Rel 134 - History of Judaism

History of Judaism

Pamela Sherrill Reed

REL/134

January 16, 2017

James Davidson

History of Judaism

In the western world, there are three main religions, Judaism, Islam, and Christianity. Judaism is one of the longest standing religions known to man and has had a large impact on the foundation of both Islam and Christianity. In Judaism, the belief is there is only one God, and this God has created all men in his likeliness and given them all the potential to do good things in this world. There are many people who have influenced the history of Judaism, but one of the most notable is David. While David led a hard life in God's shadow, he persevered and created so much good, happiness, and peace in the world that is still felt even now.

David

David lived a difficult life after being excluded from his family and being sent to become a shepherd to flock far from his home. During those trying times David decided to use the time to develop a profound relationship with God. When David was about 28 years old, King Saul began to fail, and after much consideration, David was chosen to take his place when the time came. While David was widely unknown, his popularity grew when he slayed Goliath, which made the people see David as a hero. He went on to marry King Saul's daughter, Michal, which many believed made him one of the most powerful figures among them.  Many people were jealous of the talent and fame that David grew to possess. Scholars began trying to prove that he wasn't even Jewish in an attempt to defile his name. King Saul saw David as the root of all of his troubles when he would be the salvation, and it created a rift in their relationship. In a battle against the Philistines, King Saul died, leavings the Jewish people in a chaotic state. David stepped in creating a unifying force. After four centuries of constant war, David was able to bring them all together. He rid the land of all of Israel's enemies and inner demons and became all things to all people. David was a scholar of the Torah, a musician, warrior, a righteous person, and no matter how large the task he always got the job done. David defeated Israel’s worst enemies and created peace with all others.

David became the King in Hebron but wanted more for his people. He purchased part of Jerusalem and conquered the rest. A prophet came to David and explained that God had sent him to inform David that Jerusalem should be the capital city, the city of God. David quickly got the idea to build a Temple but as a warrior, he was not prepared to do this himself, and God prevented him it. When David would build the Temple, wars against himself and his people would prevent it. Because the Temple was the House of God, a symbol of peace and tranquility Solomon built the Temple. However, much of the credit still goes to David because he not only laid the physical groundwork, put the money in the treasury to fund the project, but he also laid the spiritual foundation for such a holy place.