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Josiah

Josiah listening to the reading of the law by Julius Schnorr von Carolsfeld

Josiah in the Bible is the successor of Amon and the 16th king of Judah from -640 to -609 , when he was defeated and mortally wounded at the Battle of Megiddo against the pharaoh Necho II.

History

Josiah is under the High Priest ( Kohen Gadol ) Hilkiah was "Voyager" in the temple of Jerusalem a copy of the book of the law (see 2 king 22-8 ). Some scholars believe that this book is the Torah (that is to say the 5 books of the Pentateuch ), others more and more fighting for the only Deuteronomy (the last book of the Pentateuch).

Rabbi Saadia Gaon believes that the written Torah found at the time of Josiah is incomplete and we have only what has been transmitted through oral tradition. (Sa'adiah Gaon Heqdem first chapter.)

Josiah made this book the basis for reform of the Jewish religion and the eradication of idolatry, the "high places" (apparently he sanctuaries located on high ground) and surrounding deities Yahweh

Israelite polytheism is indeed well attested before Josiah. "The inscriptions dating from the ^eighth century , found on the site Kuntillet Ajrud in north-eastern Sinai "

This religious reform is presented by the Bible as a return to monotheism original partially forgotten by the Israelites.
Conversely, many historians consider Josiah as the true creator of modern Hebrew monotheism, having imposed a vision of Yahweh as the only god, and not only as the supreme god of the Israelites. In this case, Josiah is not the creator of this vision (which is emerging in the older sources say the Yahwist Elohist and in the documentary hypothesis ), but his spokesman in the struggle between the theological Elohistic trend.

Literary Posterity

Josiah. True mirror of things adueues of our time , 1566, Messer Phillon (perhaps the pseudonym of Louis Masures ). Tragedy translated from Italian, Geneva, Francois Perrin, and 1583, Geneva, Gabriel Cartier Claude Augie.

KBO