Endnote 13 – Nebuchadnezzar & Solomon

The evidence is not unambiguous regarding the ethnic identity of the Neo-Babylonian kings. Though the Bible and classical authors designate this dynasty as “Chaldean,” the term in these sources is synonymous for “Babylonian” and may not denote ethnic specificity. We still have no irrefutable proof, for example, that Nabopolassar was himself a Chaldean, and in this sense the term is strictly inappropriate when referring to the Neo-Babylonian empire. See Bill T. Arnold, “Who Were the Babylonians?” SBLABS (Atlanta: Society of Biblical Literature, 2004), p. 91.