A Brief Overview of the History of the Kingdom of Israel (930-722 BC)

And falls into Dead Sea.

Dead Sea

The Dead Sea is a large and very salty lake- a natural reservoir, surrounded on all sides by land. It was called the sea in antiquity for its large size, but nowhere does it connect with the ocean. The lake lies at the bottom of the deepest depression on Earth. The water level in the lake is 395 m lower than the water level in the ocean.

The water in the Dead Sea is ten times saltier than in many real seas. Neither fish nor algae can live in such salty water. Layers of crystals glisten on its shores, and people who don't even know how to swim don't drown. Salt water pushes them to the surface.

History of the Hebrew kingdom

  • OK. 1250 BC e. Jews enter Canaan.
  • OK. 1020 BC e. Saul becomes king.
  • OK. 1000-965 BC e. reign of King David. The Philistines are defeated.
  • OK. 965-928 BC e. reign of King Solomon. Temple construction.
  • OK. 926 BC e. - the united kingdom of Israel is split into two: Israel and Judah.
  • 722 BC e. The Assyrians take over Israel.
  • 587 BC e. The Babylonians destroy Jerusalem. The people of Judah are taken into captivity.

In Palestine, between the Mediterranean Sea and the Jordan River, Jews have lived since ancient times. Ancient Jewish tribes roamed the desert near Canaan. They herded goats and sheep and grew bread. The history of the Jewish people is represented by a sacred book for many nations - the Bible.

Great Exodus

During a strong droughts When there was no rain for a long time, the earth dried up, and there was very little water left in the rivers and wells, the Jews, fleeing from hunger, moved from Palestine to the fertile lands of the Nile Delta, to Egypt.

Many years later, the prophet Moses brought them to the land of their ancestors. Led by Moses, they, fleeing, wandered for a long time in the desert between the Red and Mediterranean seas, then crossed the desert and entered the land of Canaan. The long journey and the miracles that happened to them are described in the Bible. The flight of the Jews from Egypt remains in the annals of history as the Great Exodus. This is the oldest migration of the people known to us.

Conquest of Canaan

Beans, lentils, garlic, onions and peas grew in the garden. IN orchard olives, figs, dates and pomegranates grew. Goats gave milk and went for meat.

In the yard there was an oven for baking bread, next to which the girls kneaded the dough. Women also crushed olives to make oil and spun wool.

Hebrew architecture

Temple of King Solomon in Jerusalem

The Temple of King Solomon in Jerusalem was built of limestone. The walls were lined with cedar brought from Phoenicia. A portico was erected along the perimeter of the roof, and two bronze columns stood at the entrance to the temple. Phoenician artisans helped the ancient Jews build this temple.

According to the Bible, during the time of Hammurabi (1792-1750 BC) from Hurray of the Chaldean went in search of the land indicated to him by God, with the whole family of Abraham, the forefather of the Jewish people.

Question for thought

At the end of the XIII century. BC e. the union of 12 Jewish tribes, which, after the name of its ancestor, was called Israel, came to the country Canaan. This union united around the cult of Yahweh, recognized as the supreme, and later the only god of Israel. The maintenance of the cult was entrusted to the inter-tribal organization of the Levites. After the conquest of Canaan, its lands were divided among the tribes of Israel. The Levites were allocated places on the territory of the remaining 11 "tribes". The cult center was Silom. Here was the Ark of the Covenant, the tent in which, according to the Israelites, God dwelt. At the head of the union were leaders - judges who enjoyed religious influence. In the XII century. BC e. Jews and Canaanites had to fight against the Philistines who invaded here, one of the “peoples of the sea”, who possessed iron weapons. They created a union of five cities on the coast with a religious center in Gaza. On behalf of the Philistines, this land became known as Pelset (Palestine), and in the 5th century. BC e. the Greeks spread this name throughout the country. In ancient legends about the wars with the Philistines, such Jewish heroes as Samson(Shimshon - "solar husband").

Jews- “ibri” (literally, “crossed [across the river]”, i.e. the Euphrates). This name applied to all the descendants of Abraham, who was considered the ancestor of the Arab tribes as well. But in the end it was left only to the tribes who traced themselves back to Jacob, or Israel, the grandson of Abraham.

"Tribes of Israel"- the tribes of the descendants of the 12 sons of Jacob-Israel. According to the Holy Scriptures, all the people of Israel originated from these 12 tribes.

IN XI V. BC e. a unified Hebrew state with royal power began to take shape. This was dictated by the need to fight the Philistines, who once even captured the Ark of the Covenant. But anti-monarchist sentiments were also strong, expressed by the judge Samuel. However, he was forced to perform the rite of anointing, calling Saul from the line of Benjamin to the kingdom. Samuel himself became high priest. Then he called the people together to choose a king, and a lot was cast, which pointed to Saul. After this, Saul was finally proclaimed king. Saul(second half XI V. BC e.) establishes a one-man power, which was still largely charismatic in nature, for it was believed that the king, as before the judges, was chosen by Yahweh himself. As the war with the Philistines continued, Saul carried out military reform. He creates a regular army, in which he recruits warriors. But the militia, built on a tribal basis, also remains. Saul surrounds himself with courtiers, mostly from the tribe of Benjamin. The conduct of wars, the maintenance of the army and the royal court force the king to impose taxes. Thus, Saul saved the people from the Philistines, having won a number of victories, but placed a heavy burden on them: the maintenance of the court and the army. This led to growing dissatisfaction with his rule. Saul was opposed by the priesthood and the high priest Samuel. The Bible says that he secretly anointed young David, the youngest son of Jesse from the tribe of Judah, the shepherd of sheep, to the kingdom. However, David did not come forward at this time against Saul. On the contrary, he was called to the court of Saul to console the king by playing a stringed instrument. Then the young man killed the giant Goliath, married Saul's daughter Michal, led part of the royal army and won several victories, but quarreled with the king, who began to be frightened by the growing glory of David. After a quarrel with Saul, David fled to Samuel, and then even entered the service of the Philistines.

