lamentations and Psalm 137. Jeremiah prophesied that the period of serving Babylon would last seventy years (Jeremiah 25:11-12; 29:10). After the empire fell, the decree of Cyrus (Ezra 1:1-4) led to the return from exile and the rebuilding of the Temple. Many scholars hold that during the exile a form of faith centered on observing and studying the Law without a temple took root. Some also hold that the synagogue arose during this period, though the evidence for this is unclear.

In the New Testament, the book of Revelation calls the power opposed to God "that great city Babylon" (Revelation 14:8; 17–18). Many interpreters read this as a symbol of the Roman Empire, while some interpretations also see in it the powers of the end times.

Assessment

The Neo-Babylonian Empire lasted fewer than ninety years. Nevertheless, under Nebuchadnezzar it carried out major building projects, such as erecting the Ishtar Gate and restoring the ziggurat. The so-called "Hanging Gardens" are mentioned in ancient sources, but whether they actually existed is disputed.

The Bible portrays Babylon in two ways. On the one hand, it is the instrument by which God judges Judah (Jeremiah 25:9); on the other, it is a proud nation that is itself ultimately judged (Isaiah 13–14; Jeremiah 50–51).

In historical scholarship, Belshazzar is frequently discussed. Because he does not appear in the writings of the ancient Greek historians, his existence was once doubted. Cuneiform records discovered in the nineteenth century, however, identified him as the son of Nabonidus. Interpretations nonetheless differ over the fact that the book of Daniel calls Belshazzar "king" and Nebuchadnezzar his "father." Conservative scholars explain this by a coregency and by the ancient Near Eastern practice of using "father" in a broad sense (predecessor or ancestor). Critical scholars regard it as one piece of evidence that the book of Daniel reached its final form later, in the second century BC.