While I emphatically don't condone the destruction of ancient artifacts, when I saw this news item, I couldn't help but think of the oracle of Nahum against Ninevah and the King of Assyria:
Nahum 1:14English Standard Version (ESV)
14 The Lord has given commandment about you:
“No more shall your name be perpetuated;
from the house of your gods I will cut off the carved image and the metal image.
I will make your grave, for you are vile.”
“No more shall your name be perpetuated;
from the house of your gods I will cut off the carved image and the metal image.
I will make your grave, for you are vile.”
In fairness to ISIS, they're right about one thing: They are symbols of idolatry. How old does something have to be before it stops being an abomination and starts being an artifact? (To answer my own question, when no one actually worships an idol anymore, it's hard to argue that anything evil clings to it. After all, it's not the stone or metal that's objectionable but the way people ascribe worth to it.)
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