In 701 BCE, A massive Assyrian army, led by King Sennacherib, faced off against the city of Jerusalem, ruled by King Hezekiah. This pivotal moment, described in Isaiah 36 and 2Kings 18, led to a lot of changes in Jewish culture. An important one of these changes was in the role of prophet, and who prophets talked to. Prophets began as royal advisors, but now they began to address the common people. How did this happen? What’s the connection? Who won the battle, anyway? We’ll look at these questions and more. All texts will be provided in English.

Jonathan Reich is a Bible teacher, trained at Washington University in St. Louis, Hebrew University, Harvard Divinity School, and Harvard's department of Near Eastern Languages and Civilizations. His goal is to show people that the Tanakh really is a good book. His favorite Biblical commentator is Rashi. Jonathan currently lives in Brookline MA with too many books and an African Grey parrot.