(born &circa; 640 &BC;—died 609 &BC;) King of Judah and religious reformer. He became king at age 8 after the assassination of his father, Amon.
As the Assyrian empire crumbled, Judah gained a measure of independence, and in 621 &BC; Josiah began a program of national renewal. He drove out foreign cults, abolished local sanctuaries, and centred the worship of Yahweh in the Temple of Jerusalem. As his reforms were under way, parts of the book of Deuteronomy were discovered in the Temple, giving added impetus to his efforts to revive observance of Mosaic law. Josiah hoped to reunify Judah and Israel, but he was killed in a battle against the Egyptians.
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