Meanwhile, in a fierce battle with the Philistines at Mount Gilboa, the Jewish army was defeated. Saul's three sons died, and Saul himself, surrounded by enemies, threw himself on his sword. The Philistines captured the cities of Israel and put their garrisons in them.

Upon learning of the death of Saul, David moved to the Jewish city of Hebron. In this area, according to legend, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob-Israel roamed, and they were buried in a cave there. David, relying on the support of his soldiers, acted here as the heir of the patriarchs. "The men of Judah" gathered in Hebron and anointed him kingship over the "house of Judah," but the rest of Israel was ruled by Saul's heir, Jebosheth. Thus, for the first time, there was a distinction between Israel and Judah. Only after the murder of Jebosheth did the elders of the Israelite tribes recognize David as king. David (1010-970 BC) was revered by the Israelites as a great and ideal king. In the eighth year of his reign, he captured Jerusalem with his retinue, which became the personal possession of David and was not included in any tribal territory. The king moved the capital here and no longer depended on the authorities of the tribes, including the native tribe of Judah. Soon, the Ark of the Covenant was solemnly transferred to the new capital, and Jerusalem became not only the administrative center, but also the religious capital of all Israel.

David, following Saul, continues to form the foundations of the state: the army and the bureaucracy. The army he created consisted of three parts. The core of the army was his personal squad. In the service of the king were also foreign mercenaries: Cretans and Philistines. The personal squad and mercenaries were led by the royal tribesmen. The nationwide militia was also preserved, the tsar himself was at the head of the militia. However, the militia in the wars that David waged played an ever smaller role.

A new administrative apparatus is being created, the most important element of which is the tsarist office, subordinate only to the tsar. In the service of the king were not only Israelis, but also foreigners, such as, for example, the Hittite Uriah. The old tribal system of government at the level of a tribe or a separate community is also preserved. The priesthood is also included in the bureaucratic system of administration. The high priest Zadok was an associate of David.

David conquered the remaining independent cities of Canaan. David complemented his policy of conquest with diplomacy. He made an alliance with the king of the Phoenician city of Tyre, Hiram, and thus included Israel in the system economic ties East and West.

Towards the end of David's reign, the Jewish people are moving from a semi-nomadic lifestyle to an urban civilization. This urban civilization and its most important part - the territorial state with strong royal power - came into conflict with the old way of life and with the remaining tribal division. Socio-economic contradictions in the community also escalated. Rebellions began against David. At the end of his life, David still had to suppress the strife of the pretenders to the throne. When David was 70 years old, he ceded power to Solomon, his fourth son from Bathsheba, who did not have the right to the throne. The transfer of power by will, in violation of the principle of primogeniture, suggests that the royal power acquired complete independence and did not depend on tradition.

Solomon(970-931 BC) was famous for his wisdom, which entered the legends. His reign was subsequently remembered as a golden age. He received great power from his father and continued his international policy. Solomon made an alliance with Egypt and married the Pharaoh's daughter. He and the king of Tyre formed a trading partnership. Tire was able to use an Israeli port on the Red Sea, and Solomon sent his ship every three years as part of the Tyrian flotilla to Spain for gold, silver and other goods.

Solomon went down in history as a builder king. He built palaces for himself, for his wife, Pharaoh's daughter. In the fourth year of his reign, Solomon began building the temple. Construction Materials and masters were sent to him by the king of Tyre, Hiram. Solomon fortified the walls of the Canaanite cities, built stables on the trade routes near Megiddo. He opened new mines and established a monopoly on copper. The brilliant courtyard and grandiose construction, which required the introduction of forced labor and large funds, laid a heavy burden on the population.

Solomon divided the state into 12 regions headed by governors. This division did not completely coincide with the division into tribes. Each district had to supply the royal court with everything necessary for one month. The list of these regions did not include the tribe of Judah, from which David and Solomon came.

Working with the source

Read the fragments of the description of Solomon's temple in the Book of Kings (III, ch. VI) and answer the questions: how was the temple decorated? Was its interior decoration rich? What materials were used in construction? Why do you think the construction of the temple is described in such detail?

