It's rarely a straightforward story. Often, it's about cross-referencing accounts, sifting through different perspectives, and trying to create a cohesive narrative from fragments. Today, we're going to look at one such fragment, as presented by Josephus in his work, Against Apion.
Josephus, defending the antiquity of the Jewish people, calls upon a historian named Menander of Ephesus as a witness. Menander, you see, wrote about the deeds of the Greeks and barbarians under the Tyrian kings, meticulously researching their history from their own records. Think of him as an ancient investigative journalist!
When Menander chronicled the kings of Tyre, he arrived at Hirom (often called Hiram), a figure also prominent in the Hebrew Bible in connection with King Solomon. Menander states: "Upon the death of Abibalus, his son Hirom took the kingdom; he lived fifty-three years, and reigned thirty-four." Not bad, right? A good long life! According to Menander, Hirom "raised a bank on that called the Broad Place, and dedicated that golden pillar which is in Jupiter's temple; he also went and cut down timber from the mountain called Libanus, and got timber Of cedar for the roofs of the temples. He also pulled down the old temples, and built new ones; besides this, he consecrated the temples of Hercules and of Astarte." The Phoenician goddess Astarte, by the way, is also known as Ishtar or Ashtoreth in other cultures.
Fascinatingly, Menander adds a detail about Hirom's reign: "Under this king there was a younger son of Abdemon, who mastered the problems which Solomon king of Jerusalem had recommended to be solved." It's a tantalizing glimpse into an intellectual exchange between the kingdoms of Tyre and Jerusalem. Imagine the riddles and philosophical questions being debated!
So, what’s the big deal? Why is Josephus bringing this up? Well, Josephus is building a timeline. He wants to establish just how ancient the Jewish people are. Menander provides a chronological sequence from Hirom to the founding of Carthage, the great Phoenician city in North Africa. Menander continues by listing the successors of Hirom: "Upon the death of Hirom, Baleazarus his son took the kingdom; he lived forty-three years, and reigned seven years: after him succeeded his son Abdastartus; he lived twenty-nine years, and reigned nine years. Now four sons of his nurse plotted against him and slew him, the eldest of whom reigned twelve years: after them came Astartus, the son of Deleastartus; he lived fifty-four years, and reigned twelve years: after him came his brother Aserymus; he lived fifty-four years, and reigned nine years: he was slain by his brother Pheles, who took the kingdom and reigned but eight months, though he lived fifty years: he 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, who lived forty-five years, and reigned six years: he was succeeded by Matgenus his son; he lived thirty-two years, and reigned nine years: Pygmalion succeeded him; he lived fifty-six years, and reigned forty-seven years. Now in the seventh year of his reign, his sister fled away from him, and built the city Carthage in Libya."
According to Menander's calculation, the time from Hirom’s reign to the founding of Carthage is 155 years and 8 months. Since the Temple in Jerusalem was built in the twelfth year of Hirom’s reign, that means there were 143 years and 8 months between the Temple's construction and Carthage's founding.
Josephus triumphantly asks, "Wherefore, what occasion is there for alleging any more testimonies out of the Phoenician histories [on the behalf of our nation], since what I have said is so thoroughly confirmed already?" He argues that his point – the antiquity of the Jewish people – is proven. "And to be sure our ancestors came into this country long before the building of the temple; for it was not till we had gotten possession of the whole land by war that we built our temple. And this is the point that I have clearly proved out of our sacred writings in my Antiquities."
It’s a powerful argument, built on careful sourcing and a desire to set the record straight. Josephus isn't just telling us history; he's actively shaping it, defending his people's place in the world. And in doing so, he reminds us that history is never a passive recounting of events, but an ongoing process of interpretation and, sometimes, passionate advocacy.