101 Myths of the Bible: how ancient scribes - Conscious Evolution TV

190 101 Myths of the Bible
Under Moses and Joshua, the Israelites created a new kind of political community,
one without a human king, something previously unheard of in the Near East among
large political powers. Hebrews believed that only God could serve as king of Israel,
and they left it to charismatic leaders inspired by God to interpret the Lord’s will.
After the stories of Joshua’s conquests, the biblical history resumes in the Book of
Judges, which begins by contradicting Joshua about what happened when Israel
entered Canaan. In the period of Judges, Israel continued without a king and “every
man did that which was right in his own eyes.” In such an environment, Israel’s devotion
to God’s rule frequently waned. God punished these deviations by inflicting ignominious
defeats on Israel at the hands of its enemies. After each such affliction, God
would then give Israel another chance by raising up a hero to defeat Israel’s enemies
and to encourage Israel to follow the true path of righteousness. Among the more
famous of these hero warriors were Deborah and Samson.
Eventually, the domination of charismatic leaders yielded to the rise of a monarchy,
but tensions between monarchs and priests and among priestly and political factions
continued to play a key role in the writing of ancient Israel’s history.
While Saul was alive, Judah seceded from the Israelite confederation and asked
David to be its ruler. When Saul died, Ishbosheth, Saul’s son (whose name was originally
Eshbaal, but later was changed by scribes) was chosen to succeed his father. Israel
and Judah fought constantly with each other for control over the other. Only after
allies of David assassinated Saul’s son did the two kingdom’s reunite under David’s
leadership. Despite the veneer of unity, major political and religious differences continued
to inflame relations between the two Hebrew kingdoms.
One of the key incidents in David’s rise to power was his slaying of Goliath while
still a youth in Saul’s court. It was this event that made him a contender in the eyes of
the people. Other biblical passages suggest that David got credit for someone else’s
deed. Subsequently, David’s military skills made him a national hero, and a popular
song spread through the kingdom—“Did they not sing one to another of him in dances,
saying, Saul hath slain his thousands, and David his ten thousands?” (1 Sam. 21:11).
David’s successor, his son Solomon, built a great temple in Jerusalem and ruled
over a vast empire. To finance his building projects and support his administration,