| Ahab became king after Jeroboam (year 22), Nadab (2), Baasha (24), Elah (2), Zimri (7 days), Omri (12), and Tibni (6, at the same time as Omri) ; in the 38th year of Asa (cf. 3 Kings 16:29), that is, in the (19.5±0.5) + (37.5±0.5) + (37.5±0.5)=57(±1) year. Jehoshaphat became king: in the fourth year of Ahab (cf. 3 Kings 22: 41-42) – (57±1) + (3.5±0.5)=60.5(±1.5); after Asa (41) – (19.5±0.5) + 41= 60.5(±0.5) . Jehoram became king: after Ahab (22) and Ahasja (2) ; in the 18th year of Jehosaphat (cf. 4 Kings 3:1) – (60.5±0.5) + (17.5±0.5)= 78(±1) . Jehu killed Ahasja and Jehoram (cf. 4 Kings 9:23-28) and ascended the throne: Gophelia after Jehosaphat (25), Jehoram (8) and Ahasja (1) and Jehu after Jehoram (12) in year (78±1) + 12= 90(±1) from the D.S.K. Joash became king: in the seventh year of Jehu (cf. 4 Kings 12:1) – (09±1) + (6.5±0.5)=96.5(±1.5); after Gophelia (6) – (90±1)=96(±1). Jehoash became king after Jehu (28) and Jeoahaz (17) ; in the 37th year of Joash (cf. 4 Kings 13:10-11) – (96±1) + (36.5±0.5)= 132.5(±1.5) . Amaziah became king: after Joash (40); in the 2nd year of Joash of Israel (cf. 4 Kings 14:1-2) – (132.5±1.5) + (1.5±0.5)= 132(±2) . Jeroboam (the second) became king: in the 15th year of Amaziah (cf. 4 Kings 14:23 – (134±2) + (14.5±0.5)=148.5(±2.5); after Joash (16) – (132.5±1.5) + 16= 148.5(±1.5) . Azariah-Oziah became king: 15 year after the death of Joash (16) – (132.5±1.5) (cf. 4 Kings 14:17; 2 Chron. 25:25) – (132.5±1.5) + 16 + 15=163.5(±1.5); after Amaziah (29) – (134±2) + 29= 163(±2) . Pekah becam king: after Jerobaam (41), Zacharia (months), Salum (one month), Menael (10) and Pekah (2) ; in the 52nd year of Azariah (cf. 4 Kings 16:1-2) – (214.5±2.5) + (16.5±0.5)=231(±3); after Amaziah-Oziah (52) and Joapham (16) – (163±2) + 52 + 16= 231(±2) . Hoshea became king: after Pekah (20) ; in the 12th year of Ahaz (cf. 4 Kings 17:1-2) – (231±2) + (11.5±0.5)= 242.5(±2.5) . Hezekiah became king: after Ahaz (16); in the third year of Hoshea (cf. 4 Kings 18:1-2) – (242.5±2.5) + (2.5±0.5)= 245(±3) year after D.S.K. |
| He launched two ultimately unsuccessful Crusades against the Ottomans: in 1443 AD, reaching Sofia before retreating for the winter, and 1444 AD reaching the Black Sea city of Varna where he perished at the age of 20 in theBattle of Varna against the forces of Ottoman Sultan Murad II (r. 1421-1451 AD). Because of that, in Bulgaria theheroic Polish and Hungarian King is known as Vladislav Varnenchik (Wladyslaw Warnenczyk), i.e. Vladislav of Varna. The Second Bulgarian Empire (1185-1396) was conquered by the Ottoman Turks in 1396 (although some Bulgarianestates in the west may have survived for а few more decades). In 1396 AD, Hungarian King Sigismund of Luxembourg (r. 1387-1437 AD, later Holy Roman Emperor in 1433-1437 AD), organized a crusade against the Ottoman Turks which, however, ended in a disaster for the Christian forces in the Battle of Nicopolis (today’s Bulgarian town of Nikopol). The Crusades of the Polish and Hungarian King Vladislav (Wladyslaw) III Varnenchik were the last Christian campaign against the Ottoman Empire in the Late Middle Ages that had the potential to liberate Bulgaria. With its failure, Bulgaria remained suffering for centuries, a horrific period known as the Ottoman Yoke, and was liberated only in the Russian-Turkish War of 1877-1878. D uring his campaign against the Ottoman Empire in 1444, King Vladislav (Wladyslaw) III Jagello was in charge of an army of some 20,000 European Christian warriors, including Poles, Hungarians, Czechs, Slovaks, Wallachians, Ruthenes (Rusyns), Bulgarians, Croatians, Saxons, Lithuanians, and Crusader Knights of Pope Eugene IV (r. 1431-1477). The young Vladislav (Wladislaw) III Jagello inherited his father King Wladyslaw II Jagello as the King of Poland in 1434, at the age of 10. In 1440, Vladislav became also the King of Hungary, after a union between the Kingdoms of Poland and Hungary designed to unite their forces against the Ottoman Turks. After the first Crusade of King Vladislav and John Hunyadi against the Ottoman Empire, which reached Sofia in the fall of 1443, the Ottoman Sultan Murad II signed a 10-year truce with Hungary, and in August 1444 resigned from the throne in favor of his 12-year-old son Mehmed II (who later became Mehmed II the Conqueror after conquering Constantinople in 1453 AD). The new Crusade was organized under the auspices of Pope Eugene IV in anticipation of a new Ottoman invasion. The preemptive Christian campaign that later became known in history literature as theVarna Crusade led the old Sultan Murad II to return to the throne. |
