Armageddon

This novel is the result of a longing to return to my academic past, the heady days of biblical historiography and the histories of ancient Israel and Egypt. Long years of immersion in these kindred disciplines led to my being awarded in 2015 a doctorate from the Dept. of Near and Middle Eastern Studies in Trinity College, Dublin. Those who know my Kiranis works will appreciate the influences here, not merely in my creation of the Prophet Naveen and my other nods to ancient Hebrew words like ‘Echad’ (one) and ‘Nahal’ (guide). Even Gods of Kiranis features Governor Ben Hadad, adapted from the king of ancient Damascus; and the book as a whole played out as an allegory of the biblical creation narrative(s).

 

While I have a deep respect for the writings of the Hebrew Bible, there is no doubt in my mind that my fictional presentation of the historical contexts wherein these writings were composed will be considered contentious by those who revere those writings as works of historical accuracy and literary inerrancy – indeed, many believe them to be works of divine inspiration, if not dictation. The literary- and historical-critical approach I applied in my studies most certainly spills over, but I hope that I convey herein my passion for this period in world history and the literary genius that emerged from it.

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The biblical texts are incredibly rich in their expression of identity formulation and its position in the tumultuous wider world within which the writers found themselves. They struggled to galvanise their people and preserve their traditions and culture in a rapidly evolving geopolitical landscape that seemed, on the whole, oblivious to their significance, if even at times their existence. The Hebrew Bible (Christians know it as ‘The Old Testament’ and are for the most part prisoners of erroneous translations) bears the evidence of repeated adjustments to the reflections of these people on their own past, given that history (and myth) is almost always coloured by the concerns of the times in which it is composed. History answers questions posed ‘now’, and as these questions change, so too must the content of the answers. The Hebrew Bible, however, has preserved evidence of these ‘layers’ of repeated interpretation of the past based upon the changing circumstances of each new present.

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There is so much more I could say here, but I will let the story do the rest. King Josiah – the focus of this novel – seems at first glance to be nothing more than a passing fancy amidst the immense history of the people of Israel presented in the Hebrew Bible. His story is told in a mere two chapters (first in 2 Kings 22-23 and then, with a different ideology, retold in 2 Chronicles 34-35). Despite having no evidence for his existence, many biblical scholars – myself among them – have argued that he is central to at least one historical-ideological layer of the Hebrew Bible. It is nothing new to suggest that he was the military Messiah prophesied by the eighth century-BCE Isaiah and others, and that Christian interpretations have obscured this much earlier purpose for the preservation of the prophecies of Isaiah and their later repurposing for legitimising Jesus.

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This is understandable and far from unique (it is how the re-forming of religious identities operates), and I contend that to know the story of Josiah is to appreciate with much greater excitement the later story of Jesus, a man who sought to reinvigorate the troubled traditions of Israel and a fidelity to an ancient form of divine reverence in the face of sycophants and hypocrites, and the invariable kowtowing to imperial rule and jumped-up local governance.

 

If, indeed, Josiah existed, then he was a man to ‘walk the mountains with’ (as my literary idol, David Gemmell, would have said) – fearless, uncompromising, and with a singular mind. I have done my best to bring him to life despite having very little to work with.

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Finally, a short word on Jeremiah, who features heavily in this novel and is indeed the historical linchpin for the Josiah story. The theophoric name Yermayahu (Yahu/Yahweh will lift/raise), is attested in archaeological finds, as is that of his scribe, Baruch. Jeremiah is a figure revered among Christians and I hope I have treated him fairly. If the biblical texts are faithful, then he is one of the earliest recorded champions of oral history and law to bemoan the demise of oral storytelling and prophetic interpretation in favour of what he appears to have seen as the intractability of written records of the past and the implementation of laws. In a world of woefully minimal literacy, Jeremiah complained about the ‘false pen of the scribes’ and their ability to fool people simply because the average person was in no position to argue. Thankfully today, literacy is at a much higher rate, although we may still bemoan the lack of critical thinking.

 

The novel you will read is my gift to all those who are not afraid to embrace ‘questions that cannot be answered, rather than answers that cannot be questioned’, as should be true of all in a free and fair society. With perhaps the slightest hint of irony, then, I invite you all to enjoy…

 

Armageddon.

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Ronald A. Geobey, Ph.D., May 2026