Abstract
This lecture will present the concept of war in ancient Israel, in Near Eastern inscriptions and in biblical texts. We will see that the ideology of war is not necessarily opposed to peace, but often presented as a means of restoring order. The experiences of the fall of Samaria, conquered by the Assyrians, and the capture of Judah by the Babylonians gave rise to the hope of an end to war. Apocalyptic circles, however, updated the rhetoric of war, imagining a final conflict between the forces of good and evil.
