Manasses
Encyclopedia
Manasses or Manasseh is a given name of seven persons of the Bible, a tribe of Israel, one of the apocryphal writings and several more modern persons.
It was probably in this frenzy of his varied forms of idolatry
that "Manasses shed also very much innocent blood, till he filled Jerusalem up to the mouth" (verse 16). The historian of II Par. tells much the same story, and adds that, in punishment, the Lord brought the Assyrians upon Juda. They carried Manasses to Babylon
. God heard his prayer for forgiveness and deliverance, and brought him again to Jerusalem, where Manasses did his part in stemming the tide of idolatry that he had formerly forced upon Juda (xxxiii, 11-20).
At one time, doubt was cast on the historicity of this narrative of II Par., because IV Kings omits the captivity of Manasses. Schrader (op. cit., 2nd ed., Giessen, 1883, 355) gives cuneiform records of twenty- two kings that submitted to Assurhaddon during his expedition against Egypt; second on the list is Minasii sar ir Yaudi (Manasses, king of the city of Juda). Schrader also gives the list of twenty-two kings who are recorded on a cuneiform tablet as tributaries to Asurbanipal in the land of Hatti
; second on this list is Miinsii sar mat Yaudi (Manasses, king of the land of Juda). Since a Babylonian brick confirms the record of the historian of II Par., his reputation is made a little more secure in rationalistic circles. Winckler and Zimmern admit the presence of Manasses in Babylon (see their revision of Schrader's "Keilinschr. und das A. T.", I, Berlin, 1902, 274). Conjectures of the Pan-Babylonian School as to the causes that led to the return of Manasses, the groundwork of the narrative in IV Kings, etc., do not militate against the historical worth of the scriptural account.
The tribe east of the river Jordan was represented by the descendants of Machir
(Judges 5:14). Machir was the first-born of Manasses (Joshua 17:1). The children of Machir took Galaad (Numbers 32:39); Moses
gave the land of Galaad to Machir (verse 40). Two other sons of Manasses, Jair and Nobe, also took villages in Galaad, and gave thereto their own names (verses 41-42).
The territory of the western half-tribe is roughly sketched in Jos., xvi, 1-3. It was that part of Samaria
which lay between the Jordan and the Mediterranean, the plain of Esdrelon and the towns of Jericho
, Sichem and Samaria. The eastern half-tribe occupied north Galaad, all Basan
and Argob
(Joshua 13:30-31; cfr. Deuteronomy 3:13) — an immense tract of land extending east of Jordan to the present Mecca
route (darb elhaj) and far beyond, so as to include the Hauran
.
is an apocryphal writing which purports to give the prayer referred to in II Par., xxxiii, 13, 18-19. Its original is Greek. Nestle thinks that the prayer and other legends of Manasses in their present form are not earlier than the "Apostol. Const.", xi, 22; and that the prayer found its way into some Manuscripts of the Septuagint as part, not of the Sept., but of the "Apostol. Const." (see "Septuaginta Studien", III, 1889). The prayer is not in the canon of Trent
, nor has there ever seemed to have been any serious claim to its canonicity
.
The Biblical individuals
- MANASSES (Hebrew ***; Septuagint Manassê; also rendered ManassehManasseh (tribal patriarch)Manasseh or Menashe was, according to the Book of Genesis, the first son of Joseph and Asenath. Asenath was an Egyptian woman whom Pharaoh gave to Joseph as wife, and the daughter of Potipherah, a priest of On. Manasseh was born in Egypt before the arrival of the children of Israel from Canaan...
), eldest son of JosephJoseph (Hebrew Bible)Joseph is an important character in the Hebrew bible, where he connects the story of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob in Canaan to the subsequent story of the liberation of the Israelites from slavery in Egypt....
and the Egyptian Aseneth (Genesis 41:50-51; 46:20). The name means "he that causes to forget"; Joseph assigned the reason for its bestowal: "God hath made me to forget all my toils, and my father's house" (Genesis 41:51). Jacob blessed Manasses (Genesis 48); but gave preference to the younger son EphraimEphraimEphraim ; was, according to the Book of Genesis, the second son of Joseph and Asenath. Asenath was an Egyptian woman whom Pharaoh gave to Joseph as wife, and the daughter of Potipherah, a priest of On. Ephraim was born in Egypt before the arrival of the children of Israel from Canaan...
