works place it at the year 612 B.C.E., or some twenty years thereafter. The uncertainty of the history of that period as found in secular records is acknowledged, and, as is demonstrated in our article on CHRONOLOGY, we have relied on the chronological framework indicated in the Bible record and have accommodated secular history to it, rather than give precedence to what may be presently accepted and popular in the way of chronology but which is often conjectural or based on evidence that is undeniably weak.

The Babylonian Chronicles (B.M. [British Museum] 21901) recount the fall of Assyria’s capital Nineveh following a siege carried out by the combined forces of Nabopolassar, the king of Babylon (“king of Akkad”) and of CyaxAres the Mede. The city is described as being turned “into a ruin-mound and heaps of debri[s . . .].” (Chronicles of Chaldaean Kings by D. J. Wiseman, p. 61) Thus the fierce Assyrian rule came to an ignominious end, though Ashur-uballit is referred to as attempting, briefly and unsuccessfully, to continue Assyrian rule from Haran as his capital city.—Isa. 10:12, 24-26; 23:13; 30:30-33; 31:8, 9; Nah. 3:1-19; Zeph. 2:13.

The Babylonian Chronicles (B.M. 21901) indicate an alliance of Assyrian troops and Egyptian troops against Babylon at this point, and this factor is in harmony with the account relative to the activity of Pharaoh Nechoh recorded at 2 Kings 23:29 (see footnote of NW, 1955 ed.), resulting in the death of King Josiah of Judah (629/628 B.C.E.). This text states that “Pharaoh Nechoh the king of Egypt came up against the king of Assyria by the river Euphrates,” but the “king of Assyria” against whom Nechoh came is doubtless the Babylonian conqueror of Assyria, Nabopolassar, who, by virtue of his conquest, could now properly be styled the true “king of Assyria.” (See NECHO.) A few years later (625 B.C.E.), Nechoh was thoroughly defeated by the Babylonians in the battle of Carchemish.—Jer. 46:2.

The title “king of Assyria” was similarly applied to the Persian king (Darius I [Hystaspis]) who dominated Assyria in the time of the rebuilding of the temple at Jerusalem (completed in 515 B.C.E.).—Ezra 6:22.

ASSYRIA IN PROPHECY

Assyria figured in the prophecy uttered by Balaam about the year 1473 B.C.E. (Num. 24:24) Numerous references to Assyria are found in the prophecies of Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Micah, Nahum, Zephaniah and Zechariah, while the warning about Assyria’s ravaging of the northern kingdom of Israel is interwoven throughout the entire prophecy of Hosea. Frequent condemnation was made of the reliance placed upon such pagan nations by apostate Israel and Judah, often vacillating between Egypt and Assyria, like “a simple-minded dove without heart.” (Jer. 2:18, 36; Lam. 5:6; Ezek. 16:26, 28; 23:5-12; Hos. 7:11) The disastrous results of such course are vividly described. (Ezek. 23:22-27) The fall of Assyria into Sheol, likened to the crash of a great and lofty tree, and the subsequent restoration of the exiled Israelites to their homeland were also prophesied. (Isa 11:11-16; 14:25; Jer. 50:17, 18; Ezek. 31:3-15; 32:22; Zech. 10:10, 11) Finally, the time is even foretold when peaceful relations will exist between the lands of Assyria and Egypt and they will be united with Israel in God’s favor and constitute “a blessing in the midst of the earth.”—Isa. 19:23-25.

ASTROLOGERS

(As·trolʹo·gers).

The word g^ezarʹ occurs only in that part of Daniel written in Aramaic (2:4b–7:28), and has the root meaning “to divide,” the reference being thought to point to those who divide the heavens into configurations. Some English versions (Dy, AV, Le, AS) translate the original Aramaic word g^ezarʹ as “soothsayers.” (Dan. 2:27; 4:7 [vs. 4, Dy; Le]; 5:7, 11) This astrological cult consisted of those “who, from the position of the stars at the hour of birth, by various arts of computation and divining, determined the fate of individuals.” (Tregelles’ revision of Gesenius’ Lexicon, pp. 166, 167) Astrology is essentially polytheistic; its birth in the lower Mesopotamian valley likely dates back to shortly after the Flood when men turned away from the pure worship of Jehovah. The name “Chaldean” in time became practically synonymous with “astrologer.”

In this pseudoscience of astrology a different god was believed to rule over each section of the heavens. Every celestial movement and phenomenon, such as the rising and setting of the sun, the equinoxes and solstices, moon phases, eclipses and meteors, were said to be the doings of these gods. These cosmic movements were therefore regularly noted, elaborate charts and tables of their occurrences were made, and from these, human affairs and terrestrial events were predicted. All matters, both public and private, were believed to be controlled by these gods of the heavens. As a consequence, political or military decisions were not made until the astrologers were called to read and interpret the omens and give their advice. In this way the priestly class grew to have great power and influence over the lives of the people. They claimed supernatural power, insight and great wisdom. No great temple was erected among the Babylonians that was not equipped with its own celestial observatory.

In the eighth century B.C.E., the prophet Isaiah, in foretelling the destruction of Babylon, challenged the stargazing astrological counselors of that doomed city to save her: “You [Babylon] have grown weary with the multitude of your counselors. Let them stand up, now, and save you, the worshipers of the heavens, the lookers at the stars, those giving out knowledge at the new moons concerning the things that will come upon you.”—Isa. 47:13.

In the course of history Daniel and his three companions became captives in this land of the astrologers. Put to the test “as regards every matter of wisdom and understanding,” these Hebrews were found by the Babylonian king to be “ten times better than all the magic-practicing priests and the conjurers that were in all his royal realm.” (Dan. 1:20) Daniel was thereafter called “chief of the magic-practicing priests” (Dan. 4:9), but it is important to note that he never gave up Jehovah’s worship to become a stargazing ‘divider of the heavens.’ For example, Nebuchadnezzar was so infuriated when the astrologers and the rest of the “wise men” failed to reveal his dream that he exclaimed: “Dismembered is what you will be, and into public privies your own houses will be turned.” (Dan. 2:5) Daniel and his companions were included in this sweeping order, but before the execution was carried out, Daniel was brought in before the king with this message: “There exists a God in the heavens who is a Revealer of secrets,” but “as for me, it is not through any wisdom that exists in me more than in any others alive that this secret is revealed to me.”—Dan. 2:28, 30.

MAGI VISIT JESUS

Astrologers (Greek, maʹgoi; “Magi,” AS margin, Confraternity, Weymouth; “magicians,” Diaglott) brought gifts to the young child Jesus. (Matt. 2:1-16) Commenting on who these maʹgoi were, The Imperial Bible Dictionary (Vol. II, p. 139) says: “According to Herodotus the magi were a tribe of the Medes, who professed to interpret dreams, and had the official charge of sacred rites; they were, in short, the learned and priestly class, and having, as was supposed, the skill of deriving from books and the observation of the stars a supernatural insight into coming events. . . . later investigations tend rather to make Babylon than Media and Persia the centre of full-blown magianism. ‘Originally, the Median priests were not called magi. . . . From the Chaldeans, however, they received the name of magi for their priestly caste, and it is thus we are to explain what