Ithobaal I
| Ithobaal I | |
|---|---|
| King of Tyre | |
| Predecessor | Phelles(8 months, 879 BC) |
| Successor | Baal-Eser II(Balazeros, Ba‘l-mazzer II) 846 – 841 BC |
| Born | 915 BC Tyre, presumed |
| Died | 847 or 846 BC |
| Issue | JezebelandBaal-Eser II |
| Dynasty | Began house of Ithobaal/Ithobalus |
| Father | Ahiram? |
| Mother | unknown |
Ithobaal I[a]is the name of a 9th-century BCE king ofTyrementioned in the story ofJezebelfrom theHebrew Bible,and in a citation byJosephusof a list of the kings of Tyre put together by the Phoenician authorMenander of Ephesus(2nd century BCE).
Ithobaal is listed as the founder of a new dynasty. During his reign, Tyre expanded its power on the mainland, making all ofPhoeniciaits territory as far north asBeirut,includingSidon,and even a part of the island ofCyprus.[citation needed]At the same time, Tyre also built new colonies such asBotrys(nowBatrun) nearByblos— including ones overseas such asAuza(Libya) and Carthage (Tunisia).
Sources and chronology
[edit]Primary information related to Ithobaal comes from Josephus's citation of the Phoenician author Menander of Ephesus, inAgainst Apioni.18. Here it is said that the previous king,Phelles,“was slain by Ithobalus, the priest of Astarte, who reigned thirty-two years, and lived sixty-eight years; he was succeeded by his son Badezorus (Baal-Eser II).”
The dates given here are according to the work ofF. M. Cross[1]and other scholars[2][3]who take 825 BC as the date ofDido'sflight from her brotherPygmalion,after which she founded the city ofCarthagein 814 BC. See the chronological justification for these dates in thePygmalionarticle.
Relations to Ahab of Israel
[edit]Ithobaal held close diplomatic contacts with kingAhabofIsrael.1 Kings 16:31}} relates that his daughterJezebelmarried Ahab (874 – 853 BC),[4]and Phoenician influence inSamariaand the other Israelite cities was extensive. In the First Kings passage, Ithobaal is labeled king of the Sidonians. At this time Tyre and Sidon were consolidated into one kingdom.
Menander's comment that Ithobaal had been a priest ofAstartebefore becoming king explains why his daughter Jezebel was so zealous in the promotion of the Phoenician gods, thus leading to the conflicts between Elijah and Jezebel's forces described in1 Kings 18and1 Kings 19.[5]Menander's further statement that her father was a murderer sheds some light on her choice of a way to solve the "Nabothproblem "in1 Kings 21.[dubious–discuss][citation needed]
Indirect Assyrian sources
[edit]Tyre is not mentioned as an opponent ofShalmaneser IIIat theBattle of Qarqarin 853 BC,[6]but twelve years later, in 841,[7]Ithobaal's sonBaal-Eser IIgave tribute to the Assyrian monarch.
Doubts on historicity
[edit]For decades, it was believed Ithobaal was mentioned in the inscription found on theAhiram sarcophagusas the titular king's heir;[8]however, more recent[9][10]transcriptions of the text reconstruct the heir's name asPilsibaaland notIthobaal— which has raised questions about Ithobaal's paternity and historicity.
See also
[edit]Notes
[edit]- ^(Hebrew:אֶתְבַּעַלʾEṯbaʿal,1 Kings 16:31;Ancient Greek:ΕἰθώβαλοςEithobalos)
References
[edit]- ^F. M. Cross, “An Interpretation of the Nora Stone,”Bulletin of the American Schools of Oriental Research208 (Dec. 1972) 17, n. 11.
- ^J. M. Peñuela, “La Inscripción Asiria IM 55644 y la Cronología de los Reyes de Tiro”,Sefarad13 (1953, Part 1) 217-37; 14 (1954, Part 2) 1-39.
- ^William H. Barnes,Studies in the Chronology of the Divided Monarchy of Israel(Atlanta: Scholars Press, 1991) 29-55.
- ^Edwin R. Thiele,The Mysterious Numbers of the Hebrew Kings(3rd ed.; Grand Rapids: Zondervan/Kregel, 1983) 94.
- ^Merrill F. Unger,Unger’s Bible Dictionary(Chicago: Moody Press, 1977) 327.
- ^James B. Pritchard, ed.:Ancient Near Eastern Texts Relating to the Old Testament(Princeton: Princeton University Press, 1969) 278-79.
- ^Thiele,Mysterious Numbers76.
- ^Vance, Donald R. (1994). "Literary Sources for the History of Palestine and Syria: The Phœnician Inscriptions".The Biblical Archaeologist.57(1). The Biblical Archaeologist, Vol. 57, No. 1: 2–19.doi:10.2307/3210392.JSTOR3210392.S2CID222767576.
- ^Reinhard G. Lehmann:Die Inschrift(en) des Ahirom-Sarkophags und die Schachtinschrift des Grabes V in Jbeil (Byblos),2005, p. 38
- ^Reinhard G. Lehmann, Wer war Aḥīrōms Sohn (KAI 1:1)? Eine kalligraphisch-prosopographische Annäherung an eine epigraphisch offene Frage, in: V. Golinets, H. Jenni, H.-P. Mathys und S. Sarasin (Hg.),Neue Beiträge zur Semitistik. Fünftes Treffen der ArbeitsgemeinschaftSemitistik in der Deutschen Morgenländischen Gesellschaft vom 15.–17. Februar 2012 an der Universität Basel(AOAT 425), Münster: Ugarit-Verlag 2015, pp. 163-180