Are the Hittites Mentioned in the Bible the Same as Those of the Hittite Empire?

The Lion Gate astatine the ruins of Hattusa, the superior of the Hittite Empire. Credit: Wikipedia Commons, Carole Raddato, CC-BY-SA 2.0

The Bible mentions the Hittites galore times. For many, galore years scholars argued that determination was nary autarkic grounds of this nation. Eventually, archaeologists recovered grounds of the Hittite Empire, seemingly confirming the Bible’s account. However, are the Hittites of the Bible really the aforesaid arsenic those of the Hittite Empire of Anatolia? There is important contention surrounding this issue. What bash the facts show?

The Hittites of the Bible

First, fto america analyse what the Bible says astir the Hittites. They archetypal look successful the publication of Genesis, wherever they person dealings with Abraham. Later, they look arsenic 1 of the 7 nations occupying the onshore of Canaan whose demolition was decreed by the God of the Israelites.

This demolition was started by the Israelites nether the bid of Joshua. However, aft Joshua died the Israelites nary longer followed God’s commands arsenic they had done before. The Hittites frankincense remained.

Out of the 7 nations who inhabited Canaan earlier the Israelites, it appears that the Hittites were the lone ones who remained almighty capable to person warfaring kings successful aboriginal periods. Their kings are mentioned arsenic precocious arsenic the clip of King Jehoram of Israel, respective generations aft King David.

However, determination is nary denotation that the Hittites continued arsenic a almighty federation agelong aft this. Nevertheless, arsenic precocious arsenic the 5th period BCE, the Bible mentions the Hittites arsenic a chiseled nation.

The Hittite Empire of Anatolia

For a agelong time, determination was nary hint of the Hittites extracurricular of the Bible. Then, successful the nineteenth century, archaeologists uncovered grounds of the Hittite Empire successful Anatolia. This was a almighty federation which ruled implicit astir of Anatolia passim the Late Bronze Age.

In the discourse of students of Greek history, the Hittite Empire is possibly astir celebrated for its interactions with the Mycenaean Greeks. Famously, Hittite letters of diplomatic correspondence uncover that the Hittites and the Greeks were warring wars successful occidental Anatolia passim overmuch of the Late Bronze Age.

The Hittites referred to the Mycenaeans arsenic the Ahhiyawa, from the Greek ethnonym ‘Akhaioi.’ One missive refers to a struggle betwixt the Hittites and the Ahhiyawa implicit the metropolis of Wilusa, oregon Troy. Some researchers judge that this struggle was the humanities lawsuit down stories of the Trojan War.

Eventually, with the Bronze Age Collapse, the Hittite Empire fell apart. Its downfall was astatine slightest partially caused by attacks from the Sea Peoples. Hence, the Hittite Empire came to an extremity successful the twelfth period BCE.

Were the Hittites of the Bible the aforesaid arsenic those of the Hittite Empire?

One contention surrounding the Hittites is the question of whether oregon not the Hittites of the Bible are the aforesaid arsenic those of the Hittite Empire. The nineteenth period archaeologists who uncovered this past empire were the ones who made this identification, and galore historians inactive travel it.

The superior ground for this is the information that different nations referred to the onshore of the Hittites arsenic the onshore of ‘Hatti’. The Amarna letters look to person referred to them arsenic the kingdom of Kheti.

There is simply a precise adjacent correspondence betwixt these past designations for the Hittite Empire and the Hebrew connection for the Hittites successful the Bible. Due to this adjacent match, it could look tenable to place the Hittites of the Bible arsenic those of the Hittite Empire successful Anatolia.

Geographical problems with this identification

Despite the popularity of this identification, determination are respective cardinal problems with it.

For 1 thing, the geography of the 2 nations are not a adjacent match. The Hittites of the Bible archetypal look successful confederate Canaan. Throughout the remainder of the Biblical narrative, they look successful either Canaan itself (essentially the portion of Palestine) oregon confederate Syria.

On the different hand, the Hittite Empire ne'er extended arsenic acold southbound arsenic Canaan. Its southernmost borderline touched Canaan, but that is all. In fact, the deficiency of Hittite beingness successful Canaan itself is fundamentally linked to the celebrated Battle of Kadesh.

This was a conflict fought betwixt the Egyptians and the Hittite Empire successful Syria successful the thirteenth period BCE. It was successful the borderline portion betwixt the Egyptian Empire and the Hittite Empire. Hence, the southernmost borderline of the Hittite Empire stopped acold northbound of wherever the Bible places the Hittites.

To beryllium clear, the Bible does not simply notation to Hittites arsenic an taste radical successful Canaan. It refers to Hittite kings successful Canaan successful the Late Bronze Age. This intelligibly shows that the Bible cannot beryllium referring to the Hittite Empire successful those passages.

Naming issues with this identification

Another cardinal contented with this recognition is to bash with the names of these nations. The Hittites successful the Bible received their sanction due to the fact that they were the sons of Heth, 1 of the aboriginal descendants of Noah. This is intelligibly seen from the information that the Bible refers to a definite ‘Ephron the Hittite’ arsenic being 1 of the sons of Heth.

In contrast, the Hittite Empire successful Anatolia referred to its onshore arsenic the onshore of Hatti due to the fact that that is what the erstwhile federation who lived determination already called it. The Hittites themselves ne'er referred to their ain federation arsenic the Hittites. They kept the sanction ‘Hatti’ for the land, but their federation called itself the Neshites oregon Neshians.

Whether the archetypal radical who lived successful that territory had thing to bash with the Hittites of the Bible is little clear. In immoderate case, the Hittite Empire who succeeded them astir surely did not.

The lone imaginable transportation betwixt them is the sanction of their land, Hatti, which is akin to the sanction of the Biblical Hittites. Yet arsenic we person conscionable seen, that sanction was simply passed connected from the erstwhile inhabitants of Anatolia, and the Hittite Empire ne'er utilized that sanction for its ain people.

Therefore, connected some geographical and ethnonymic grounds, it is highly improbable that the Hittite Empire had thing to bash with the Hittites of the Bible.

This does not mean that determination is nary hint of the Biblical Hittites. In fact, galore past Middle Eastern tablets usage the word ‘Hatti’ for the onshore of Syria oregon Canaan. This usage whitethorn good beryllium a notation to the Biblical Hittites.