| E. The Later Anglo-Saxon Period. However, in one of the most astonishing reversals in Christian history, King Alfred, inspired by a vision from St. Cuthbert, emerged from his hiding place, defeated the Danish «Great Army» and baptised their king. Then, almost single-handedly, he proceeded to resurrect English Orthodox Christianity and statehood, even translating church books from Latin into English and sending them to his bishops. In the tenth century the English recovery continued under Alfred " s successors, until, by the 970s, the Anglo-Saxon Kingdom, uniting Anglo-Saxon, Celtic and Danish populations, emerged as probably the most powerful and civilized country in Western Europe. However, in 979 the young King Edward «the Martyr» was killed, marking the beginning of the end of Anglo-Saxon England. The Vikings invaded again, and in 1016 they conquered the whole country while the English Royal Family went into exile in France. However, the Danish King Canute, who ruled Denmark and Norway as well as England, was converted to the faith of his new subjects, and did not hinder the conversion of Scandinavia by English missionaries. Finally, in 1042, the last descendant of the old English royal line, St. Edward «the Confessor», returned from exile and was anointed king. During his reign, in 1052, the English Church was excommunicated by the Pope of Rome, who was then himself excommunicated by the Great Church of Constantinople in 1054. In January, 1066, King Edward died, having prophesied the fall of Orthodox England. Almost immediately, the Viking Duke William of Normandy laid claim to the throne. When the English people rejected his claim and elected King Edward " s brother-in-law Harold instead, William appealed to the Pope, who blessed him to invade «schismatic» England and its unlawful king. On October 14, in a desperate battle that lasted all day, the Normans defeated the English at Hastings and killed King Harold. In January, 1067 William was crowned in London as the first Catholic king of England, and proceeded to destroy English Orthodox civilization to its foundations, killing perhaps twenty percent of the population – the first genocide in European history. Most of the English aristocracy fled to Constantinople, where the Emperor Alexis gave them a basilica in which to worship and enrolled them in his army. Harold " s daughter, Gytha, fled to Kiev, where she married Great Prince Vladimir Monomakh& |
| Upon being enthroned in Jerusalem after the death of Saul, king David became the most outstanding king ever to rule Israel. He had combined within himself many valuable qualities: love for the people, fairness, wisdom, courage, and, most importantly – a strong faith in God. Before deciding any state question, King David always zealously prayed to God, asking for understanding. The Lord always helped David and blessed his 40-year reign with major successes, in both internal and external politics. But David did not evade severe ordeals. His deepest grief was the military uprising, headed by his own son Absalom, who wanted to become king before his time. In this instance, David experienced all the bitterness of villainous ingratitude and treachery among his subjects. But, as before with Saul, faith and hope in God helped David. Absalom died ingloriously, although David tried to save him by all means. He also forgave the other mutineers. Afterward David clearly portrayed his enemies’ senseless and insidious revolt in his Messianic psalms. While attending to the material well-being of his people, David imparted great meaning to its spiritual life. Often he headed religious holidays, bringing sacrifices to God for the Hebrew people and putting together his inspired religious hymns – psalms. Being a king and a prophet, and also to a certain extent a priest, King David became the prototype (a model), as a precursor of the greatest of Kings, Prophet and High Priest – Christ the Savior, the descendant of David. The personal experience of King David, and also the poetic gift with which he was endowed, gave him the opportunity to describe the character and feat of the coming Messiah in a whole row of psalms with unprecedented clarity and vividness. For example, in his 2 nd psalm king David foretells the enmity and uprising against the Messiah on the part of his enemies. This psalm is written in the form of a discussion among three entities: David, God the Father, and the Son of God, anointed by the Father to the Kingdom. Here are the main excerpts from this psalm: |
