Nabunaid (Nabonidus) … ruled (555-539) as the last king of New Babylonia. In practice, however, Nabunaid shared the kingship with his own eldest son Belshazzar. …
Before Nabunaid started on an expedition to Tema he divided the rule of the empire between himself and his son and entrusted actual kingship to Belshazzar. Then (Nabunaid) undertook the distant campaign which was probably in Arabia, conquered Tema, established his residence there, and built that city with the glory of Babylon. Likewise the Nabunaid chronicle contains the following statements concerning King Nabunaid:
"Seventh year: The king stayed in Tema, the crown prince, his officials and his army were in Akkad. . .
"Ninth year: Nabunaid, the king, stayed in Tema; the crown prince, the officials and the army were in Akkad. . . .
"Tenth year: The 'king stayed in Tema; the crown prince, his officials and his army were in Akkad. . .
"Eleventh year: The king stayed in Tema; the crown prince, the officials and his army were in Akkad.”
Each of these initial statements for the seventh, ninth, tenth, and eleventh years of the king is supplemented by this comment: "The king did not come to Babylon for the ceremonies of the month Nisanu, Nabu did not come to Babylon, Bel did not go out from Esagila in procession, the festival of the New Year was omitted." This means that during the years mentioned Nabunaid was in Tema and Belshazzar was in Babylon and that owing to the absence of Nabunaid the usual New Year's festival was not observed. Since, therefore, Belshazzar actually exercised the co-regency at Babylon and may well have continued to do so unto the end, the book of Daniel (5:30) is not wrong in representing him as the last king of Babylon.
(Footnote: Julius Lewy thinks that the stay of Nabunaid began in the fourth year of his reign and lasted at least until the eleventh year. He suggests that Nabunaid transferred his residence to this place because it was an ancient center of worship of the moon-god, Sin, to whom he was devoted above Marduk and all other gods. In Daniel 5: 18 Nebuchadnezzar is named as the father of Belshazzar, instead of Nabunaid. It has been surmised that Belshazzar was a grandson of Nebuchadnezzar, who might then be referred to, after Semitic usage, as his father. It is also possible that, in Jewish tradition, Babylonian legends were transferred to Nebuchadnezzar which originally had to do with Nabunaid. This would be understandable inasmuch as it was Nebuchadnezzar rather than Nabunaid who figured prominently in Jewish history and was a great enemy of the Jewish people. Thus the story of how Nebuchadnezzar went mad and was driven forth from men to dwell for seven years with the beasts of the field (Daniel 4) might reflect the stay of Nabunaid in the wilderness at Tema for about that same length of time, as it was viewed by the priests of Marduk at Babylon.) (“Light from the Ancient Past” by Jack Finegan, pages 227 – 228)
Nabunaid stayed in Tema
by Doug Mason 4 Replies latest watchtower bible
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Doug Mason
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Madame Quixote
Pardon my ignorance, but what is the point of that information? Does it somehow relate to JW/OT prophecies? Just wondering . . . it's been a really long time since I set foot in a KH and I have only vague memories of some ancient warlord called Nebuchadnezzer.
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Doug Mason
The very foundation of the GB's authority relies on their interpretation of Nebuchadnezzar's dream at Daniel 4. If their story is wrong, their excuse for existing evaporates.
Nebuchadnezzar's dream was fulfilled in him going mad for 7 years. The WTS multiples these 7 years by 360 days to get 2520 days. This is then said to symbolise 2520 years. They then use this number in its "proof" that the Gentile Times ended in 1914 CE. Their story, not mine. If they are wrong, they are history.
The Babylonians never had a year that was 360 days long, so if the story is a reflection of Nabunaid's 7-year stay in Tema, he did not stay there for 2520 days.
I provided this account in the section set out for research.
Hope that helps. If not, please let me know.
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Leolaia
The relationship between Daniel 4 and Babylonian traditions about Nabonidus (e.g. the Verse Account of Nabonidus) is sealed by the Qumran Prayer of Nabonidus, which forms a sort of "missing link" between the two. It is dependent on actual traditions about Nabonidus' stay in Teima, and thus is more original than the biblical version of the story, but at the same time it is closer in content to the biblical story by having the king divinely afflicted as punishment for sin, isolated from the people for seven years (whereas the period was ten years in length in Nabonidus' own account), healed by a Jewish exile trained in the magical arts, and is instructed by this Jew to honor God and write out a confession that proclaims his experience and how he was healed by the power of God (thus both Daniel 4 and the Prayer of Nabonidus present the king's words in the first person). The two stories also share similarities in language and vocabulary in the Aramaic. The story in Daniel 4 thus looks like a compromise between traditions in the Prayer of Nabonidus, the account about Nebuchadnezzar in the Hellenistic history of Megasthenes, and the arboreal theme in Ezekiel 31.
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Madame Quixote
Thanks so much for the explanation on this. I'll have to get back to it when I am sober. Gosh, I wonder, was I sober whenever I went to KH? I was only a teenager when I left the bOrg. So much of the indoctrination has left my mind! Thank goodness. But gosh, how did I lose so much info? Maybe it was a blessing? I dunno.