尼布甲尼撒二世
I know, what a way to start, right? Short and easy are not necessarily memorable. It’s often the strange (Sorry Nebu) that wins our mind. So, let’s break it down:
Nebu chad nezzar, as in “NEt-book-cadaver-NEt-razor“
尼布甲尼撒 {ni2-bu4-jia3-ni2-sa4}
I’ll call him “Nebu” for convenience, no offense. Nebu is mostly famous in the Book of Daniel, being the Babylonian (巴比倫) king who destroyed the Kingdom of Judah and deported most of her citizens. He had quite a few scenes with Daniel and his friends (think fire and lions). He also had a few run-ins with the last kings of Judah by capturing two and deposing another before putting an end to the southern kingdom as prophesied.
Babylon was not always that powerful. Not long ago, the ruling empire in the area was the Neo-Assyrian Empire (or Assyria), which had a hold on Israel, Judah, Babylon, and many other kingdoms. Remember the Babylonian messenger who visited Hezekiah? Back then, Babylon was only a small city-state that temporarily rebelled against Assyria. After nearly a century, Nebu’s father did a much better job at gaining independence from Assyria, giving rise to the Neo-Babylonian (or the Chaldean 迦勒底) Empire.
Although his father was crowned as the first emperor of the dynasty, Nebu was the one who took the empire to its golden age by conquering the Assyrians in return and becoming one of the most powerful rulers in history. Quite something, right? However, Neo-Babylonian Empire was relatively short-lived compared to Neo-Assyrian Empire before it and Medo-Persian (Achaemenid) Empire after it. Nebu also suffered a mental health issue during his reign and was exiled from his kingdom. It was only when he acknowledged the power of God that he returned to his senses and resumed his reign.
He will be remembered as the destroyer of nations, the ender of Judah Kingdom, Daniel’s rivalry, the “mad” king, one of the foreign emperors who praised God, and God’s divine instrument. Oh, and for the Hanging Garden.