Difference between revisions of "The Tobiads"

Latest revision as of 14:23, 12 September 2008

The history of the Tobiads Dynasty has both fascinated and challenged historians and archeologists. It spans over a thousand years, covering what one might call the entire "Biblical Period". The first we hear of this dynasty is the levite-judge Tobiyah sent by the Judean king Jehoshaphat around 849 BCE.^[1] Next we learn of the Tobiad tax-collectors in the Lachish ostraca, often dated immediately prior to the Babylonian captivity around 586 BCE.^[2] Much of the books of Ezra and Nehemiah concern Tobias the Ammonite, covering the years 538-413 BCE. There is mention of the governors of the Trans-Euphrates in the Elephantine papyri, a generation later, 495-399 BCE. In the Zenon papyri, the Tobiads are influential Jewish landowners in Transjordan, before 260 BCE.^[3] Josephus documents the helenizing activities of the Tobiads immediately prior to the Maccabean revolt 205-167 BCE, information echoed by the author of 2 Maccabees. Josephus leaves open a possible connection between the Tobiads and the Herodians.^[4] Lastly we read of the Jewish prince "Tobiyah" described by Moses of Chorene (circa 410-490 CE) who is said to have introduced Thaddæus, and thus Christianity, to Edessa (in modern day Şanliurfa, Turkey). This Tobiyah is said to be the ancestor of the Armenian-Georgian royal family of Bagratuni and by some accounts the basis of their claim to "descent from King David".^[5]

There has been significant research concerning the Tobiads Dynasty on the basis of textual evidence and archaeological excavations at their palace in ‘Iraq al-Amir, Jordan.^[6] We know that the Tobiads played a prominent part in the process of hellenization of the Jewish people. They supported first the Ptolemic and later the Seleucid regimes in their control over the Land of Israel. Most research has focused on the Hellenistic period, but since the discovery of the Lachish ostraca and the Elephantine papyri, a great deal of attention has also been made on the post-exilic period of the Jewish people. With the successful Maccabean revolt however, almost all mention of the Tobiads ceases, and likewise the attention of scholars.

Moses of Chorene, however, traces a glorious continuation of the dynasty in the form of the royal family of Bagratuni. This is not the only royal family which claimed a connection to the Tobiads, however. We wish to explore the proposed relationship between the Tobiads and the Tubba' kings of Himyar, a dynasty which controlled much of Arabia during late antiquity. The purpose of this paper is to understand who the Tobiads were, what was the extent of their kingdom, and the nature of their religion. By documenting the transition of Tobiads from Syria to the Tubba's of southern Arabia, we hope to provide a key to understanding the context, indentity and religious system of the residents of Medina on the eve of Islam.

References

↑ 2 Chronicles 17:3-8, 19:4-8
↑ Lachish Ostracon 3 and 5
↑ Zenon papyri (C. P. Jud. 1; C. P. Jud. 4-5)
↑ In an obscure quote, both Josephus' Antiquities Chapter 13.5.8 and 1 Maccabees 12:16 refer to an "Antipater son of Jason". We will explore below the possibility of a tradition connecting the Tobiads with what would become the House of Herod. Clearer evidence, however, can be evinced archeologically at the Tobiad palace at ‘Iraq al-Amir, which itself is a masterpiece of Herodian architecture and masonry.
↑ History of Armenia, attributed to Moses of Chorene, chapter 7
↑ A New Look at the Tobiads in Iraq al-Amir, by C. C. Ji, SBF Liber Annuus, 1998

[1] 2 Chronicles 17:3-8, 19:4-8

[2] Lachish Ostracon 3 and 5

[3] Zenon papyri (C. P. Jud. 1; C. P. Jud. 4-5)

[4] In an obscure quote, both Josephus' Antiquities Chapter 13.5.8 and 1 Maccabees 12:16 refer to an "Antipater son of Jason". We will explore below the possibility of a tradition connecting the Tobiads with what would become the House of Herod. Clearer evidence, however, can be evinced archeologically at the Tobiad palace at ‘Iraq al-Amir, which itself is a masterpiece of Herodian architecture and masonry.

[5] History of Armenia, attributed to Moses of Chorene, chapter 7

[6] A New Look at the Tobiads in Iraq al-Amir, by C. C. Ji, SBF Liber Annuus, 1998

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[2]

[3]

[4]

