Josiah

Josiah (jōsī`ə) or Josias (jōsī`əs), in the Bible.

1 King of Judah, son and successor of Amon. The great event of his reign came in its 18th year, when the book of the law, apparently Deuteronomy, was found in the Temple. Josiah had it read publicly, and a reform movement began, led by the young king. The basis of the reforms, which extended to the northern kingdom of Israel, was the removal of all outlying religious centers so as to concentrate everything in worship at Jerusalem. When the pharaoh Necho set out to help the Assyrians in Haran, Josiah opposed him and fell, at Megiddo. He was succeeded by his son Jehoahaz.

2 Man at whose house the prophet Zechariah was to crown the high priest.

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Josiah

(born c. 640 BC—died 609 BC) King of Judah and religious reformer. He became king at age 8 after the assassination of his father, Amon. As the Assyrian empire crumbled, Judah gained a measure of independence, and in 621 BC Josiah began a program of national renewal. He drove out foreign cults, abolished local sanctuaries, and centred the worship of Yahweh in the Temple of Jerusalem. As his reforms were under way, parts of the book of Deuteronomy were discovered in the Temple, giving added impetus to his efforts to revive observance of Mosaic law. Josiah hoped to reunify Judah and Israel, but he was killed in a battle against the Egyptians.

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Josiah

tenaciously follows Moses’ law; orders keeping of Passover. [O.T.: II Kings 23:21–24]

See : Faithfulness

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Josiah

virtuously reforms Jerusalem’s evil ways. [O.T.: II Kings 23:1–20]

See : Righteousness