For students of what might be called "deep history"--the idea that the true account of events is something other than anyone is shouting at your face--this incident is a fascinating window.
In general, you have a basic triangle of opposing viewpoints regarding anything to do with the Bible. Those are: (1) it's totally phony, (2) it's basically phony and mostly rewritten to serve a political/social agenda, and (3) it's Holy Scripture meant to glorify God or some such thing. Just this one incident serves to kick all those into the ditch and point us towards another view, one which might eventually guide us to learning what actually happened.
The first issue to note is this: Nearly 200k soldiers getting completely smitten all at once by God would seem to be a prime news story about "the power of God" or "watch your step" or "check out this fairy tale". It isn't. To the credit of the Daily Mail, they cite the verses of this "news story":
Then the angel of the LORD went forth, and smote in the camp of the Assyrians a hundred and fourscore and five thousand: and when they arose early in the morning, behold, they were all dead corpses.
And it came to pass that night, that the angel of the LORD went out, and smote in the camp of the Assyrians an hundred fourscore and five thousand: and when they arose early in the morning, behold, they were all dead corpses.
Well, these are nearly identical sentences, so in total we get one single sentence about the facts and circumstances regarding something along the lines of (what we are supposed to believe was the nuclear) bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki put together.
Now I ask: does that type of coverage or "historiography" fit well with any of the views popularly held regarding what the Bible is? IOW, is that what someone would have written if the Bible was--as some would have it--complete fiction? Not in my book, not at all, not any of those views.
So what do I think was going on? Long story, of course, but research into deep history appears shows that the time leading up to 600 BC was the final stages of what is greatly misunderstood but is referred to as the "War in Heaven". Surprise, it seems to have taken place mostly on Earth.
But since the entire "world order" was being fought over, it was a time of upheaval and disorder. Out of that chaos, only a few fragments of history survived to make their way down to us and this is one of them. If one researches the topic, "history" itself as we understand it had yet to be invented.
How chaotic was it? I wasn't there but we do have an indication. The siege is said to have taken place in 701 BC. In a coincidence that I believe is no coincidence, this puzzler arose:
If, in general, "the truth is stranger than you can believe", then we should always be checking our ability to believe before we entertain and evaluate the evidence.
For students of what might be called "deep history"--the idea that the true account of events is something other than anyone is shouting at your face--this incident is a fascinating window.
In general, you have a basic triangle of opposing viewpoints regarding anything to do with the Bible. Those are: (1) it's totally phony, (2) it's basically phony and mostly rewritten to serve a political/social agenda, and (3) it's Holy Scripture meant to glorify God or some such thing. Just this one incident serves to kick all those into the ditch and point us towards another view, one which might eventually guide us to learning what actually happened.
The first issue to note is this: Nearly 200k soldiers getting completely smitten all at once by God would seem to be a prime news story about "the power of God" or "watch your step" or "check out this fairy tale". It isn't. To the credit of the Daily Mail, they cite the verses of this "news story":
Isaiah 37:36 (KJV):
2 Kings 19:35 (KJV):
Well, these are nearly identical sentences, so in total we get one single sentence about the facts and circumstances regarding something along the lines of (what we are supposed to believe was the nuclear) bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki put together.
Now I ask: does that type of coverage or "historiography" fit well with any of the views popularly held regarding what the Bible is? IOW, is that what someone would have written if the Bible was--as some would have it--complete fiction? Not in my book, not at all, not any of those views.
So what do I think was going on? Long story, of course, but research into deep history appears shows that the time leading up to 600 BC was the final stages of what is greatly misunderstood but is referred to as the "War in Heaven". Surprise, it seems to have taken place mostly on Earth.
But since the entire "world order" was being fought over, it was a time of upheaval and disorder. Out of that chaos, only a few fragments of history survived to make their way down to us and this is one of them. If one researches the topic, "history" itself as we understand it had yet to be invented.
How chaotic was it? I wasn't there but we do have an indication. The siege is said to have taken place in 701 BC. In a coincidence that I believe is no coincidence, this puzzler arose:
Why did all of the Worlds civilizations change their calendars in 701 BC (GLP 4/2/2010, but cited from Velikovsky in "Worlds in Collision")
If, in general, "the truth is stranger than you can believe", then we should always be checking our ability to believe before we entertain and evaluate the evidence.