Josiah
Biblical King of Judah / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Josiah (/dʒoʊˈsaɪ.ə/)[1][2] or Yoshiyahu[lower-alpha 1] was the 16th King of Judah (c. 640–609 BCE). According to the Hebrew Bible, he instituted major religious reforms by removing official worship of gods other than Yahweh. Until the 1990s, the biblical description of Josiah’s reforms were usually considered to be more or less accurate, but that is now heavily debated.[3] According to the Bible, Josiah became king of the Kingdom of Judah at the age of eight, after the assassination of his father, King Amon and reigned for 31 years, from 641/640 to 610/609 BCE.[4]
Josiah | |
---|---|
King of Judah | |
Reign | 640–609 BCE |
Predecessor | Amon |
Successor | Jehoahaz |
Born | c. 648 BCE probably Jerusalem |
Died | Tammuz (July/August) 609 BCE (aged 38–39) Jerusalem |
Spouse | Zebudah Hamutal |
Issue | Johanan Jehoiakim Zedekiah Jehoahaz |
House | House of David |
Father | Amon |
Mother | Jedidah |
Josiah is known only from biblical texts; no reference to him exists in other surviving texts of the period from Egypt or Babylon, and no clear archaeological evidence, such as inscriptions bearing his name, has ever been found.[5] However, a seal bearing the name "Nathan-melech," the name of an administrative official under King Josiah according to 2 Kings 23:11, dating to the 7th century BCE, was found in situ in an archeological site in Jerusalem. The discoverers believe this seal represents the individual mentioned in 2 Kings 23:11.[6] There is no extra-biblical documentation of Josiah himself. He may have leveraged the weakening Assyrian Empire’s retreat.[7]