  • 15. And he overlaid the walls of the temple inside with cedar boards; from the floor of the temple to the ceiling, he overlaid it with wood and covered the floor of the temple with cypress boards.
  • 16. And he built a wall in the back side of the temple, and overlaid the walls and the ceiling with cedar boards.
  • 18. On the cedars inside the temple were carved [similitudes] of cucumbers and blooming flowers; everything was covered with cedar, no stone was visible.
  • 22. He overlaid the whole temple with gold, the whole temple to the end, and he overlaid the whole altar with gold.
  • 29. And on all the walls of the temple all around he made carvings of cherubs and palm trees and blossoming flowers, inside and out.
  • 30. And he overlaid the floor of the temple with gold in the interior and front.
  • 33. And at the entrance to the temple he made jambs of olive wood, quadrangular,
  • 34. And two doors of cypress wood; both halves of one door were movable, and both halves of the other door were movable.
  • 35. And he carved cherubim and palm trees and blooming flowers and overlaid with gold on the carvings.
  • 36. And he built an inner courtyard with three rows of hewn stone and a row of cedar beams.

After the death of Solomon, 10 northern tribes fell away and formed the kingdom of Israel. The south was called Judaic. Samaria became the capital of the northern kingdom. Jerusalem remained the capital of the Kingdom of Judah. The kingdom of Israel, in which nine dynasties have changed in 200 years, turned out to be less stable than the Kingdom of Judah, where the descendants of David ruled all the time.

Workshop

The Old Testament in the context of the history of ancient Eastern civilizations

note It is worth starting preparation for this lesson in advance, since the text of the source is specific and quite difficult for perception, especially for an unprepared reader.

  • 1. Find out what parts the Old Testament consists of, when and by whom they were created (or who is credited with creating them). Find out in which parts the most famous Old Testament stories are told: the story of Joseph the Beautiful, the life of Moses and the exodus from Egypt, stories about kings David and Solomon, about the Babylonian captivity. Why do you think these legends were chosen for discussion?
  • 2. Choose one of the stories mentioned above, read it (any edition will do). Old Testament) and prepare a report on it.

Read the selected episode carefully.

Try to retell it in the most simple and understandable language. Write down the names of heroes, complex geographical names. The pictorial material, for example, paintings on this plot, will also become the advantage of your message.

In the report, be sure to reflect the following points: is it possible to talk about the historicity of the characters? What real persons are they identified with? What echoes historical events and phenomena can be found in biblical traditions?

3. Compare the biblical story of the Flood with the already known myth from the Epic of Gilgamesh. Write down in the table all the main information regarding these plots.

How are these legends similar and how are they different? What can explain the differences? Could any real historical event be reflected in this myth? Are there similar stories in other mythological systems? What do you think is the reason for the spread of such a legend?

Exercise

What biblical stories are associated with the following idioms:

  • manna from heaven;
  • Golden Taurus;
  • jericho trumpets;
  • Egyptian executions;
  • Babel;
  • promised land;
  • tablets of the Covenant;
  • Solomon's decision;
  • noah's ark?

Formation of the Kingdom of Israel

Wars and the development of exchange contributed to the disintegration of tribal relations. Excessive enrichment of individual clan leaders and elders and the ruin of poor community members led to sharp property and class stratification. During the period of the collapse of the tribal system, the elders and leaders of the tribes that make up the tribal aristocracy are called powerful, noble, “princes” or “chiefs”. They are at the head of the army and resolve litigation. The elder's staff and the scribe's wand are signs of their authority. Ancient legends especially emphasize the judicial function of the most ancient tribal leaders. These are the so-called "judges" (shofet), whose power in ancient Palestine, as in other ancient countries at this stage of their development, precedes the power of the king, which arises simultaneously with the formation of classes and the state. Thus, the irreconcilable class contradictions that arise in the ancient slave-owning society of Palestine require the formation of a state as an apparatus of violence that provides the slave-owners with the opportunity to exploit the slaves and the poor.

The weakening of Egypt in the XI-X centuries. BC e. contributed to the formation of separate independent states in Palestine precisely at that time. However, a small territory and a relatively small population did not provide a sufficient basis for the formation of a more or less large state here. The strengthening of small states in Palestine was especially facilitated by the development of foreign trade. Palestine was at the crossroads between Egypt, Syria and Mesopotamia, and here the most important trade caravan routes crossed, adjoining the big sea ​​route, walking from Egypt along the Mediterranean coast to the Phoenician cities - to the island of Cyprus and to the southern coast of Asia Minor.

First, small tribal unions are formed, such as the states of the “judge” Samuel, Gideon, or the kingdom of Abimelech in Shechem. The most powerful tribal leaders, concentrating in their hands the supreme military, judicial and priestly power, form small alliances of tribes in one or another part of Palestine. Some of them, like, for example, the "judge" Samuel, enjoy authority and great power, which approaches the power of the king. The Bible preserved the traditions of how these unions of tribes were formed, from which they subsequently grew ancient states. One of the ancient rulers of the Mayassi (Menashe) tribe named Yerubaal defeated the Midianite tribe, united several tribes under his rule and formed an ancient tribal state with a religious center in Opra. Gradually, the most ancient forms of hereditary royal power also appear. The biblical legend tells that “the Israelites said to Gideon (the honorary name of Jerubaal):“ rule over us, you and your son and your son’s son, for you saved us from the hands of the Midianites. Gideon, as the supreme commander and king, takes part of the military booty, amounting to over 1700 gold shekels, and donates it to the temple he founded in Opra. Although Gideon politely renounces royal power not only on his own behalf, but also on behalf of his sons, yet, apparently, the principle of hereditary royal power is being strengthened in this era. Avimelech, one of the sons of Gideon, having forcibly eliminated all other candidates for the royal throne, seizes royal power in the city of Shechem. "All the inhabitants of Shechem ... made Abimelech king by the oak that is near Shechem." The very name Abimelech (“my father is a king”) indicates the gradual formation of the principle of hereditary royal power, which was put into practice by this ancient Israelite king, who reigned for only three years.

