by
Damien F. Mackey
In the modern tale, the Temple of Yahweh in Jerusalem is substituted for
with the Church of the Holy Sepulchre.
Things may not always be as they seem.
Royce (Richard) Erickson in December 2020, in an outrageously revolutionary article on ancient geography:
A PROBLEM IN CHALDAEAN AND ELAMITE GEOGRAPHY
(5) A PROBLEM IN CHALDAEAN AND ELAMITE GEOGRAPHY | Royce Erickson - Academia.edu
argued most compellingly that, amongst other things, Merodach-baladan’s Chaldean kingdom needed to be shifted far westwards, from N of the Persian Gulf to NW Syria:
Things may not always be as they seem.
On a different, but related, note, might Merodach-baladan, and his contemporary in Jerusalem, Eliakim, the high official of King Hezekiah, have been projected into a pseudo AD ‘history’?
Previously I made the suggestion that the supposedly medieval Heraclius (Eraclius) of Byzantium/Patriarch Heraclius of Jerusalem may have been based upon - at least in part - the neo-Assyrian era and biblical high priest of Jerusalem, Eliakim/Joakim, who, as I also claimed, figures in the Book of Judith as “The High Priest Joakim” (4:14).
“There are some very strong similarities”, I had commented in relation to this, “between the successful first invasion of Sennacherib at the time of Eliakim, and the likewise successful effort of Saladin at the time of Heraclius”.
But I had also noted that: “… Heraclius shape-shifts … to become King Hezekiah - in the latter’s illness at the time, and in his submission to the invader and stripping of the Temple of its gold and silver”.
In the modern tale, the Temple of Yahweh in Jerusalem is substituted for with the Church of the Holy Sepulchre.
For the problematical location of this Church, anyway, see my article:
Golgotha Situated near Altar of the Red Heifer
https://www.academia.edu/26686122/Golgotha_Situated_near_Altar_of_the_Red_Heifer
Balian and Baladan
If I am correct in likening Heraclius/Eraclius to Eliakim, and even likening him sometimes to King Hezekiah of Judah, then there may be an opportunity to take this whole matter further in the case of Balian of Ibelin, who was an ally of Heraclius during Saladin’s invasion of Jerusalem, when Heraclius was ill. For King Hezekiah also had a prominent ally of very similar name when he was ill, at the time of Sennacherib’s invasion of Jerusalem: namely, Merodach-Baladan King of Babylon.
As we read in a quote from Isaiah (39:1-2), the father’s name was “Baladan”:
At that time Marduk-Baladan son of Baladan king of Babylon sent Hezekiah
letters and a gift, because he had heard of his illness and recovery.
Hezekiah received the envoys gladly and showed them what was in
his storehouses—the silver, the gold, the spices, the fine olive oil—
his entire armory and everything found among his treasures.
There was nothing in his palace or in all his kingdom
that Hezekiah did not show them”.
Isaiah 39:1-2
Now, according to https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Balian_of_Ibelin the father of Balian was “Barisan”.
And, considering the common interchangeability of the letters l and r, then these two names become virtually identical: Baladan and Ba[l]isan.
And the very same comment applies to the son, (Merodach-) Baladan, since Balian was also known as Barisan: “In Latin his name appears variously as Balian, Barisan, Barisanus, Balianus, Balisan, and Balisanus”.
One can easily imagine that Babylon could become transmuted into [B]Ibelin/Ibelin.
In the modern story the original details get all sifted around, of course.
Thus, whereas in the biblical accounts (also 2 Kings 20:12-15) the envoys of the Babylonian king, Merodach-baladan, come to Jerusalem and are shown all of the treasures of which its king can boast, in the case of Balian, he himself is present in Jerusalem handling the city’s wealth: “Heraclius helped Balian negotiate the surrender with Saladin, who allowed him and most of the other Christians to leave the city unharmed. He and Balian had organised, and contributed to, a collection of 30,000 bezants to ransom the poorer citizens”.
And again, whilst Merodach-baladan “… sent Hezekiah letters and a gift, because he had heard of his illness and recovery”, Balian of Ibelin will assist the previously ill Heraclius by leading the defence of Jerusalem against Saladin.
Famous Last Stands
A similarity perceived between Assyrian and Muslim sieges of Jerusalem.
https://www.reddit.com/r/history/comments/2sqdwq/last_stands_that_were_not/ Here, a reader has observed, in relation to famous last stands:
There is limited documentation of it (some brief accounts in the Bible and one mention from Assyrian documents) but the city of Jerusalem under King Hezekiah was laid under siege by the Assyrian army, the greatest and most brutal army in the world, and they outlasted the Assyrians. The sources are vague, but it's likely that either the Assyrians were defeated in battle or there was trouble at home that caused Assyrian King Sennacherib to withdraw.
Mackey’s comment: This is what really happened:
And the Assyrian will fall ‘by the hand of a woman’
(7) And the Assyrian will fall 'by the hand of a woman'
Another is the Battle of Bunker Hill from early in the American Revolution, in which a smaller American force defended Breed's Hill near Boston from a larger attacking British force (note: I understand both sides were British …).
One that is sort of in the middle was the Siege of Jerusalem in between the second and third crusades. The Muslim leader Saladin was laying siege to the city, and Balian of Ibelin held the city long enough to be able to demand terms from Saladin and secure the safe travel to Europe of many of the city's inhabitants. ….
