Manasseh’s life was a long one, and his son Amon walked in his ways.  The latter died after a brief reign, and with his death a new era for Judah began.  It was introduced by the great catastrophe in which the Assyrian empire came to an end.  The sovereignty of the world was beginning to pass out of the hands of the Semites into those of the Aryans.  Phraortes of Media indeed was unsuccessful in his attempt against the Assyrians, but Cyaxares beat them and proceeded to besiege their capital.  The Scythian invasion of Media and Western Asia (c. 630) at this juncture gave them another respite of more than twenty years; but even it tended to break in pieces the great, loosely-compacted monarchy.  The provinces became gradually disintegrated, and the kingdom shrivelled up till it covered no more than the land of Asshur. 1

**************************************** 1.  Our knowledge of the events of the second half of the 7th century has remained singularly imperfect hitherto, notwithstanding the importance of the changes they wrought on the face of the ancient world.  The account given above is that of Herodotus (i. 103-106), and there the matter must rest until really authentic sources shall have been brought to light.  With regard to the final siege of Nineveh, our chief informant is Ctesias as quoted by Diodorus (ii. 26, 27).  Whether the prophecy of Nabum relates to the LAST siege is doubtful (in spite of ii. 7, and the oracle given in Diodorus, (OTI THN NINON )OUDEIS (ELEI KATA KRATOS )EAN MH PROTERON (O POTAMOS TH| POLEI GENHTAI POLEMOS), inasmuch as Nahum (i. 9) expressly speaks of the siege alluded to by him as the first, saying, “the trouble shall not rise up the second time.” *****************************************

The inroad of the Scythians aroused to energy again the voice of prophecy which had been dumb during the very sinful but not very animated period of Manasseh’s reign.  Zephaniah and Jeremiah threatened with the mysterious northern foe, just as Amos and Hosea had formerly done with the Assyrians.  The Scythians actually did invade Palestine in 626 (the 13th year of Josiah), and penetrated as far as to Egypt; but their course lay along the shore line, and they left Judah untouched.  This danger that had come so near and yet passed them by, this instance of a prophetic threatening that had come to pass and yet been mercifully averted, made a powerful impression upon the people of Judah; public opinion went through a revolution in favour of the reforming party which was able to gain for itself the support also of the young king Josiah ben Amon.  The circumstances were favourable for coming forward with a comprehensive programme for a reconstruction of the theocracy.  In the year 621 (the eighteenth of Josiah) Deuteronomy was discovered, accepted, and carried into effect.