, despite the father's protestations in favour of Manasses. By this blessing, Jacob put Manasses and Ephraim in the same class with RubenReuben (Bible)According to the Book of Genesis, Reuben or Re'uven was the first and eldest son of Jacob with Leah. He was the founder of the Israelite Tribe of Reuben.-Etymology:...
and SimeonSimeon (Hebrew Bible)According to the Book of Genesis, Simeon was, the second son of Jacob and Leah, and the founder of the Israelite Tribe of Simeon. However, some Biblical scholars view this as postdiction, an eponymous metaphor providing an etiology of the connectedness of the tribe to others in the Israelite...
(verses 3-5), and gave foundation for the admission of the tribes of Manasses and Ephraim.
- MANASSES, Judith's husband, died of sunstroke in BethuliaBethuliaBethulia Bethulia Bethulia (Hebrew: בתוליה; in Greek Betuloua, is a Biblical city whose deliverance by Judith, when besieged by Holofernes, forms the subject of the Book of Judith....
(Judith 8:2-3).
- MANASSES, a character in the story of Ahikar (not in Vulgata, but in Septuagint) told by TobiasBook of TobitThe Book of Tobit is a book of scripture that is part of the Catholic and Orthodox biblical canon, pronounced canonical by the Council of Carthage of 397 and confirmed for Roman Catholics by the Council of Trent...
on the point of death. The Vatican Manuscript mentions Manasses (Manassês) as one "who gave alms and escaped the snare of death"; the Sinaitic Manuscript mentions no one, but clearly refers the almsgiving and escape to Achiacharus. The reading of the Vatican Manuscript is probably an error ("Revue Bibl.", January 1899).
- MANASSES, son of BaniBaniGurbani is the term used by Sikhs to refer to any compositions of the Sikh Gurus. Gurbani is composed of two words: 'Gur' meaning 'the Guru's' and 'bani' meaning 'word'....
, one of the companions of EsdrasEsdrasEsdras is a Greco-Latin variation of the name of the scribe Ezra. It is found in the titles of several books, associated with the scribe, that are in or related to the Bible.-Differences in names:...
who married foreign wives (Ezra 10:30).
- MANASSES, son of Hasom, another of the same companions of Esdras (Ezra 10:33).
- MANASSES (according to k’thibh of Massoretic Text and Septuagint), ancestor of JonathanJonathan (Judges)Jonathan is a figure appearing in the account of Micah's Idol in the Book of Judges, in which he is appointed as the priest of a shrine; since the shrine contained an ephod and teraphim, Jonathan is referred to as an idol-worshipper by traditional Judaism...
, a priest of the tribe of DanTribe of DanThe Tribe of Dan, also sometimes spelled as "Dann", was one of the Tribes of Israel. Though known mostly from biblical sources, they were possibly descendants of the Denyen Sea Peoples who joined with Hebrews...
(Judges 18:30). The Vulgate and k’ri of the Massoretic Text give MosesMosesMoses was, according to the Hebrew Bible and Qur'an, a religious leader, lawgiver and prophet, to whom the authorship of the Torah is traditionally attributed...
, the correct reading.
- MANASSES, thirteenth King of Juda (692-638 B.C. — cf. Schrader, "Keilinschr. und das A. T.", also rendered Manasseh of JudahManasseh of JudahManasseh was a king of the Kingdom of Judah. He was the only son of Hezekiah with Hephzi-bah. He became king at an age 12 years and reigned for 55 years. Edwin Thiele has concluded that he commenced his reign as co-regent with his father Hezekiah in 697/696 BC, with his sole reign beginning in...
