Second Kings 24–25 and Jeremiah 52 as Diverging and Converging Memories of the Babylonian Conquest

Abstract

The accounts of the Babylonian conquest of Jerusalem in Jeremiah 52 and 2 Kings 24:18–25:30 are virtually identical and seem to convey a unified memory of this historical event. However, a closer examination of the Hebrew and Greek texts reveals that these nearly identical accounts are the result of a longer process of textual changes. The unified memory on the surface conceals an underlying pluriformity of memories. A comparison between the account in 2 Kings 24:18–25:30 and the parallels in Jeremiah can thus serve as a case study on how the Babylonian conquest was construed as a cultural trauma in ancient Israel's collective memory.