Geopolitical context of Jerusalem per Book of Mormon

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Mig190
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Geopolitical context of Jerusalem per Book of Mormon

Post by Mig190 »

Hi everyone ... I'm new to the forum.

Question ... does anyone know of any research on the geopolitical context of the city of Jerusalem at the time Lehi & family left according to the Book of Mormon and comparing it what is known in ancient history scholarship today? I've started to look into it and I haven't found very much. Specifically, FAIR doesn't seem to have anything about it. Thanks in advance.

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Res Ipsa
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Re: Geopolitical context of Jerusalem per Book of Mormon

Post by Res Ipsa »

Welcome Mig190! I don’t know the answer to your question, but there are lots of folks here who know more about historical topics than I do.
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Re: Geopolitical context of Jerusalem per Book of Mormon

Post by Philo Sofee »

Welcome to the group!

The best one I saw was John Welch's Glimpses of Lehi's Jerusalem," FARMS, 2004. Dunno if it is still available. There were a smattering of articles in the old Journal of Book of Mormon Studies, but, again, since the demise of FARMS I am not sure what is available anymore.
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Re: Geopolitical context of Jerusalem per Book of Mormon

Post by Mig190 »

Copy...thanks for the information. I’ll try to find it.
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Re: Geopolitical context of Jerusalem per Book of Mormon

Post by Moksha »

From the Wikipedia:
c. 670 BCE: Manasseh, the ruler of Jerusalem, is brought in chains to the Assyrian king, presumably for suspected disloyalty.[9]
c. 627 BCE: The death of Ashurbanipal and the successful revolt of Nabopolassar replaces the Neo-Assyrian Empire with the Neo-Babylonian Empire.
609 BCE: Jerusalem becomes part of the Empire of the Twenty-sixth dynasty of Egypt after Josiah of Judah is killed by the army of Pharaoh Necho II at the Battle of Megiddo. Josiah's son Jehoahaz of Judah is deposed by the Egyptians and replaced as ruler of Jerusalem by his brother Jehoiakim.
605 BCE: Jerusalem switches its tributary allegiance back to the Neo-Babylonians after Necho II is defeated by Nebuchadnezzar II at the Battle of Carchemish.
599–597 BCE: first Babylonian siege – Nebuchadnezzar II crushed a rebellion in the Kingdom of Judah and other cities in the Levant which had been sparked by the Neo-Babylonians failed invasion of Egypt in 601. Jehoiachin of Jerusalem deported to Babylon.
587–586 BCE: second Babylonian siege – Nebuchadnezzar II fought Pharaoh Apries's attempt to invade Judah. Jerusalem mostly destroyed including the First Temple, and the city's prominent citizens exiled to Babylon (see Nebuchadnezzar Chronicle).
582 BCE: Gedaliah the Babylonian governor of Judah assassinated, provoking refugees to Egypt and a third deportation.


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Re: Geopolitical context of Jerusalem per Book of Mormon

Post by Brack »

Philo Sofee wrote:
Mon Jan 04, 2021 12:29 am
Welcome to the group!

The best one I saw was John Welch's Glimpses of Lehi's Jerusalem," FARMS, 2004. Dunno if it is still available. There were a smattering of articles in the old Journal of Book of Mormon Studies, but, again, since the demise of FARMS I am not sure what is available anymore.

Here is a review of this book.
Generally, teachers and students begin their study of the Book of Mormon with the phrase, "I, Nephi, having been born of goodly parents," perhaps without giving much thought to the historical context into which Nephi and his father, Lehi, were born. This is unfortunate because students can profit greatly from studying the history, archaeology, literature, and culture of Judea in the period immediately preceding Lehi and his family's departure into the wilderness. Glimpses of Lehi's Jerusalem is an important book that succeeds admirably in helping us understand and visualize the world in which Lehi and Nephi lived. Focus on Jerusalem is important because once Lehi and his family board the ship to the new promised land, it becomes much more difficult to establish where events described in the Book of Mormon took place and even more difficult to grasp their cultural setting. Although significant work has been done on proposing possible ancient American settings for the Book or Mormon (particularly by John L. Sorenson),1 we are still in the realm of speculation. For this reason, an examination of Jerusalem and the Old World in testing the claims of the Book of Mormon can be particularly useful because we believe we know where events took place.2

Glimpses of Lehi's Jerusalem begins by serving up a culturegram about Jerusalem. John Welch and Robert Hunt offer basic information in a readable style, in the tradition of the culturegrams provided by the Kennedy Center at Brigham Young University or of one of the many visitor guidebooks so familiar to travelers. This is followed by an annotated list of biblical figures and political figures from Judah, Assyria, Babylonia, and Egypt active during the period under consideration. David Seely and Robert Hunt introduce these individuals to the reader who may not have been familiar with them previously. For those who are more conversant with these historical figures, the list serves as a quick reference with a handy chronological chart that has been reprinted on the back endpapers.


https://web.archive.org/web/20060321162 ... iew&id=552
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