The largest and most powerful of these states was the kingdom of Israel, founded, according to legend, by Saul. Fragments of the heroic epic, which tells about the conquest of Palestine and the formation of the ancient kingdom of Israel, contain a description of the legendary exploits of this ancient Israeli king. They tell how the national hero Saul liberated the city of Iabesh (in the mountainous region of Gilead, east of the Jordan). Iabesh was besieged by the Ammonites. After the release of Jabesh, Saul gathered a large militia, mainly among the tribe of the Benjaminites, and began a stubborn struggle against the ancient enemies of the Jews, the Philistines. Having freed his hometown of Gibea from the power of the Philistines, Saul was proclaimed king by the Israelite tribes. However, Saul's kingdom still bore traces of the old tribal relationships. The patriarchal life of this time is perfectly described in the biblical story of Saul, who lived and ruled in his hometown. Once a month, on the new moon, he gathered a squad in his house and held a council of war under the sacred tamarisk. He distributed the fields and vineyards captured from the enemy to his soldiers.

However, Saul is trying to unite all of Israel under his rule and spread his influence in neighboring countries. So, in order to protect the Israelite tribes living in the region beyond the Jordan, he wages war with the king of Moab. Protecting the northern Israelite tribes, he opposes the Aramaic kingdom of Soba. Strengthening his influence in southern Palestine, in particular in Judea, he wages war with the Amalekites and establishes relations with the Calebit and Kenite tribes. Finally, he annexes to Israel the Canaanite cities that have retained their independence. The energetic activity of Saul led to the formation of a rather significant state of Israel, headed by a king, whose authority and power are strengthened and sanctified by religion and priesthood. Thus, in the legends about Saul, his piety is emphasized, it is indicated that he was “covered by the spirit of the god Yahweh”, and it is described how Saul portrayed himself as a representative of the “god of Israel”. While retaining the ancient priestly duties of a tribal leader, Saul participated in the performance of important religious rites.

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The Kingdom of Israel, which reached the highest degree of its prosperity under the kings David and Solomon, but was weighed down by taxes and weakened by spiritual forces due to the spread of idolatry in it in the last years of Solomon's life, was now threatened with final disorder and fall.

In order to preserve true worship of God, the majority of the people had to separate from the smaller part of it that had not yet fallen into idolatry. This happened when Jeroboam, after the death of Solomon, returned to Jerusalem, gathered the Israelites and, having come with them to Rehoboam, told him that they did not refuse to serve him, but only on the condition that he would make it easier for them the cruel work of his father and the heavy yoke. which he imposed upon them.

After hearing this, Rehoboam dismissed them, saying that they should come in three days to find out about his decision.

At this time, he first consulted with the elders, who said to him: “If you are this day a servant of this people and serve them, and satisfy them and speak kindly to them, then they will be your slaves for all days.”

But Rehoboam disregarded the advice of the elders, and called for a meeting of young people “who grew up with him”, preferred to follow their advice and announce such an answer to the people: “If my father burdened you with a heavy yoke, then I will increase your yoke; my father punished you with whips, and I will punish you with scorpions” (scourges with metal needles at the ends).

The indignation that had accumulated in the hearts of the people finally took possession of the Israelites at such an answer from Rehoboam, and with exclamations: “What part do we have in David? we have no share in the son of Jesse; in their tents, Israel! now know your home, David! And Israel went into their tents."

Then “King Rehoboam sent Adoniram, the head of the tribute; but all the Israelites stoned him, and he died; And King Rehoboam hastily mounted the chariot to flee to Jerusalem.”

“And Israel was separated from the house of David. And Jeroboam reigned over all Israel. There was no one left behind the house of David but the tribe of Judah and Benjamin.”

And Rehoboam gathered from them one hundred and eighty thousand chosen soldiers to wage war against the house of Israel and restore the kingdom to the son of Solomon.

But then “the word of God came to Samaeus, the man of God, and it was said: say to Rehoboam the son of Solomon king of Judah, and to all the house of Judah and Benjamin and the rest of the people: Thus says the Lord: do not go and make war with your brothers, the sons of Israel ; Return every one to your house, for it was from Me. And they obeyed the word of the Lord and went back according to the word of the Lord.”

Meanwhile, both kings began to fortify themselves in their possessions in anticipation of an attack by one on the other.

"And Jeroboam built Shechem on Mount Ephraim, and dwelt there." However, fearing that “if the people go to Jerusalem to offer sacrifices in the house of the Lord, then the heart of the people will turn to their sovereign, to Rehoboam, the king of Judah,” and they will return to him and kill him, Jeroboam. He decided to divert them from their fatherly beliefs and attract them to idolatry. For this purpose, he “made two golden calves and said to the people: You do not need to go to Jerusalem; behold your gods, O Israel, who brought you out of the land of Egypt. And he set one in Bethel, and the other in Dan. And he built a temple on high, and appointed priests from among the people, who were not from the sons of Levi. And he offered sacrifices on the altar that he had made at Bethel, and arbitrarily set up a feast for the children of Israel, and went up to the altar to burn incense.”