| “I am the son of Belšumiškun, king of Babylon.” The second volume of Langdon’s work on the NeoBabylonian royal inscriptions, however, which included the inscriptions from the reign of Neriglissar, was never published in English. The manuscript was translated into German by Rudolf Zehnphund and published under the title Die neubabylonischen Königinschriften (Leipzig 1912). The inscription that is supposed to give Belšumiškun the title “king of Babylon” is Ested as “Neriglissar Nr. 1”. The original Akkadian text as transliterated by Langdon reads in Col. I , line 14 (pp. 210, 211): “mâr I ilu bêlšumiškun šar bâbili ki anaku” This is verbatim translated into German as, “der Sohn des Belšumiškun, des Konigs von Babylon, bin Ich,” A literal translation of this into English would be “the son of Belšumiškun, the king of Babylon, am I,” rather than “I am the son of Belšumiškun, king of Babylon.” This is probably also what was written in Langdon’s English manuscript. In W. H. Lane’s book Babylonian Problems (London, 1923), which has an introduction by Professor S. Langdon, a number of the translations of the NeoBabylonian inscriptions is published in Appendix 2 (pp. 177195). They are said to be taken from the work, “Building Inscriptions of the NeoBabylonian Empire, by STEPHEN LANGDON, translated by E. M. LAMOND.” The last of these royal inscriptions is “Neriglissar I” (pp. 194, 195). Line 14 of the text says (p. 194): “der Son of Belšumiškun, King of Babylon, am I.” It is obvious that this statement may be understood in two ways. Either the phrase “King of Babylon” refers back to Belsumiskun as king or it refers to Neriglissar himself. As no contract tablets have been found that are dated to Belšumiškun as king of Babylon, the statement is most likely a reference to Neriglissar. Do we know anything about Belšumiškun, more than that he was the father of Neriglissar? It is known that Neriglissar, before he became king, was a wellknown businessman, and in several business tablets he is referred to as “Neriglissar, the son of Belšumiškun.” In none of these tablets is Belšumiškun stated to be, or to have been, king of Babylon. |
| On the death of Latinus, Æneas reigned three years, the same kings continuing in the above-named places, except that Pelasgus was now king in Sicyon, and Samson was judge of the Hebrews, who is thought to be Hercules, because of his wonderful strength. Now the Latins made Æneas one of their gods, because at his death he was nowhere to be found. The Sabines also placed among the gods their first king, Sancus, [Sangus], or Sanctus, as some call him. At that time Codrus king of Athens exposed himself incognito to be slain by the Peloponnesian foes of that city, and so was slain. In this way, they say, he delivered his country. For the Peloponnesians had received a response from the oracle, that they should overcome the Athenians only on condition that they did not slay their king. Therefore he deceived them by appearing in a poor man " s dress, and provoking them, by quarrelling, to murder him. Whence Virgil says, Or the quarrels of Codrus. And the Athenians worshipped this man as a god with sacrificial honors. The fourth king of the Latins was Silvius the son of Æneas, not by Creüsa, of whom Ascanius the third king was born, but by Lavinia the daughter of Latinus, and he is said to have been his posthumous child. Oneus was the twenty-ninth king of Assyria, Melanthus the sixteenth of the Athenians, and Eli the priest was judge of the Hebrews; and the kingdom of Sicyon then came to an end, after lasting, it is said, for nine hundred and fifty-nine years. Chapter 20.– Of the Succession of the Line of Kings Among the Israelites After the Times of the Judges. While these kings reigned in the places mentioned, the period of the judges being ended, the kingdom of Israel next began with king Saul, when Samuel the prophet lived. At that date those Latin kings began who were surnamed Silvii, having that surname, in addition to their proper name, from their predecessor, that son of Æneas who was called Silvius; just as, long afterward, the successors of Cæsar Augustus were surnamed Cæsars. |
