Ptolemy duped

One repercussion of the validity of Hezekiah’s sign is that Ptolemy’s Canon is wrong. The era of Nabonassar becomes 765 BC and Ptolemy’s invaluable trio of early eclipses shifts back 18 years to 738-739 BC. All is not as simple as it may seem however. Suddenly, historical voids appear in the records of Assyria and Babylon.

For Ptolemy, the majority of the problem is best resolved by understanding that there were two Babylonian leaders by the name of Merodach Baladan. Merodach Baladan, son of Iakin, had newly come to power at the time of the three lunar eclipses so important to Ptolemy. He may have been appointed by Tiglath-Pileser about 739 BC, or began a stint as a rebel leader but was acknowledged in political circles. This could cause a scribe to cite him as king in an astronomical record, perhaps prematurely since Tiglath-Pileser did not die until late in the Babylonian year 738 (Nisan reckoning).

Merodach Baladan, son of Baladan, would follow his father by at least 715, at which time he is soon mentioned in the Bible in relation to Hezekiah’s illness and recovery. Ptolemy had little chance to distinguish son from father since the Babylonian record (presumably resembling what is now called the Babylonian Chronicle) had been falsified by Sargon II and his son Sennacherib.

After or while destroying his older brother Shalmaneser V’s Assyrian records, tinkering with the Assyrian king lists and the Eponym Canon, Sargon II came to hold the Babylonian throne as well. This immediately followed the death of Shalmaneser who had also enjoyed dual regency. The Babylonian record showed Merodach Baladan had ruled 12 years, followed by Shalmaneser for five years. After Sargon’s Assyrian manipulations, the Babylonian record showed Shalmaneser V was alive long after his apparent death. In part, the solution was to invert the reigns of Merodach Baladan and Shalmaneser in the Babylonian record. This would more or less match the Assyrian record since Sargon had shortened the Assyrian Eponym Canon by six years and appropriated some of his brother’s years, most likely to recoup deserved military glory.

The brotherly jealousy was inadvertently caused by Tiglath-Pileser, who had hoped a two-king system would better manage the growing Assyrian empire. Tiglath-Pileser even took up the Babylonian crown and brought Shalmaneser along as vice regent to begin the process of transition of power, but he died less than two years later. Sargon II was kept subordinate to Shalmaneser, but he was probably the only competent military leader of the two. Shalmaneser managed to reign 737-722, long enough to inherit the formal credit for much of Sargon’s hard work. When Sargon came to sole power late in life he took steps to balance the record. (Assyria’s dual king system was mentioned in the Bible at 2 Chron 28:16.)

When a young and ambitious Sennacherib came to power he was probably aware of his father’s tactics. (And his counselors certainly were.) Sennacherib was old enough to know who had ruled when regardless of the apparent record. Not that it mattered — until one of his armies was annihilated near Jerusalem. Not only was Assyria greatly weakened, but Sennacherib and his generals knew something unheard of had happened in Judah. Were the gods against Assyria? Or just against Sennacherib?

Upstart Merodach Baladan wasted no time soliciting support in rebellion. His usual allies had been lured into rebellion by his father, however, with disastrous results and were not eager to follow the youthful Babylonian to war. The nine years following 713 BC were troublesome for Sennacherib as Assyria recouped, unable to manage Babylon. Eventually, Sennacherib installed Bel-ibni as a puppet king on the Babylonian throne, but this proved unsatisfactory as well so Sennacherib’s own son, Ashur-nadin-shum, was seated. Though Assyria’s enemies had missed a golden opportunity, the Babylonians would soon assassinate Ashur-nadin-shum. In all, the second Merodach Baladan (II) managed another 12 years (in the eyes of the Babylonians), but the surviving record only gives a second 9 month stint for Merodach Baladan and does not distinguish between father and son.

Sennacherib himself had ruled Babylon after Sargon’s death but abandoned the throne. Late in his reign, he took the throne a second time, and like his father he took care to adjust the historical records of Assyria and Babylon, this time to erase 12 years of his ill-fated beginnings. Sennacherib authorized glossy personal annals to praise his military prowess, which was only nominal. (In Sennacherib’s own words he twice described one of his military campaigns as wearisome.) In the process, Merodach Baladan II fell through the cracks of history. Likewise, the Babylonians so hated Sennacherib Ptolemy had trouble finding the years he had ruled Babylon, citing interregnums instead. And so the mystery was born.