At this time, according to the word of the Lord, a man of God came from Judea to Bethel “and spoke the word of the Lord to the altar and said: Altar, altar! Thus says the Lord: Behold, a son will be born to the house of David, his name is Josiah, and he will sacrifice on you the priests of high places, who burn incense on you, and he will burn human bones on you. And he gave a sign that day, saying, This is the sign that the Lord has spoken: Behold, this altar will fall apart, and the ashes that are on it will crumble.

“When the king heard the word of the man of God, he stretched out his hand to Jeroboam from the altar, saying, Take it. And his hand, which he stretched out against him, became stiff, and he could not turn it towards him.

And the altar fell apart, and the ashes from the altar were scattered, according to the sign that the man of God gave by the word of the Lord.

And the king (Jeroboam) said to the man of God: Have mercy on the face of the Lord thy God, and pray for me, that my hand may turn towards me. And the man of God propitiated the face of the Lord, and the hand of the king turned towards him and became as before.

And the king said to the man of God: Come with me into the house and refresh yourself with food, and I will give you a gift.

But he refused, because he was commanded by the word of the Lord not to eat bread there and not to drink water and not to return along the path that he walked ...

And he went the other way

(1 Kings 12, 4, 7, 8, 11, 16, 18-20, 22-25, 27-28, 31, 33; 13, 2-7, 10)

Meanwhile, an elder prophet who lived in Bethel, hearing about what the man of God had done today, went after him and persuaded him to return with him and eat bread from him, saying: “And I am a prophet like you, and The angel spoke to me in the word of the Lord, and said: bring him back to your house; let him eat bread and drink water. "He lied to him."

“While they were still sitting at the table, the word of the Lord came to the prophet who brought him back. And he spoke to the man of God who had come from Judea, and said, Thus says the Lord: because you did not obey the mouth of the Lord and did not keep the commandment that the Lord your God commanded you, but returned, ate bread and drank water in that place about which He said to you: Do not eat bread or drink water; your body will not enter the tomb of your fathers.

After he had eaten bread and drunk, he saddled a donkey for the prophet, whom he brought back.

And he went. And a lion met him on the road and killed him. And his body lay, thrown on the road; the donkey stood beside him, and the lion stood beside the body.

Having learned about this from stories from people passing by, the elder-prophet went to the scene, found and raised the body of the man of God and brought him back to his city to mourn and bury him. And he bequeathed to his sons, saying: “When I die, bury me in the tomb in which the man of God is buried; Lay my bones beside his bones; for the word that he spoke at the command of the Lord about the altar at Bethel and about all the temples on the high places in the cities of Samaria will come true.

“And after this event, Jeroboam did not leave his bad path, but continued to appoint priests of high places from the people. This led the house of Jeroboam to sin and destruction and destruction from the face of the earth. At this time, Abijah son of Jeroboam fell ill.

Then Jeroboam sent his wife to Shiloh, to the prophet Ahijah, who foretold him about the reign of Israel, so that she would ask him: “What will happen to the lad?” The aged Ahijah, who had almost lost his sight, recognized her, despite the fact that she was in disguise, and said to her: “Come in, wife of Jeroboam; Why did you have to change clothes? I am a terrible messenger to you. Go, tell Jeroboam: This is what the Lord God of Israel says: I raised you up from among the common people of My Israel, and took away the kingdom from the house of David and gave it to you; and you are not like my servant David, who kept my commandments and who followed me with all his heart, doing only what is right in my sight; you acted worse than all that were before you, and you went and made yourself other gods and idols to irritate Me, but you threw me back; for this I will bring trouble on the house of Jeroboam, and I will sweep his house, as rubbish is swept clean. Get up and go to your house: and as soon as your foot enters the city, the child will die.

“And the Lord will raise up for himself a king over Israel, who will destroy the house of Jeroboam in that day; So what? even now. And the Lord will betray Israel for the sins of Jeroboam, which he himself committed and by which he brought Israel into sin.

“And the wife of Jeroboam arose, and went, and came to Tirzah; and as soon as she crossed the threshold of the house, the child died.

As for Rehoboam, at first he was faithful to the law of Moses and supported its implementation by the people in his dominions, but when "the kingdom of Rehoboam was established, and he became strong, then he left the law of the Lord, and all Israel with him."

“And they built high places and statues and temples in every high place and under every shady tree.”

And the judgment of God burst upon the people.

In the fifth year of the reign of Rehoboam, King Susakim of Egypt, at the head of a large army, went to Jerusalem, and took the fortified cities in Judah.

Rehoboam and those close to him were stricken with great fear. Then the prophet Samaeus came to them and said: "Thus says the Lord: you forsook me, therefore I leave you in the hands of Susakim."

“And the princes of Israel and the king humbled themselves, and said, Righteous is the Lord!

When the Lord saw that they humbled themselves, then the word of the Lord came to Sameus, and it is said: they humbled themselves; I will not destroy them, and soon I will give them deliverance, and My wrath will not be poured out on Jerusalem by the hand of Sushakim; yet they will be his servants, that they may know what it is to serve Me and serve the kingdoms of the earth.”

