Freethought & Rationalism Archive

unregistered_user_1 · 06-04-2007, 03:45 PM

I've heard that there are documents from the Asyrrians and the Persians, where, they justified what they did to the ancient Isrealites based on what their crimes were. Anyone know which books may have that?

The reason I'm looking is that I'm getting ready for an argument of the "righteousness" of the OT god when he had the ancient Isrealites wipe out other cultures.

Minimalist · 06-04-2007, 06:50 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by unregistered_user_1

I've heard that there are documents from the Asyrrians and the Persians, where, they justified what they did to the ancient Isrealites based on what their crimes were. Anyone know which books may have that?

The reason I'm looking is that I'm getting ready for an argument of the "righteousness" of the OT god when he had the ancient Isrealites wipe out other cultures.

The Assyrian attack was to punish a rebellious vassal and most likely pre-dated the "bible" (or at least the prototype of it) by nearly a century. The Persians did nothing to the "Israelites" except permit them to return to Judah after the Babylonians overran them.

Non "bible-blinded" archaeology, (to coin a term) does not accept that the so-called Conquest of Joshua ever happened. It was a later tale created to justify expansionist ideas of the 7th century king, Josiah.

Now wait for the Fundies to attack.

In the meantime, you can read this:

http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/pages/S...ID=0&listSrc=Y

Quote:

According to Finkelstein's theory, the legends about earlier periods were invented for the same purpose. "The people of Judah started to market the story of Joshua's conquest of the land, which was also written in that period, in order to give moral justification to their territorial longings, to the conquest of the territories of Israel. The story also contains a `laundering' of foreigners, which was exactly the problem Josiah faced when he conquered Israel. So they relate the story of the Gibeonites, who were terrified by the might of Joshua and his army and begged for their lives, and told Joshua that they were not indigenous Canaanites but foreigners who came from afar. Joshua made an alliance of peace with them, but when he found out they had cheated him, he did not expel them but made them hewers of wood and drawers of water - in other words, he laundered them.

"That is the situation Josiah and his people faced with foreign deportees the Assyrians brought to the Land of Israel, and the biblical text comes and says, `Have no worry, this already happened before: there were strangers in the land then, too, and Joshua laundered them during the conquest. Our conquest is not really what it looks like, it is only the restoration of past glories.'

Minimalist · 06-04-2007, 07:22 PM

Or, this....which is even more on point.

http://www.geocities.com/paulntobin/joshua.html

Quote:

Based on the above evidence, this is what the historian Robin Lane Fox had to say:

The book of Joshua tells a powerful tale of conquest, supported by a God who showed no respect for most of the Holy Land’s existing inhabitants. Even now the tale has not lost its power, but it is not history and it never was.

Enjoy.

BALDUCCI · 06-06-2007, 11:24 AM

Fascinating...so nothing changes. We still have a tribal god justifying zionist imperialism

FatherMithras · 06-06-2007, 02:42 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BALDUCCI

Fascinating...so nothing changes. We still have a tribal god justifying zionist imperialism

Except there wasn´t imperializ...ing?

Minimalist · 06-06-2007, 04:31 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by FatherMithras

Quote:

Originally Posted by BALDUCCI

Fascinating...so nothing changes. We still have a tribal god justifying zionist imperialism

Except there wasn´t imperializ...ing?

It wasn't for the lack of intent, though. The bible tells the tale of Josiah being summoned to meet with the Pharoah Necho of the 26th Dynasty. Necho, on his way to his own disaster at Carchemish, kills Josiah for whatever reason. That apparently put an end to Judahite plans of expansion.

A later book of the bible, Chronicles, attempts to put a better face on the issue by suggesting there was a battle that Josiah lost. In either case it did not matter. The Babylonians followed up on their victory at Carchemish and overran both countries.

Still, there is nothing to suggest that the Babylonians were motivated by anything other than Iron Age Imperialism and couldn't have cared less about "Israel's crimes."

06-04-2007, 03:45 PM	#1
unregistered_user_1 Senior Member Join Date: Aug 2002 Location: Just north of here. Posts: 544	Evidence of ancient Isreal's "war crimes" aginst other people?? I've heard that there are documents from the Asyrrians and the Persians, where, they justified what they did to the ancient Isrealites based on what their crimes were. Anyone know which books may have that? The reason I'm looking is that I'm getting ready for an argument of the "righteousness" of the OT god when he had the ancient Isrealites wipe out other cultures.

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06-06-2007, 11:24 AM	#4
BALDUCCI Regular Member Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: scotland Posts: 365	Fascinating...so nothing changes. We still have a tribal god justifying zionist imperialism

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