Back
Wiki Details
Josiah (Koine Greek: Ἰωσίας; Latin: Iosias) or Yoshiyahu (Biblical Hebrew: יֹאשִׁיָּהוּ, romanized: Yōʾšiyyāhū, lit. 'healed or supported by God') was the 16th king of Judah (c. 640–609 BC). Josiah’s reign is difficult to reconstruct, but the evidence suggests Judah remained largely under foreign suzerainty, with limited territorial expansion; the accuracy of the depictions of his religious reform descriptions is widely debated among scholars.
According to the Hebrew Bible, Josiah became king of Judah at age eight after his father’s assassination and reigned for 31 years. According to 2 Kings, in his 18th year, the discovery of the “Book of the Law” prompted Josiah to undertake major reforms, centralizing worship in Jerusalem, destroying other shrines and idols, and extending his reforms north.
Despite no direct reference to Josiah in other contemporary texts from Egypt or Babylon, and no inscriptions bearing his name, a seal bearing the name "Nathan-melech," an official under Josiah mentioned in 2 Kings 23:11, was discovered in situ in an archeological site in Jerusalem.
The influence of Josiah's reign may be evident in the Deuteronomistic History, a collection of biblical texts that evaluate the reigns of Israelite and Judahite kings based on their adherence to the laws of Deuteronomy. Josiah is depicted as the most righteous king in this tradition, the only one to fully implement the reforms outlined in the "Book of the Law."
Back
General info from Wikipedia.org