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-This manuscript is still in preparation, comments are invited.  The following points will be addressed by the manuscript.
+The history of the Tobiads Dynasty has both fascinated and challenged historians and archeologists.   It spans over a thousand years, covering what one might call the entire "Biblical Period".   The first we hear of this dynasty is the levite-judge Tobiyah sent by the Judean king Jehoshaphat around 849 BCE.<ref>2 Chronicles 17:3-8, 19:4-8</ref>    Next we learn of the Tobiad tax-collectors in the Lachish ostraca, often dated immediately prior to the Babylonian captivity around 586 BCE.<ref>Lachish Ostracon 3 and 5</ref>    Much of the books of Ezra and Nehemiah concern Tobias the Ammonite, covering the years 538-413 BCE.   There is mention of the governors of the Trans-Euphrates in the Elephantine papyri, a generation later, 495-399 BCE.  In the Zenon papyri, the Tobiads are influential Jewish landowners in Transjordan, before 260 BCE.<ref>Zenon papyri (C. P. Jud. 1; C. P. Jud. 4-5)</ref>    Josephus documents the helenizing activities of the Tobiads immediately prior to the Maccabean revolt 205-167 BCE,  information echoed by the author of 2 Maccabees.   Josephus leaves open a possible connection between the Tobiads and the Herodians.<ref>In an obscure quote, both Josephus' Antiquities Chapter 13.5.8  and 1 Maccabees 12:16 refer to an "Antipater son of Jason". We will explore below the possibility of a tradition connecting the Tobiads with what would become the House of Herod. Clearer evidence, however, can be evinced archeologically at the Tobiad palace at ‘Iraq al-Amir, which itself is a masterpiece of Herodian architecture and masonry.</ref>    Lastly we read of the Jewish prince "Tobiyah" described by Moses of Chorene (circa 410-490 CE) who is said to have introduced Thaddæus, and thus Christianity, to Edessa (in modern day Şanliurfa, Turkey). This Tobiyah is said to be the ancestor of the Armenian-Georgian royal family of Bagratuni and by some accounts the basis of their claim to "descent from King David".<ref>''History of Armenia'', attributed to Moses of Chorene, chapter 7</ref>
+There has been significant research concerning the Tobiads Dynasty on the basis of textual evidence and archaeological excavations at their palace in ‘Iraq al-Amir, Jordan.<ref>''A New Look at the Tobiads in Iraq al-Amir'', by C. C. Ji, SBF Liber Annuus, 1998</ref>    We know that the Tobiads played a prominent part in the process of hellenization of the Jewish people.  They supported first the Ptolemic and later the Seleucid regimes in their control over the Land of Israel.   Most research has focused on the Hellenistic period, but since the discovery of the Lachish ostraca and the Elephantine papyri, a great deal of attention has also been made on the post-exilic period of the Jewish people.  With the successful Maccabean revolt however, almost all mention of the Tobiads ceases, and likewise the attention of scholars.
-# Tobias, Sanballat, Nehemiah and Gashmu represent Jewish governors of equal rank (possible all of royal "Davidic" descent) to govern different regions of the Trans-Euphrates.
+Moses of Chorene, however, traces a glorious continuation of the dynasty in the form of the royal family of Bagratuni. This is not the only royal family which claimed a connection to the Tobiads, however. We wish to explore the proposed relationship between the Tobiads and the Tubba' kings of Himyar, a dynasty which controlled much of Arabia during late antiquity. The purpose of this paper is to understand who the Tobiads were, what was the extent of their kingdom, and the nature of their religion. By documenting the transition of Tobiads from Syria to the Tubba's of southern Arabia, we hope to provide a key to understanding the context, indentity and religious system of the residents of Medina on the eve of Islam.
-# Nehemiah was given charge of the single Temple, and allowed to collect taxes from the other three governor's regions. (Implying that the Temple in some way served their native population)
-# Each of the three other regions tried to establish sacrificial altars to rival Jerusalem (Mt. Gezerim, Iraq al-Amir. etc)
+==References==
-# To assist in tax farming for the Persians, each governor (with the exception of Nehemiah) intermarried with the leadership of the local non-Jewish population.
+<references />
-# The Tobiads intermarried with the Prophets, and claimed a place as Levites in the Temple.
-# The Tobiads lived as if Biblical Joseph were their ancestor.  They were viceroys (governors), tax collectors, interpreters of dreams, predictors of the future (built columbaria, raised doves as a prophetic device)
+[[Category: Islam and Judaism]]
-# Some of the Tobiads supported the Ptolemies, whereas the other sons went over to the Seleucid Antiochus III who had conquered Coele-Syria and Judea from the Ptolemies.
+[[Category: Yosef Dhu Nuwas, a Sadducean King with Sidelocks]]
-# The Tobiads laid claim to Petra, but governorship of that area had been granted by the Romans to the Nabateans, so they began to use the title Antipatris (against Petra).
-# Herod was a Tobiad. He continuously warred with the Nabateans to put forward his claim to Trans-Jordan and Northern Arabia.
-# Tobias was called a "slave" for the same reason Herod was called a "slave".
-# The descendants of Herod ruled in Chalqis and eventually Armenia
-#  The ancient Tubba king called Africus was really Agripas (transposition of letters).
