In 701 B.C. the Assyrian empire was in its ascendancy. It had already vanquished the kingdom of Israel to the north including the capital at Samaria. It then prepared an assault on Judah and its capital at Jerusalem.
But in one of those significant events that changes the course of world history, Assyria was repelled. Jerusalem was saved until 586 B.C. when the Babylonians sacked the city, forcing its leadership class into exile.
Henry Aubin, in a major feat of scholarship, determines that Jerusalem was aided by a Kushite army from Africa which had marched northeast from the Nile valley. While the Bible attributes the Assyrian retreat to an angel and secular commentators cite pestilence, Aubin, in a meticulously documented work, demonstrates that an alliance with the African nation of Kush bolstered Jerusalem’s defences.
Kush, also known as Nubia, was located in what is now southern Egypt and northern Sudan. A monarchy that existed for more than 1000 years, from 900 B.C. to A.D. 350, Kushites held sway over Egypt from 712 B.C. to about 660 B.C. Of Egypt’s 31 dynasties, this, the 25th Dynasty, is the only one that all scholars agree, was black.
The commander of the Kushite expeditionary force was Taharqa (or as the Bible calls him Tirhakah). This Kushite prince, who had his own interests in halting Assyrian expansion, likely caught the aggressors by surprise as they prepared their siege of Jerusalem.
Aubin offers a thrilling military history and a stirring political analysis of the ancient world. He also sees the event as influential over the centuries.
The Kushite rescue of the Hebrew kingdom of Judah enabled the fragile, war-ravaged state to endure, to nurse itself back to economic and demographic health, and allowed the Hebrew religion, Yahwism, to evolve within the next several centuries into Judaism. Thus emerged the monotheistic trunk supporting Christianity and Islam.
Dona J. Matthews, Ph.D was founding director of the Center for Gifted Studies and Education, Hunter College, City University of New York. In 2008, she received the Upton Sinclair award for her “outstanding contribution to the field of education in America.â€
Joanne F. Foster, Ed.D is a leading authority on gifted education. She teaches courses in educational psychology and high-level education at the University of Toronto, provides consultancy services to teachers, and serves on advisory committees. She writes a featured column in the journalParenting for High Potential.
Beyond Intelligence
Secrets for Raising Happily Productive Kids
There are thousands of books about dealing with problem children, but few about nurturing children’s intelligence and raising smarter kids.
Intelligence is not fixed from an early age, and all children can be helped to develop their intelligence, regardless of their IQ or starting point.
Two internationally recognized experts in high-level development, use their extensive experience with children, families, and schools to give parents practical techniques to improve their children’s success in school and life.
What is intelligence? What can parents and teachers do to nurture it when it isn’t obvious, and support it when it is? Enrolled in advanced classes as children, and as parents of diverse learners, Dona and Joanne have long grappled with the challenges and opportunities of high-level ability.
In Beyond Intelligence, they reveal how parents can identify a child’s abilities, foster creativity, bolster effort and persistence, prevent or alleviate emotional and social problems, and provide a balance of support and challenge at home and at school. They show how to embrace failures as learning opportunities and to praise children not for their intelligence but for their efforts.
They draw on insights from current brain research to show that intelligence is not fixed, and can be increased. Through myriad anecdotes from their case files, and in a warm reassuring voice, they offer practical suggestions and strategies for raising smart, well-balanced, happily productive children.
Dona Matthews and Joanne Foster are the authors of the award-winning Being Smart about Gifted Education, a finalist in the National Best Books 2009 Awards sponsored by USA Book News.
