Secret_History

360 The Secret History of the World
The fact is: two hundred years of intensive excavations and study of the remains
of ancient Egypt and Palestine have failed to support the Exodus story in the
context in which it is presented. 256
The House of David
From the earliest times, Israel was composed of a poorly distinguished and
variable number of “city-states” (more like tribal towns) whose population was a
melting pot from all areas of the Mediterranean. The specific location that is
identified as Israel proper was a more or less backward, rural buffer zone between
the civilized Syrians and the nomads of Arabia. The “culture” of this region was a
mixture of the advanced cultures surrounding: Egyptian, Assyrian and Babylonian.
These “city states” rose and fell, fighting each other incessantly. A retrospective
view seems to suggest that acquiring plunder was seen as more productive than
agriculture. In another sense, these petty wars were seen as the conflict between
the gods of one tribe against the gods of another. As we will discover, this concept
may not have been too far from the truth.
What about the Kingdom of David and Solomon?
The books of Samuel tell us that the anointing of David, son of Jesse, as king
over all the tribes of Israel was the culmination of the promises that had begun
with the covenant between Abraham and “God”. Never mind that the first choice
for king had been the heroic and dashing Saul from the tribe of Benjamin, it was
David who became the “folk hero” of early Israelite history.
The endless stories in praise of King David were claimed by the Bible to be so
widespread that it passes understanding how they were not known in the “external
world” of Egypt, Greece, Assyria and Babylon - if they were true. But, as we will
discover, perhaps they were - under a different name and title. The only question
is: which versions are the most accurate? Did the Hebrews co-opt these stories to
their own “history”, or was there something about their history that was borrowed
by the later sources? And in either case, what is the actual historical setting of
these stories? Were they an overlay of myth on an actual historical series of
events? Or was a historical series of events manufactured out of myth?
In any event, just as Perseus slew the Gorgon and cut off her head, David slew
the giant, Goliath. They both had “wallets” and “stones” were important elements
of both stories. David was “adopted” into the royal court because he was a famous
harpist and singer in the manner of Orpheus. Like Hercules and other Greek
heroes, David was a rebel and freebooter, and like Paris stole Helen, he stole
another man’s wife - Bathsheba. He also conquered the great citadel of Jerusalem
and a vast empire beyond.
256 Ibid.