Research Paper

The Babylonian Empire and the Old Testament

Submitted to Dr. Curtis Fitzgerald, Ph.D,
In partial fulfillment of the requirements for the completion of the course

OBST 520 LUO
(Summer 2014)

Old Testament Orientation II

Liberty Baptist Theological Seminary

Marcus Banks-Bey_L2444950

June 29, 2014
Thesis Statement This research paper will discuss, and review the history of the Babylion Empire, its rulers, and the Empire’s influential relationship upon some of the major events which developed within Old Testament literature.
Introduction
Through my research, it is my intent to identify significant points within the history of the Babylion Empire, including its origins, development, expansion, eventual decline, and why it became a focal point of many of the major events of the Old Testament. From the Great Empire of Akkad, Babylon became a major seat of learning, culture, and technology. More than simply a city-state of defiance, and sinful practices, Babylon’s influence, very often viewed through a negative scholarly lens, shaped the history of Asia Minor, Northern Africa, and the world when approached from a biblical standpoint. As such, Babylon remains a critical, powerful nation in relation to its nation-state of Israel, and Old Testament history.
Nimrod The Cushite The first nation-state identified within contemporary Biblical literature is the land that is “Ethiopia”, as mentioned in Genesis 2:13[1]. Most importantly, the Hebrew term “Kush” is the concordance term used by Strong’s, which is interchangeable with the term Ethiopia(n), and defines the peoples of Cush, Ethiopia as being Black, Africans.[2] It is my intent to avoid any racist terminologies which intentionally, or inadvertently were inserted into the bible over the course of its compilation, and