), son and successor to Ezechias (2 Kings 20:21 sq.). The historian of IV Kings tells us much about the evil of his reign (xxi, 2-10), and the punishment thereof foretold by the ProphetProphetIn religion, a prophet, from the Greek word προφήτης profitis meaning "foreteller", is an individual who is claimed to have been contacted by the supernatural or the divine, and serves as an intermediary with humanity, delivering this newfound knowledge from the supernatural entity to other people...
s (verses 10- 15), but practically nothing about the rest of the doings of Manasses. He brought back the abominations of Achaz; imported the adoration of "all the host of heaven", seemingly the astral, solar and lunar myths of AssyriaAssyriaAssyria was a Semitic Akkadian kingdom, extant as a nation state from the mid–23rd century BC to 608 BC centred on the Upper Tigris river, in northern Mesopotamia , that came to rule regional empires a number of times through history. It was named for its original capital, the ancient city of Assur...
; introduced the other enormities mentioned in the Sacred text; and "made his son pass through fire" (verse 6) in the worship of MolochMolochMoloch — also rendered as Molech, Molekh, Molok, Molek, Molock, or Moloc — is the name of an ancient Semitic god...
.
It was probably in this frenzy of his varied forms of idolatry
Idolatry
Idolatry is a pejorative term for the worship of an idol, a physical object such as a cult image, as a god, or practices believed to verge on worship, such as giving undue honour and regard to created forms other than God. In all the Abrahamic religions idolatry is strongly forbidden, although...
that "Manasses shed also very much innocent blood, till he filled Jerusalem up to the mouth" (verse 16). The historian of II Par. tells much the same story, and adds that, in punishment, the Lord brought the Assyrians upon Juda. They carried Manasses to Babylon
Babylon
Babylon was an Akkadian city-state of ancient Mesopotamia, the remains of which are found in present-day Al Hillah, Babil Province, Iraq, about 85 kilometers south of Baghdad...
. God heard his prayer for forgiveness and deliverance, and brought him again to Jerusalem, where Manasses did his part in stemming the tide of idolatry that he had formerly forced upon Juda (xxxiii, 11-20).
At one time, doubt was cast on the historicity of this narrative of II Par., because IV Kings omits the captivity of Manasses. Schrader (op. cit., 2nd ed., Giessen, 1883, 355) gives cuneiform records of twenty- two kings that submitted to Assurhaddon during his expedition against Egypt; second on the list is Minasii sar ir Yaudi (Manasses, king of the city of Juda). Schrader also gives the list of twenty-two kings who are recorded on a cuneiform tablet as tributaries to Asurbanipal in the land of Hatti
Hattians
The Hattians were an ancient people who inhabited the land of Hatti in present-day central part of Anatolia, Turkey, noted at least as early as the empire of Sargon of Akkad , until they were gradually displaced and absorbed ca...
; second on this list is Miinsii sar mat Yaudi (Manasses, king of the land of Juda). Since a Babylonian brick confirms the record of the historian of II Par., his reputation is made a little more secure in rationalistic circles. Winckler and Zimmern admit the presence of Manasses in Babylon (see their revision of Schrader's "Keilinschr. und das A. T.", I, Berlin, 1902, 274). Conjectures of the Pan-Babylonian School as to the causes that led to the return of Manasses, the groundwork of the narrative in IV Kings, etc., do not militate against the historical worth of the scriptural account.
The Tribe of Israel
Deriving its name from Manasses, son of Joseph, this tribe was divided into two half-tribes, an eastern and a western.The tribe east of the river Jordan was represented by the descendants of Machir
Machir
Machir/Makir - meaning bartered - was the name of two figures in the Bible.1. Machir, the son of Manasseh, and father of Gilead....
(Judges 5:14). Machir was the first-born of Manasses (Joshua 17:1). The children of Machir took Galaad (Numbers 32:39); Moses
Moses
Moses was, according to the Hebrew Bible and Qur'an, a religious leader, lawgiver and prophet, to whom the authorship of the Torah is traditionally attributed...
gave the land of Galaad to Machir (verse 40). Two other sons of Manasses, Jair and Nobe, also took villages in Galaad, and gave thereto their own names (verses 41-42).
The territory of the western half-tribe is roughly sketched in Jos., xvi, 1-3. It was that part of Samaria
Samaria
Samaria, or the Shomron is a term used for a mountainous region roughly corresponding to the northern part of the West Bank.- Etymology :...
which lay between the Jordan and the Mediterranean, the plain of Esdrelon and the towns of Jericho
Jericho
Jericho ; is a city located near the Jordan River in the West Bank of the Palestinian territories. It is the capital of the Jericho Governorate and has a population of more than 20,000. Situated well below sea level on an east-west route north of the Dead Sea, Jericho is the lowest permanently...