| Подробней о внутренних противоречиях в израильском обществе времен Иеровоама II см., напр.: Арсений (Соколов), игумен. Книга пророка Амоса: введение и комментарий. Москва, 2012. Особ. с. 18-22. Гадий был из Фирцы, а Менаим вышел из Фирцы? Еврейский текст допускает обе интерпретации. Согласно Синодальному переводу, Гадий происходил из Фирцы. Современный русский перевод, выполненный под редакцией Михаила Селезнева (Москва, 2011), вставляет еще одну запятую, следуя, таким образом, общему современному пониманию, отраженному в современных европейских переводах: «Менахем, сын Гади, пошел из Тирцы на Самарию». В этом месте локализует Типсах, напр., Библейская энциклопедия Брокгауза: Ринекер Ф., Майер Г. Библейская энциклопедия Брокгауза. Кременчуг, 1999. С. 974. В средневековых еврейских комментариях встречается и другая локализация. Напр., у Давида Кимхи (Радак): «Тифсах находился не на земле Исраэля, а за рекой и принадлежал Араму… Вероятно, он находился на рубеже земли Исраэля против Тирцы» ( Книга Царей с толкованием Давида Кимхи. Т. II. Иерусалим-Запорожье, 2009. С. 166). Очевидно, «рекой» Радак называет здесь не Евфрат, а Иордан. См., напр.: CookH.J. Pekah. “Vetus Testamentum”, (1964). P. 121-135. Thiele E.R. Pekah to Hezekiah. “Vetus Testamentum”, (1966). P. 83-107. Протоиерей Александр Мень считал, что создание антиассирийской коалиции было делом рук Египта, который таким образом хотел отгородиться от напористых ассирийцев: «Две великие державы, Ассирия и Египет, много лет готовились к решительной схватке, причем перевес был явно на ассирийской стороне. Между соперниками находились государства Палестины и Сирии, и фараон хотел заручиться союзом с ними, чтобы создать заслон от ассирийцев. Между тем Ассур готовился поглотить эту преграду и выйти на рубежи Египта… В 736 году фараон добился больших политических успехов. Посулами, запугиваниями и увещаниями ему удалось создать блок против Ассирии. Сам он его не возглавил, предпочитая загребать жар чужими руками, а предоставил водительство Пекаху, царю Израильскому, и Рецину, царю Дамаска» ( Мень Александр, протоиерей. Вестники Царства Божия. Брюссель, 1986. С. 130-131). Это лишь предположение. Нет сомнения, антиассирийская коалиция Израиля и Дамаска (в которую, возможно, вошли и некоторые филистимские города-государства) была на руку египтянам, но исторических сведений о реальном участии Египта в ее создании нет. |
| Saint Edmund the Martyr, King of East Anglia and Patron-Saint of England Commemorated November 20/December 3 Dmitry Lapa Icon of St. Edmund, with Life. Today, the best-known patron saint of England is the Great-martyr St. George the Victory-Bearer. However, the country has also its own native patron saint—Edmund the Martyr, King of East Anglia, one of the most venerated early Orthodox saints of the country to whom over 60 ancient churches were dedicated. Let us recall his life. The early English kingdom of East Anglia was formed in about 520 AD. It corresponded to the present-day English counties Suffolk and Norfolk (and from the mid-seventh century—also eastern Cambridgeshire). Orthodox Christianity was introduced into East Anglia under King Raedwald who ruled from c. 599 till 624. The Christianization of this kingdom was carried out chiefly in the 630s and 640s and eventually this region became one of the most religious ones in the whole of England, with a host of monasteries, convents, churches and saints. Many of them are still remembered in local place names. Before St. Edmund, East Anglia produced two holy kings, both of whom were martyrs: Sigebert (+ c. 635) and Ethelbert (+ 794). The founders of the royal dynasty of East Anglia were the Wuffingas; however, after the martyrdom of Ethelbert this dynasty ceased to exist. As the ninth century was marked by the Danish raids on England which caused the destruction of many churches, archives and documents, it is not known exactly to which dynasty St. Edmund belonged. It is known that after 794, East Anglia was largely taken over by the powerful kingdom of Mercia, and then Wessex. However, it managed to survive. King Aethelweard of East Anglia died in c. 855 and Edmund, who presumably was his son, became his successor. There is very little contemporary evidence on St. Edmund. The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle in 890 writes that “in 870 the Danish Army went across Mercia into East Anglia and took winter quarters at Thetford, and the same winter St. |
