How does the history of Assyria offer support for both geographic determinism and a deuteronomic view? Which approach better explains the course of Assyrian history? Why?
Assyrian history offers support for both geographic determinism and deuteronomic history. Due to Assyria's location near the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers, Trade and communication was easier, but it was also easier to attack other countries. In the Bible God said that if the Jews continued in their evil ways they would be taken captive by their enemies, and forced into exile. The Assyrians, when they took over a land would torture their captives and send them into exile. So I think that the deuteronomic view is best supported by the History of the Assyrians.
It would be helpful to break down the three foundational beliefs of Deuteronomic History in order to fully consider Assyrian History in the context of this historical approach: God is sovereign and ultimately in supreme control of history (not random or shaped by material forces or concerns such as economics for example), God actively intervenes in history through historical events, and finally is the outworking of moral choices rather than economic or abstract social patterns.
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