“And Susakim, king of Egypt, came to Jerusalem and took the treasures of the house of the Lord and the treasures of the king's house; he took everything, and took the shields of gold that Solomon had made. And king Rehoboam made, instead of them, copper shields, and gave them into the hands of the chiefs of the bodyguards who guarded the entrance of the king's house.

When the king went out to the house of the Lord, the bodyguards came and carried them, and then again carried them to the chamber of the bodyguards. And when he humbled himself, then the wrath of the Lord turned away from him and did not destroy him to the end; besides, there was something good in Judea. And King Rehoboam established himself in Jerusalem and reigned seventeen years. And there were wars between Rehoboam and Jeroboam all the days. And Rehoboam slept with his fathers, and was buried in the city of David. And Abijah his son reigned in his place.”

Abiya reigned for three years (his mother's name was Maaha, daughter of Absalom).

“He walked in all the sins of his father, which he did before him, and his heart was not given to the Lord his God. And there was war between Abijah and Jeroboam."

His army consisted of four hundred thousand selected people. Jeroboam came out against him "with eight hundred thousand people, also selected, brave."

Before the start of the war, Abijah, standing on the top of one of the mountains of Ephraim, turned to Jeroboam and the Israelites and reminded them of all the rights of the house of David, expressed his contempt for the golden calves of Israel and explained the glory of the struggle in the name of Jehovah, the true God. “Sons of Israel! - he concluded his speech, - do not fight with the Lord God of your fathers, for you will not get success.

Meanwhile, Jeroboam tried to surround the army of Abijah on all sides. And the Jews cried out. And when they cried out, God smote Jeroboam and all the Israelites before Abijah and Judah. And the children of Israel fled from the Jews, and God delivered them into their hand. And they brought Abijah and his people a great defeat; 500,000 chosen men were killed in Israel. Several cities, including Bethel, remained in the hands of the conquerors.

“And Jeroboam was no longer in power in the days of Abijah. And the Lord struck him, and he died.”

“But Abijah grew stronger,” but he ended up falling into the sins of his father and after three years of reign he died, leaving his son Asa his heir, in whose days the earth rested for ten years.

Jeroboam died a year after Abijah. He was succeeded by his son Navat, who followed in the footsteps of his father, and in the second year of his reign, during the siege of the city of Gabathon of the Philistines, was killed by Baasha (from the house of Issachar), who took his throne, destroying the whole house of Jeroboam, as it was predicted by the prophet Ahijah.

In the kingdom of Judah at that time everything was going well. King Asa restored in him the veneration of the true God, “rejected all the idols that his fathers had made, and even deprived his mother Anu of the title of queen because she made the idol of Astarte; And Asa cut down her image and burned it by the stream of Kidron. The heights were not destroyed. But Asa's heart was devoted to the Lord all his days."

Ten years of peaceful reign allowed him to improve the cities and strengthen the army.

When “Zarai the Ethiopian came out against them” at the head of an innumerable army and reached Maresha, then, praying to the Lord, “may not his man prevail”, Asa fought here with Zarai, defeated him, put him to flight, and his soldiers “gained prey great multitude."

At this time lived the prophet Azariah; he appeared to King Asa, greeted him and encouraged him to continue his charitable activities; He said that God gave him to accomplish victories as a reward for his faithful service, just as the former disasters were sent as a punishment for the sins of his predecessors. And Asa zealously continued to exterminate idolatry, restored the sacrifices and service in the temple to their proper grandeur, “brought into the house of the Lord the things consecrated by his father, and the things dedicated to them: silver and gold and vessels.”

Many Israelites who did not fall away from God began to move to live in the land of the king of Judah. And his power continued to grow. This began to worry Baasha, the king of Israel, who, having captured the city of Rama, fortified it and set up a military detachment there, “not to allow anyone to leave Asa, king of Judah, or come to him.” Then “Asa brought out silver and gold from the treasuries of the house of the Lord and the house of the king, and sent it to Benhadad, the king of Syria, who lived in Damascus, saying: Let there be an alliance between me and you; Behold, I am sending you silver and gold: go, break your alliance with Baasha king of Israel, so that he will depart from me. And Benhadad obeyed the king of Asa and sent his captains against the cities of Israel.”

King Asa himself went to Rama, took possession of it, tore down all the fortifications of this city, ordered that the stones and wood that Vaasa used for building were taken out of Rama, and built the cities of Gevu and Mitzfu from them.

“At that time Ananias the seer came to Asa, and said to him: The eyes of the Lord survey the whole earth to support those whose heart is completely devoted to Him. You acted foolishly now, "that you trusted in the king of Syria and did not trust in the Lord, who delivered into the hand of his people both the Ethiopians and the Libyans with greater power and with chariots and horsemen very numerous, because the people then trusted in the one Lord, God his.

The bold speech of the seer angered the king, and he imprisoned him.

The Holy Scripture does not hide the weaknesses of pious people. And it also puts in condemnation of the pious king Asa that when he "became sick with his legs in the thirty-ninth year of his reign, then in his illness he did not seek the Lord, but doctors." But at the same time, Holy Scripture testifies that "Asa's heart was completely devoted to the Lord all his days, although the heights were not abolished from Israel."

