the fall.

During the reign of Josiah, there was a rapid increase in literacy. Here are some examples of literacy's effects during this time:

The Lachish Letters:
A soldier in the army proclaims his knowledge of reading and writing. His desire to express his literacy abilities shows that it was somewhat of an expectation during this time period.

Mezad Hashavyahu Ostracon:
References the taking of garments in pledge. The inscription was a complaint from a servant who had finished his work and was not given his garments back. He stated that there were witnesses and all.

Exodus:
Related to the Mezad Hashavyahu Ostracon, in stating the rules of taking a neighbors garment and having to return it before sunset. For example, if you're going to hire a worker for labor, you are allowed to keep one item of his clothing in order to ensure that he will get the job done and refrain from stealing your stuff. However, people began to abuse these powers and steal from the poor, hence the reason the Mezad Hashavyahu Ostracon was written.

But wait... there's really no way to tell which came first. Did the inscriber of the Mezad Hashavyahu Ostracon know Exodus? Is he citing a law that was later written down by Exodus? No one will ever know, but the fact is that literacy was growing.

Torah Amulets:
There were silver amulets found in rock carved caverns at Hinnom, just south of Jerusalem. These amulets were perceived to be a form of jewelry, usually worn around the neck. They were worn as a good luck charm, and inscribed on them was a blessing found in the Bible. Many sources seem to think that maybe the blessing was an oral tradition long before it was written in the Bible.

In general, writing gave oral tradition a semi-permanent place to be noted. It became a common form of communication, and was especially important in telling past stories. No longer did everyone involved in a certain oral story have to be present to tell it. The rise of text even seemed to dominate individuals such as the king. Once things were written down, they were pretty much set in stone, so rules and laws couldn't be argued with, taken advantage of, or taken back.

Josiah oversaw all these laws being put in place, and was seen as a very good ruler. So what happened when he died? Apparently Josiah might have taken side with the Babylonians during chaos that involved them, the Egyptian, and the Assyrians. He had gone against God's word so therefore God allowed Josiah to die. After this, Zedekiah came to the throne and Jerusalem's fall began then.

At this time, the Babylonians exiled the people of Jerusalem. In 586, the temple was destroyed, including all other great houses. The promise of the eternal king, temple, and city was diminished. At this point, people began to wrestle with the fact that God wasn't right. When reality doesn't match people's beliefs, they try to justify what went wrong. This is when the biblical book of Lamentations came about, which grieved the current tragedy. These songs, poems, and writings made excuses for the fall of the city. Perhaps we did something wrong, and God is punishing us. Or perhaps, this is all part of God's plan. People looked for the reason for these happenings, not ever accepting the fact that maybe God doesn't really exist. Psalm 137 expresses the importance of not giving up on Jerusalem. Because of this, people attempted to rationalize the lack of God's presence. This uncomfortable feeling of holding two contradictory beliefs and not knowing which way to go is known as cognitive dissonance, which became quite too familiar to the people of Jerusalem in 586.

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