, Sichem and Samaria. The eastern half-tribe occupied north Galaad, all Basan
Basan
Basan , alternatively referred to as Basabasa or Inuhōō , is a fowl-like bird illustrated in the Ehon Hyaku Monogatari that lives in the mountains of Iyo Province . According to the description on the illustration, it resembles a large chicken and breathes ghost-fire from its mouth...
and Argob
Argob
Argob , a region located east of the Jordan River, on an island of rock which was approximately by , and rose 20 or above the table-land of Bashan. An extremely rugged region, sixty walled cities were on the island, which was ruled over by Og. In the New Testament, it is called Trachonitis...
(Joshua 13:30-31; cfr. Deuteronomy 3:13) — an immense tract of land extending east of Jordan to the present Mecca
Mecca
Mecca is a city in the Hijaz and the capital of Makkah province in Saudi Arabia. The city is located inland from Jeddah in a narrow valley at a height of above sea level...
route (darb elhaj) and far beyond, so as to include the Hauran
Hauran
Hauran, , also spelled Hawran or Houran, is a volcanic plateau, a geographic area and a people located in southwestern Syria and extending into the northwestern corner of Jordan. It gets its name from the Aramaic Hawran, meaning "cave land." In geographic and geomorphic terms, its boundaries...
.
The Apocryphal
The Prayer of ManassehPrayer of Manasseh
The Prayer of Manasseh is a short work of 15 verses of the penitential prayer of king Manasseh of Judah. Manasseh is recorded in the Bible as one of the most idolatrous kings of Judah . Chronicles, but not Kings, records that Manasseh was taken captive by the Assyrians...
is an apocryphal writing which purports to give the prayer referred to in II Par., xxxiii, 13, 18-19. Its original is Greek. Nestle thinks that the prayer and other legends of Manasses in their present form are not earlier than the "Apostol. Const.", xi, 22; and that the prayer found its way into some Manuscripts of the Septuagint as part, not of the Sept., but of the "Apostol. Const." (see "Septuaginta Studien", III, 1889). The prayer is not in the canon of Trent
Canon of Trent
Though many canons or canon laws were formulated as a result of the 16th century Ecumenical council of the Roman Catholic Church known as the Council of Trent, the phrase Canon of Trent usually refers to the list of biblical books that were from then on to be considered canonical...
, nor has there ever seemed to have been any serious claim to its canonicity
Biblical canon
A biblical canon, or canon of scripture, is a list of books considered to be authoritative as scripture by a particular religious community. The term itself was first coined by Christians, but the idea is found in Jewish sources. The internal wording of the text can also be specified, for example...
.
Post-biblical individuals
- Manasses of HiergesManasses of HiergesManasses of Hierges was an important crusader lord, and constable of the Kingdom of Jerusalem.He was the son of Hodierna of Rethel and Héribrand II of Hierges; Hodierna was a sister of King Baldwin II of Jerusalem...
- Isaac Manasses de Pas, Marquis de FeuquieresIsaac Manasses de Pas, Marquis de FeuquieresIsaac Manasses de Pas, Marquis de Feuquieres was a French soldier.He came of a distinguished family of which many members held high command in the civil wars of the 16th century. He entered the Royal army at the age of thirty, and soon achieved distinction...
- Manasses I of Rethel
- Manasses II of Rethel
- Manasses III of Rethel
- Manasses IV of Rethel
- Manasses I, Archbishop of ReimsManasses I, Archbishop of ReimsManasses I, known as Manasses de Gournay, was the Archbishop of Reims, and thus primate of France, from 1069 to his deposition on 27 December 1081....
- Manasses II, Archbishop of ReimsManasses II, Archbishop of ReimsManasses II was the Archbishop of Rheims , most significantly at the time of the First Crusade and the Crusade of 1101....
- Manasses of HiergesManasses of HiergesManasses of Hierges was an important crusader lord, and constable of the Kingdom of Jerusalem.He was the son of Hodierna of Rethel and Héribrand II of Hierges; Hodierna was a sister of King Baldwin II of Jerusalem...
- etc.