“And Asa rested with his fathers, and died in the forty-first year of his reign. And they buried him in the tomb which he had made for himself in the city of David; and they laid him on a bed, which they filled with spices and various artificial colors, and they burned a great multitude of them for him.

And Jehoshaphat his son reigned in his stead; and he fortified himself against the Israelites.”

(1 Kings 13:18, 20-24, 31-34; 14:1, 3, 6-10, 12, 14, 16-17. 2 Chronicles 12:1.
3 Kings 14, 23. 2 Chr. 12, 5-13, 15-16. 3 Kings 15, 2-3.
2 Par. 13, 2-3, 12, 15-17, 20-21. 3 Kings 15, 12-15.
2 Par. 14, 9, 11, 13; 15, 17; 16, 1-4, 7, 9, 12-14; 17, 1.

About the king of Israel Baas, a contemporary of the king of Judah Asa, is known from Holy Scripture that at the time when he openly patronized idolatry, the prophet Jehu visited him, reproached him for imitating the wicked king Jeroboam and predicted that the Lord would “reject the house of Baasha and his offspring and do with his house the same as with the house of Jeroboam.”

Vaasa put the prophet to death, but the prophecy of the righteous was fulfilled. Baasha died after reigning twenty-four years.

“And Elah his son reigned in his stead. And he reigned for two years. And his servant Zimri, who was in charge of half of the chariots, plotted against him. When Ila got drunk in the house of Arsa, who was in charge of the palace in Tirza, then Zamri entered and killed him, and reigned in his place.

And “Zimri destroyed the whole house of Baasha, according to the word of the Lord, which He spoke about Baasha through Jehu the prophet, for all the sins of Baasha and for the sins of Elah his son, which they themselves committed and with which they led Israel into sin, irritating the Lord God of Israel with their idols ".

But, having seized the throne, Zimri reigned only seven days in Tirza. When the people, who were besieging Gabathon of the Philistines at that time, heard of his accession, they plotted against Zamri and killed him, declaring “Omri, the military commander, over Israel on the same day in the camp” as king.

And Omri and all the Israelites with him retreated from Gibethon and laid siege to Tirzah. When Zimri saw that the city was taken, he entered the inner room of the royal house and set fire to the royal house behind him and died.

Omri, however, was not unanimously elected: part of the people proclaimed Thamnius, the son of Gonathov, the heir to the throne, and Omri ascended the throne only after the death of Thamnios and reigned for twelve years. At this time, his only remarkable work was the construction of the city of Samaria near Shechem, which became the capital of the kingdom of Israel.

“And Omri did evil things in the sight of the Lord, and did worse than all those who were before him. And Omri rested with his fathers, and was buried in Samaria.

And Ahab his son reigned in his stead (in the thirty-eighth year of Asa king of Judah) and reigned over Israel in Samaria for twenty-two years. And Ahab did evil in the sight of the Lord more than all those who were before him. It was not enough for him to fall into the sins of Jeroboam, he took Jezebel, the daughter of the king of Sidon, as his wife, and began to serve Baal and worship him. And he erected an altar to Baal in the temple of Baal, in Samaria itself.

In his days, Ahiel the Bethelian built Jericho: on his firstborn Abiram he laid the foundation of it, and on his youngest son Sehub he set up its gates, according to the word of the Lord, which He spoke through Joshua the son of Nun.

At the same time, as the wicked Ahab, under the influence of his wife Jezebel, finally surrendered to idolatry, led the people of Israel along this disastrous path, the kingdom of Judah prospered under the control of the pious king Jehoshaphat, who “did not seek the Baals, but sought the God of his father and acted according to His commandments, and not according to the deeds of the Israelites."

“And God established the kingdom in his hand, and all the Jews gave gifts to Jehoshaphat, and he had much wealth and glory. And his heart was exalted in the ways of the Lord,” and he zealously guarded the faith in the One true God. To strengthen the faith in the hearts of the people, he sent the Levites to teach in the cities of Judah, and "having with them the book of the law of the Lord, they went around all the cities and taught the people."

“And the fear of the Lord was in all the kingdoms of the lands that were around Judah, and they did not fight with Jehoshaphat. And from the Philistines they brought gifts to Jehoshaphat and silver as a tribute; the Arabians also drove flocks to him: seven thousand seven hundred rams and seven thousand seven hundred goats. And Jehoshaphat grew taller and taller and built strongholds and cities in Judah to store up. He had many supplies in the cities of Judah, and in Jerusalem, military men, brave.

(1 Kings 16:3, 9-13, 16-18, 25, 28-32, 34. 2 Chronicles 17, 3-6, 9-13)

But his great mistake was that he allowed the marriage of his son Jehoram, through which he became related to the wicked Ahab and Jezebel, people who had fallen away from faith in the true God. This was reflected in the sad consequences for the kingdom of Judah.

Establishment of the Kingdom of Israel

In the first half of the $І$ millennium BC, a new political formation appeared. It was formed as a result of the union of $12$ Hebrew tribes (tribes) that invaded the territory of Palestine and conquered a number of Canaanite countries. The Hebrew tribes still retained the features of the barbarian orders in $XII-XI$ BC. The leaders were elected and they were also the high priests, and in war time- commanded the militia, in peacetime - they sorted out the lawsuits of their fellow tribesmen, and therefore they were called "judges". The transition to a settled life, the formation of crafts and the emergence of trade accelerated the division of property, gradually began to form a class of wealthy owners and slave owners who needed a strong administration to protect their own interests. To realize this task, the elected leaders were replaced by kings with hereditary power. The formation of statehood was also facilitated by an external threat emanating from the Philimists, with whom the Hebrew tribes waged long wars.

