Journal: Bibliotheca Sacra
Volume: BSAC 179:716 (Oct 2022)
Article: The Judean Exile And The Myth Of The “Populous” Land
Author: Tiago Abdalla Teixeira Neto

BSac 179:716 (October-December 2022) p. 422

The Judean Exile And The Myth Of The “Populous” Land

Tiago Abdalla Teixeira Neto

Tiago Abdalla Teixeira Neto is Professor of Biblical Studies at Instituto Missionário Palavra da Vida, Benevides, Brazil.

A version of this article was published previously in Portuguese as “O Mito da ‘Terra Populosa’: Uma Análise do Exílio Judaico à Luz da Pesquisa Histórica e Arqueológica Recente,” Vox Scripturae 25.1 (2017): 27–47.

Abstract

In the 1990s Hans M. Barstad developed Robert P. Carroll’s idea of the “myth of the empty land,” the exile of Judah as a fictitious tale crafted by a small community zealous for Zion. Recent studies have challenged that hypothesis via archaeological, documentary, and demographic evidence, pointing to a striking event in Judah’s history identified with the exile. This article overviews those findings to illuminate a further understanding regarding Judah’s exile and destruction.

Introduction

The “myth of the empty land,” a theory conceived at the end of the nineteenth century and developed at the end of the twentieth, questions the Babylonian exile and the reduction of Judah’s population in 587/586 BC. Its proposal can be divided into two axes: (1) the destruction in Jerusalem was not as devastating as the biblical accounts seem to convey and (2) the exile of Judah was a “myth” created by the Jewish elite who returned from the diaspora under the Persian government.1 This article seeks to

BSac 179:716 (October-December 2022) p. 423

analyze the literary and archaeological data related to the period of Judah’s exile and to answer two fundamental questions. Did Jerusalem really suffer the degree of destruction presented in the biblical accounts? And what does archaeological evidence reveal about an exile/demographic reduction in Judah?

The Fall And Destruction Of Jerusalem: Biblical And Archaeological Sources

In 605 BC two significant events happened to the Babylonian empire. First, the Babylonian army inflicted a complete defeat on the Egyptians at the Battle of Carchemish,2 impacting the inhabitants of Syria and Canaan.3 Second, Nebuchadnezzar II ascended to the throne.4 After these two events, the new monarch invaded Syria-Palestine, subdued the city of Ashkelon, and won the support of Jehoiakim (Eliakim) of Judah, subjecting him to vassalage (2 Kgs 24:1).You must have a subscription and be logged in to read the entire article.
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