Theology

Sonja Ammann

Second Kings 24–25 and Jeremiah 52 as Diverging and Converging Memories of the Babylonian Conquest

Volume 10 () / Issue 1, pp. 11-29 (19)
Published 15.06.2021

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The accounts of the Babylonian conquest of Jerusalem in Jeremiah 52 and 2 Kings 24:18–25:30 are virtually identical and seem to convey a unified memory of this historical event. However, a closer examination of the Hebrew and Greek texts reveals that these nearly identical accounts are the result of a longer process of textual changes. The unified memory on the surface conceals an underlying pluriformity of memories. A comparison between the account in 2 Kings 24:18–25:30 and the parallels in Jeremiah can thus serve as a case study on how the Babylonian conquest was construed as a cultural trauma in ancient Israel's collective memory.
Authors/Editors

Sonja Ammann Born 1984; 2006 BA (University of Lausanne, Switzerland); 2009 Magister (University of Heidelberg, Germany); 2015 PhD (University of Göttingen, Germany); currently Assistant Professor of Hebrew Bible at University of Basel, Switzerland.