| The Babylonian invasion of Judah soon after the battle at Carchemish is also reflected in Jeremiah chapter 35 days of Jehoiakim the son of Josiah.” (verse 1 normally dwelt in tents in obedience to the command of their forefather, Jehonadab the son of Rechab, lived in Jerusalem at that time. Why? They explained to Jeremiah: But it came about when Nebuchadrezzar the king ofUabylon came up against the land that we began to say, “Come, and let us enter into Jerusalem because of the military force of the Chaldeans and because of the military force of the Syrians, and let us dwell in Jerusalem.” – Jeremiah 35:11 Thus, some time earlier in the reign of Jehoiakim, the Babylonian army had invaded the territory of Judah, forcing the Rechabites to seek refuge mside the walls of Jerusalem. Either this invasion was the one described in Daniel 1:1 took place in the following year, when, according to the Babylonian chronicle, “all the kings of Hattu” presented their tribute to the Babylonian king as a sign of their vassalage. That Judah became a vassal of Babylon early in the reign of Jehoiakim is clearly stated in 2 Kings 24:1 in the days of Jehoiakim “Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon came up, and so Jehoiakim became his servant for three years. However, he turned back and rebelled against him.” (NW) This rebellion caused the king of Babylon “to send against him marauder bands of Chaldeans and marauder bands of Syrians and marauder bands of Moabites and marauder bands of the sons of Ammon [these nations were now obviously under the control of the king of Babylon], and he kept sending them against Judah to destroy it.” (Verse 2 It has been demonstrated above that Jeremiah’s prediction of the seventy years in Jeremiah 25:10 to a period of complete desolation of Jerusalem, but a period of servitude, not for Judah, but for “these nations,” that is, the nations surrounding Judah. It was further shown that the Bible and secular historical sources, such as the Babylonian chronicle and Berossus, all agree that the servitude for these nations began long before the destruction of Jerusalem in 587 B.C.E. The Babylonian chronicle B.M. 21946 shows that Nebuchadnezzar started to conquer these areas immediately after the battle at Carchemish in 605 B.C.E. Daniel 1:1–6 relates that Nebuchadnezzar, in the same year, laid siege to Jerusalem and brought Jewish captives to Babylon. Berossus confirms Daniel 1:16 with respect to this first deportation (which probably was rather small). Jeremiah, chapters 27 surrounding nations were vassals to Babylon as early as in the reign of Jehoiakim, and this is also apparent from 2 Kings 24:1 a number of the surrounding nations, the servitude evidendy began in the same year Jeremiah uttered his prophecy, that is in 605 B.C.E. |
| In 602: ” [The third year: In the month . . ., on] the thirteenth [day] Nabushumulishir [ . . .] [In the month . . . the king of Akkad mustered his army and [marched] to Hattu. [……] He brought the vast [booty] of Hattu into Akkad.” In 601 (march against Egypt in Kislev=Nov./Dec.): ”The fourth year: The king of Akkad mustered his army and marched to Hattu. [He marched about victoriously] in Hattu. In the month Kislev he took his army’s lead and marched to Egypt. [When] the king of Egypt heard (the news) he m[ustered] his army. They fought one another in the battlefield and both sides suffered severe losses (literally, they inflicted a major defeat upon one another). The king of Akkad and his army [went back] to Babylon.” 559 From this chronicle it is seen that the whole Hattuterritory (primarily SyriaLebanon but extending to Phoenicia and Palestine) became tributary to Nebuchadnezzar as of his accession year. And in Nebuchadnezzar’s first year it is explicitly stated that “all the kings of Hattu” were tributary to him, which reasonably cannot have excepted Jehoiakim. Many scholars conclude that Nebuchadnezzar’s fourth year, in which Insight on the Scriptures supposes that Jehoiakim’s Babylonian vassalage began, was probably the year in which Jehoiakim revolted against Nebuchadnezzar, because in that year Nebuchadnezzar batded with Egypt, and both seem to have suffered great losses. Nebuchadnezzar had to return to Babylon, where he remained in the fifth year and “refitted his numerous horses and chariotry.” 560 unsuccessful batde with Egypt may have encouraged Jehoiakim to throw off the Babylonian yoke, thus ending his three years of vassalage to Babylon. 561 2 Kings 24:17 conclusion. Verse 1 that “in his (Jehoiakim’s) days Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon came up, and so Jehoiakim became his servant for three years. However, he turned back and rebelled against him.” As a result, Jehovah (through Nebuchadnezzar) “began to send against him marauder bands of Chaldeans and marauder bands of Syrians and marauder bands of Moabites and marauder bands of the sons of Ammon, and he kept sending them against Judah to destroy it, according to Jehovah’s word that he had spoken by means of his servants the prophets.” – 2 Kings 24:1 |
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