Two Campaigns of Sennacherib to Jerusalem Revisited

Koot van Wyk, Seoul, South Korea, 2023

Key words:

one campaign theory; two campaign theory; Kushite cause to retreat; plaque cause to retreat; Yahweh cause to retreat; shared Judahite and Kushite Mut religion cause to unite theory; Hezekiah-Assyria intermarriage theory of S. Dalley; coregency between Shabaka and Shabataka; coregency between Shabataka and Taharqa; hybrid Kushite rescue theory; Hezekiah surrender theory; Shabaka before Shabataka; Shabataka before Shabaka; Shabaka and Shabataka together; Shabataka and Taharqa together; fashion styles similar as argument for continuation; fashion styles disappear and reappear; religiosity of Taharqa (Herodotus and Kawa IV and V; Ram Statues; Apis bull born; attempts to feed the gods [see new Redford 1993 inscription]); Sennacherib reign counting from 707 BC at Babylon as crown-prince by some texts and from 705 BC by other texts;

Rulers involved:                     Sargon II; Sennacherib; Shabaka; Shabataka; Taharqa; Esarhaddon; Ashurbanipal;

Key Sources:

Inscriptions

Redford new Taharqa Text 1993 (Egyptian)

Tang-i Var inscription (Akkadian)

Wadi Hammamat M 187 (Egyptian)

graffiti M 176 and M 189, near M 187 not too far from M 70 and M 102, have nomen cartouches of King Taharqa (Egyptian)

Nile Flood Line Text 33; 31; 30 (Egyptian)

History of Herodotus paragraph 141 (Greek)

Stela

Kawa iv, line 8 (Egyptian)

Kawa v, line 15 (Egyptian)

Papyri

Papyrus Louvre E 3328c (Egyptian)

Colonnades 20+ at each temple (J. Hourdin 2017) (Egyptian)

Prisms (Akkadian)

                  Taylor Prism of Sennacherib’s III campaign (Akkadian)

Statues or Ram and Taharqa (Egyptian)

Kings (Hebrew)

Chronicles (Hebrew)

Isaiah (Hebrew)

“The Biblical records of Sennacherib's campaign or campaigns axe found mainly in two parallel passages-2 Ki 18:13 to 19:36 and Is 36:1 to 37:37-which are almost identical, except that 2 Ki 18:14-16 has no parallel in Is. The Chronicler's story in 2 Chr 32:1-21, on the other hand, summarizes some parts of the 2 Kips report but leaves out many details, though it contains some additional information with regard to the preparations made by Hezekiah to meet the expected Assyrian onslaught.” S. Horn 1966.

Key Two-Campaign authors: R. W. Rogers (1914); S. Horn (1966); W. Shea (1980; 1985; 1993)

Key One-Campaign authors: Rest

Kushite deniers: Alan B. Lloyd (2020)

Kushite deniers for 701 but not for 690/689 BC: S. Horn (1966); W. Shea (1980; 1985; 1993)

Kushite advocates: S. Horn (1966); W. Shea (1980; 1985; 1993); L. Grabbe; H. Aubin; E. Knauf;

Key New Paradigm authors: 2013 Shebitko versus Shabako by Michael Bányai; 2014 Frederic Payraudeau,

Osiris-Héqadjet chapel built during his reign (wall and exterior of the gate). In the rest of the room it is Amenirdis I, (Shabaka's sister), who is represented with the Adoratrix title and provided with a coronation name; 2015 G. P. F. Broekman reconsidered some but very limited. Sand and pebbles were over it; 2017 G. P. F. Broekman GM 251 (2017) paper; 2016/2017 Claus Jurman “evidence discovered”; Karl Jansen Winkeln (2014 the traditional view) later (neo view).

Key deniers of co-regencies: K. Kitchen;

Co-regency advocates: D. Redford;

Hezekiah buying-off activists: S. Horn (1966) for 701 BC but not for 689 BC; W. Shea (1980; 1985; 1993) for

701 BC but not for 689 BC; Alan B. Lloyd (2020). 

Two-Campaign Narrative:

William Shea wrote in Journal of Biblical Literature that “For those who hold the two-campaign theory 2 Kgs 18:13-16 refers to the first campaign whereas 2 Kings 18:17-36 refers to the second. For those who hold that 2 Kings 18:13-19:36 refers to one campaign these two sections go over the same ground twice.”

Two points are important here, says Shea:

1.       The number of Assyrian encounters with Egyptians

2.       The number of Assyrian embassies sent to Jerusalem

Source: William H. Shea, “Sennacherib's Second Palestinian Campaign” Journal of Biblical Literature Vol. 104, No. 3 (Sep., 1985), pp. 401-418 (18 pages)

Conclusion of Koot van Wyk 2023: After review of all the evidence the views of Horn and Shea stand unchallenged.