-# The tradition of Bilqis bint Shurahil (Israel), the Arabic Queen of Sheba, is not about a Yemenite queen who comes to marry King Solomon, but rather a Jewish queen, descendant of the Hasmoneans, heir to Chalqis, who marries a Yemenite king (Shamir Yuhar'esh II Tubba', 275 CE) and reinvigorates the house of Himyar, to the point that it can negotiate a treaty on equal footing with Persia.
-# Odenathus was a Tobiad, and was known by the title "Ben Netzer" in reference to the title claimed by Tobias in Zechariah 6:12
-# Zenobia was Jewish, and sought to give precedence to monotheism in her kingdom
-# With the destruction of Palmyra in 273, there was a major migration of refugees to Egypt and Arabia.
-# The mixture of monotheism and semitic idolatry was imported to Arabia and became known as shirk
-# Linguistic derivation of Saracen
-# With the influx of people, militia, and money from Palmyra - and marriage to the royal family - the waning kingdom of Himyar was reinvigerated in 275CE.
-# The Kings of Himyar began using the title Tubba, in reference to Tobiads.
-# Tubban kings named "Shamir" were in reference to Samaritans
-# Based on either a Tobiad or Herodian geneological relationship, The Tubbas viewed themselves as the continuation of the Davidic Dynasty, as Tabari has 'Amr b. Tubdn As'ad reciting "We exercise royal power over all other peoples; we have the connections of nobility and power, after the two Tubba's. We assumed royal power after Dawid (David) for a lengthy period, and we made the kings of East and West ourslaves."
-# The al-Azd were confused to be of Yemenite origin because their king was of Yemenite
-# The Asd took control of the Ka'aba and displaced the negro populace who had served the Temple for the past three centuries (the Jurham).
-# The Jurham fled to Habash (Abyssia) and complained to the king there.  This angered the Abyssian rulers and from 350 CE the sovereign of Axum (between the Red Sea and the Nile) joined to his other titles that of King of the Himyarites.
-# The Oniad (Tzaddokite) priesthood remained at the Ka'aba (the ancestors of the Quraish), but their sympathies during times of trouble would remain with the Abyssinian rulers. (This is perhaps why the Prophet, when his followers were suffering their greatest persecution, sent them to Abyssinia).
-# The reforms of the "two Rabbis from Yatrib" taken by Tubba to Yemen, were another name for the reforms by Qussai in Mecca. (Covering the Ka'aba, preventing impurities from reaching the Ka'aba, etc)
-# The Jews of Medina say the altar as a "kosher" place of worship.
-# The Talmud (Menuchos) discusses the Temple of Onias in Egypt. Immediately afterward it discusses Jewish priests who serve an alter in the trans-Jordan.  This other altar, they claim was idolatrous.  I propose they were referring the Ka'aba when the idol Hubal was still placed there.
-# Qussai's "town hall" in Medina, where public matters were decided and new months were declared was a Sanhedrin.
-# The Quraish were a priestly clan descended from Onais
-# The Haddith referring to "Jews declaring their times of prayer by fire" refers to declaring the new month
-# Abu Karib's grandson As'ad Tubba, had control of the "silk road" to Yemen, set up a string of synagogues between Mecca and China (India?) to spread his religion and communicate with his representatives in the far east.
-# After the failed attempt at creating a independent Jewish State in Babylon by Mar Zutra in 470CE, the Persian King began to wipe out the exilarch's family.
-# One daughter escaped to Samarqand, where she met Yasir Tubba (grandson of the still living king), on one of his business trips to the east.
-# Dhu Nuwas was the son of this daughter and Yasir Tubba.
-# When Hassan Yuha'min Tubba passed away, Dhu Nuwas returned to Yemen to claim the throne
-# Dhu Nuwas refers to "beautiful sidelocks" in the Persian style, a custom unheard of in Arabia, and implies his adoption of Persian Judaism
-# Dhu Nuwas' family symbol of a dove was derived from the Tobiad custom of raising doves
-# While the approach of the Jewish of Ezra, and later the Babylonian academies was to be restrictive in the usage of the term "Jew" to those who followed their traditions.  The approach of the Exilarch was to be inclusive, declaring Samaritans, Helenists, Sadducees, and even Jews who had adopted some proto-Christian ideas (Nasaara) - to be his subjects.
-# Dhu Nuwas adopted title of "King of all the Tribes", refers to all the tribes of Israel.
-# Dhu Nuwas' attack on Najran was to create a "Jewish State" and was in direct imitation of the attempt by Mar Zutra, and led to a similar attempts in the years before and after by the Samaritans.
-# Dhu Nuwas brought out a replica of the Ark of the Covenant to rally troops against Abyssinia.  Abyssinia won the war and captured the Ark which is still on display in Axum adorned even today with the Tobiad/Himyar dove
-# Dhu Nuwas returned to Yemen to claim the throne and eject the "evil" (Christian) Chief Luhay'ath Yanuf who had assumed power during the later years of the kings rule.
-# The line of Tubba kings as reconstructed from epigraphic evidence is displayed here  [[#  The Tobiad / Tubba' Dynasty, (cont')]]
-# The term Ansar, although later meaning the helpers of the prophet, was chosen because the Aws and Khazraj were previously referred to as the nasaara.  This leads Tabari and others to refer to the "ansar" even before the rise of Islam.
-# The Nasaara were Jews who had adopted some Christian teachings.  As such both Jews and Nasaara continued to keep Ashura (Yom Kippur) albeit with different calendars.
-# The Nasaara and the Aliahudi were both "People of the Book" because they were both Jews (i.e. descended of those who had practiced Judaism during the second temple period).