Download or read book King Manasseh and Child Sacrifice written by Francesca Stavrakopoulou and published by Walter de Gruyter. This book was released on 2012-10-24 with total page 424 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The Hebrew Bible portrays King Manasseh and child sacrifice as the most reprehensible person and the most objectionable practice within the story of 'Israel'. This monograph suggests that historically, neither were as deviant as the Hebrew Bible appears to insist. Through careful historical reconstruction, it is argued that Manasseh was one of Judah's most successful monarchs, and child sacrifice played a central role in ancient Judahite religious practice. The biblical writers, motivated by ideological concerns, have thus deliberately distorted the truth about Manasseh and child sacrifice.