| Athaliah | |
|---|---|
 Athaliah fromGuillaume Rouillé'sPromptuarii Iconum Insigniorum, 1553 | |
| Queen regnant of Judah | |
| Reign | c. 841 – 835 BCE |
| Predecessor | Ahaziah |
| Successor | Joash |
| Queen mother of Judah | |
| Tenure | c. 842 – 841 BCE |
| Queen consort of Judah | |
| Tenure | c. ? – 842 BCE |
| Born | Samaria,Kingdom of Israel |
| Died | c. 836 BCE Jerusalem,Kingdom of Judah |
| Spouse | Jehoram |
| Issue | Ahaziah |
| House | House of Omri |
| Father | Omri orAhab |
Athaliah (Hebrew:עֲתַלְיָה,Modern: ʻAtalya,Tiberian: ʿĂṯalyā,Greek:ΓοθολίαGotholía;Latin:Athalia) was the daughter ofKing Ahab andQueen Jezebel ofIsrael; she wasqueen consort ofJudah as the wife ofKing Jehoram, a descendant of KingDavid, and was laterqueen regnant c. 841–835 BCE.
Accounts of Athaliah’s life are found in2 Kings 8:16–11:16 and2 Chronicles22:10–23:15 in theHebrew Bible. According to theDeuteronomist, she was the daughter of kingOmri ofIsrael;[1] however, she is usually considered to have been the daughter of KingAhab – the son of Omri – and his wife, QueenJezebel.[2] Some scholars believe Athaliah was the daughter of Omri, but that she grew up as an orphan in the court of Ahab.[3][4]
Athaliah was married toJehoram of Judah to seal atreaty between the kingdoms of Israel and Judah, and to secure his position Jehoram killed his six brothers.[5] Jehoram became king of Judah in the fifth year ofJehoram of Israel's reign (2 Kings 8:16). Jehoram of Israel was either Athaliah's brother or her nephew, depending on her paternity.
Jehoram of Judah reigned for eight years. His fatherJehoshaphat and grandfatherAsa had been devout kings who worshipedYahweh, theone true God, and "walked in His ways". However, Jehoram chose not to follow their example and rejectedYahweh, and his rule over Judah was subsequently cursed.Edom revolted, and he was forced to acknowledge their independence.[6] A raid byPhilistines,Arabs andEthiopians looted the king's house, and carried off all of his family except for Jehoram and Athalia's youngest son,Ahaziah.
After Jehoram's death, Ahaziah became king of Judah, and Athaliah becamegebirah (queen mother). One year after taking the throne (2 Kings 8:26), Ahaziah and Jehoram of Israel were killed byJehu, a general in Jehoram's army acting on Yahweh's secret command to take vengeance against the impious kings. Afterwards, Jehu killed Jezebel and the rest of Athaliah’s extended family. Ahab already died in battle before Jehu’s massacre.
Upon hearing of Ahaziah’s death, Athaliah seized the throne of Judah and killed all possible claimants to the throne,[7][8] which included Ahaziah's sons and his relatives[9] and, possibly, Jehoram's children from his other wife.[10] Some believe that the killings were to preventDavid's descendants from outliving Athaliah's kin, most of whom were already killed by Jehu. Others believe they were divine judgment against Jehoshaphat's decision to marry his son to Athaliah.[10]
However,Jehosheba, Ahaziah's sister, managed to rescue an infant from the purge:Jehoash of Judah, the son of Ahaziah and his wife Zibiah. Jehoash was raised in secret by Jehosheba's husband, the priestJehoiada.
As "usurper queen",[11] Athaliah used her power to establish theBaalist cult in Judah. Six years later, Athaliah was astonished when Jehoiada crowned Jehoash king inSolomon's Temple. She rushed to stop the rebellion but, under Jehoiada’s orders, was killed by the captains outside the Temple since her blood “would defile it”.[12][13][14]
William F. Albright has dated her reign to 842–837 BCE, whileEdwin R. Thiele in the third edition of hismagnum opus dates her reign from 842/841 to 836/835 BCE.[15]: 104 However, a starting date of 842/841 for Athaliah is one year before the date of 841/840 that Thiele gave for the death of her son,Ahaziah,[15]: 101 a conflict which Thiele never resolved.
Athaliah is discussed in Boccaccio'sDe Mulieribus Claris ("On Famous Women"), as well asThe Book of the City of Ladies, by Christine de Pizan.
In 1691, French tragedianJean Racine wrote a play about this biblical queen, entitledAthalie. The German composerFelix Mendelssohn, amongothers, wroteincidental music (hisop. 74) to Racine's play, first performed in Berlin in 1845. One of the most frequently heard excerpts from the Mendelssohn music is titled "War March of the Priests" ("Kriegsmarsch der Priester").[16]
In 1733, the musician and composerHandel composed an oratorio based on her life, calledAthalia, calling her a "Baalite Queen of Judah Daughter of Jezebel".Baal was the fertility god of theCanaanites, whom the ancientIsraelites often fell into worshipping in theTanakh/Old Testament.
Athaliah | ||
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| Preceded by | Queen of Judah 842–836 BCE | Succeeded by |
Media related toAthaliah at Wikimedia Commons
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