“The observation of a unique medical condition and the discovery of a related archaeological object could help explain one of the most bizarre accounts in the Bible.”
The Bible is celebrated by billions of people around the world as a spiritual document, but some researchers believe it could also be used as a tool for gaining insights into our history. One of those researchers is Prof. Tom Meyer, an expert in Middle Eastern languages from the Shasta Bible College and Graduate School in California, who believes archeology, combined with the medical knowledge we possess today, can help validate many stories in the Bible.
“The observation of a unique medical condition and the discovery of a related archaeological object could help explain one of the most bizarre accounts in the Bible, the cruel and unusual divine punishment of the famous sixth century BC king of Babylon, Nebuchadnezzar,” Prof. Meyer said.
King Nebuchadnezzar II ruled the Babylonian empire between 605 BC and 562 BC. He is considered the longest-reigning and perhaps the most powerful ruler of the ancient Babylonian empire, being described as the “destroyer of nations” in the Book of Jeremiah.
The Book of Kings depicts Nebuchadnezzar as the king responsible for two sieges of Jerusalem, one in 597 BC and another one ten years later, in 587 BC, which brought about the destruction of Solomon’s Temple, also known as the First Temple, which marked the conquest of Judah.
Prof. Meyer explains that “… after the destruction of Jerusalem in 586 BC and at the zenith of Nebuchadnezzar’s power, when his heart was lifted up with pride, the God of Israel took away his royal authority for seven years by driving him from human society.
The Book of Daniel depicts Nebuchadnezzar’s period of madness as a punishment from God, after Daniel interprets a dream of the king as a prophecy by God meaning that world powers will rise and fall soon and that Nebuchadnezzar will be the first to suffer such fate, which happened, as the king “was driven from men and did eat grass as oxen” (Daniel 4:33.)
While many scholars view the Book of Daniel as mostly fictional for different reasons, Prof. Meyer and his colleagues believe otherwise.
“The most famous and powerful king in the world was condemned to spend seven years in the fields with the wild animals and to eat grass like a cow until he learned that the God of Israel has power over human kingdoms and that he can give them to anyone he chooses,” Prof. Meyer said.
In modern medical terms, according to this interpretation, the king suffered from a mental condition known as boanthropy, which would explain his bizarre behavior depicted in the Book of Daniel.
Boanthropy is a personality disorder that causes a person to believe they are a cow or an ox. Nebuchadnezzar II is considered the most famous figure to suffer from this condition.
“In 1946 Dr Raymond Harrison of England recorded his experiences of observing a modern-day case of boanthropy … Dr Harrison observed that the patient’s only physical abnormality was the lengthening of his hair and a thickened condition of the nails, the same anomalies that beset Nebuchadnezzar,” according to Prof. Meyer who added that “like the famous king, the observed patient spent the entire day roaming the asylum grounds from dusk till dawn eating handfuls of grass and drinking out of puddles like an animal.”
Another explanation for Nebuchadnezzar’s bizarre behavior could be that he was afflicted by porphyria, a name given to a group of disorders that result from the buildup of porphyrins in the body, organic compounds that are essential for the proper function of hemoglobin but may negatively affect the nervous system when in high levels.
As for the archaeological object linked to this narrative, Prof. Meyer mentions that “Assyriologist A.K. Grayson published a sixth century BC cuneiform tablet found in Babylon and now on display at the British Museum – object number 34113 – that states Nebuchadnezzar’s life appeared of no value and that he continually gave contradictory orders, could not recognize his own family members, or contribute in any of his building projects.
“This period of madness likely took place during the seven years he was driven from human society.
“Through the data uncovered by medical and archaeological research, we are able to measure the Bible’s historical accuracy.
“In every instance where the Bible’s claims can be tested, even in such bizarre accounts as the humbling of the famous Nebuchadnezzar, the Bible proves to be accurate and reliable,” Prof. Meyer concluded.
