Neo-Babylonian Propaganda in the Hebrew Bible

While much attention was given to the impact of Neo-Assyrian propaganda – both texts and iconography – in the Hebrew Bible, little NB propaganda was detected. This is due to the fundamental difference between Assyrian and Babylonian propaganda, the latter concentrating mainly on refurbishing the temples of the homeland. However, significant NB propaganda was promulgated in the Nebuchadnezzar reliefs in Lebanon, in both text and image. This propaganda depends to some extent on Assyrian models, and is thus not to be found among the numerous inscriptions extant from Babylon. The textual and graphic motifs of cutting trees in Lebanon and of the king’s conflict with wild animals, attested in the monuments from Lebanon, appear also in the Hebrew Bible as prime examples of NB royal ideology. These motifs will be discussed, with special attention to Habakkuk 1-2 and Jeremiah 27. Some problems in the diachronic composition of Jeremiah will be discussed according to these finds.