During these wars, Saul was elected as a single king, whose authority was recognized by all Jewish tribes. Saul appointed military leaders, endowed them with fields and vineyards, which led to the emergence of military military nobility. But he turned out to be an unsuccessful commander and, having suffered a crushing defeat from the Philistines, committed suicide, according to legend, throwing himself on his own sword.

Saul's successor was his son-in-law David ($1000-$965 BC), who pursued a policy of centralized monarchy, annexed Jerusalem and made it the capital of his own kingdom. David created a state administrative apparatus, headed by the highest dignitary, and a personal guard of the Philistines and mercenaries from Crete. The orders of King David to conduct a census of the population with the aim of imposing taxes on everyone caused strong popular indignation. Foreign policy The king was quite successful: he made peace with the Philistines and advanced the southern borders of the kingdom along the Gulf of Aqaba.

Judea secession

David's successor was his youngest son Solomon ($965-935 BC). Traditions speak of the great wisdom of Solomon, depict him as a shrewd and fair judge, and even attribute to him the creation of several literary works included in the Bible. In fact, Solomon was a power-hungry and vain monarch with despotic manners, and, without thinking, got rid of everyone who stood in his way.

A lot of attention in the era of Solomon's reign was given to construction. Palaces and temples were founded, Canaanite cities were restored, new ones were built. In Jerusalem, Solomon erected a rich temple in honor of the god Yahweh. The maintenance of the large royal court and the scope of the unfolding construction required huge funds, so the tax oppression of the population increased. The entire territory of the Israelite-Jewish kingdom was divided into twelve districts, each of which was obliged to supply the king and the court with food for one month a year. In addition, a labor obligation was also introduced, which fell only on the subjugated Canaanite-Amorite population, and later on the Israelites themselves, who were required to work $4$ a month a year at royal construction sites.

Figure 1. Temple of Solomon (reconstruction)

By the end of Solomon's reign, the country's foreign policy situation became more complicated. A powerful kingdom of Damascus arose on the northern border. Most of the tribes ($10$ of the tribes of Israel) separated from Judah and founded a new kingdom of Israel with its capital in the city of Samaria in the north of the previously unified state under the rule of King Jeroboam $І$. The Davidic dynasty continued to dominate the south of the country in Judea, retaining Jerusalem as its capital. Now the Kingdom of Judah included the territories of the allotment of Judah, Shimon, Benjamin, and the first king of Judah proper was Solomon's son Rehoboam. At the end of $VI$ c. BC. The kingdom of Judah was conquered by Babylonia.

Figure 2. The divided kingdoms of Israel and Judah

At this time, Egypt took advantage of the weakening and fragmentation of the country. About $930 BC The Egyptian pharaoh Sheshonk made a devastating campaign in Palestine, ruining the kingdoms of Judah and Israel. However, under the governors of Sheshonk, Egypt also weakened, never restoring its former dominance in the Eastern Mediterranean.

Socio-economic relations in Israel and Judea

In the first half of the $I$ millennium BC. In Palestine, there is an increase in the commodity economy. Entire handicraft and trading quarters arose in huge cities, separate settlements of potters, carpenters and weavers were founded outside the city. Trade with the Phoenician Tire expanded, where wheat was mainly exported, and excess grain was sold on the domestic market. The formation of commodity-money relations naturally led to the disintegration of communities. Community fields, orchards and vineyards were sold to third parties, thus depriving the community of the opportunity to use them.

Together with communal land ownership, personal landed property also arose. The royal lands complained to aristocrats and officials for their service. Property division intensified, class differences became aggravated, the community was divided into 4 estates: the secular aristocracy (nobles and princes); spiritual aristocracy (priests and professional prophets); "people of the earth" - the bulk of the personally free population, who owned communal allotments, carried military service and paid taxes; foreigners (aliens and settlers), limited in rights. Poor community members became victims of violence from usurers and royal officials.

At the very bottom of the social ladder were slaves, who, although they made up a small part of the country's population, but with the development of crafts and commercial agriculture, their number grew, as forced labor was required. The sources of replenishment of the slave force were varied. Mostly prisoners of the conquered territories became slaves, adult men were traditionally killed (from time to time they were pardoned and sent to hard labor), and women and children fell into slavery. Women became concubines, children were brought up as slaves. When children appeared from a free community member and a slave, they often remained in the father's house as the younger members of the family, in fact, in the position of slaves, with the only difference that they could not be sold.

Remark 1

With the development of trade, slave labor acquires great importance, their purchase and sale becomes a common activity. Slaves are divided into "born in the house" and "bought". Attempts are being made to convert insolvent debtors into eternal slavery. The labor of bonded debtors and "sons of a slave" was widely used, which was a characteristic sign of slavery throughout the Ancient East, the slave was frankly equated with an animal. The merciless exploitation of the poor and slaves caused discontent and indignation. Cases of escapes of slaves and negotiations for their extradition are mentioned.

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