"Thus Saith the Lord..."

Our unit of study on the early history of the Jewish People continued this past week with a look at the era of the Prophets (ca. 1000-500 B.C.E.). It was during this era that a revolutionary concept took form - the idea that morality played a major role in the outcome of historical events. This concept came to be adopted over the coming millenia by all of western civilization. The Prophets we learned about in class this week were Samuel, Elijah, Isaiah, Jeremiah and Ezekiel. Unlike prophets of other cultures, these Biblical prophets could not see into the future or perform rituals to force the gods to act in certain ways. Instead, these men acted as mediums (and often as mediators) between God and Israel.

It was Samuel who anointed the first king of Israel - Saul - at the request of the Israelites, at a time when they were battling one of their fiercest enemies - the Phillistines. At first, we are told in the Bible, God refused to appoint a human king, warning Israel that God is the protector of Israel. But the people insisted and God had Samuel anoint Saul, with the warning that the people would rue the day they chose a human king to lead them. This warning came true with the kings of the United Monarchy (David and Solomon) and with the kings of the split kingdoms after Solomon's death - the Kingdom of Israel comprising 10 of the 12 tribes to the north, and the Kingdom of Judah, made up of the largest tribe of Israel - Judah - and the smallest tribe - Benjamin - to the south. God appointed the prophets, we are told, to oversee the kings, to be sure they followed God's commandments. Most risked their lives to do so.

In order to bring to life the historical background and the little we know about each of these prophets, I shared the following YouTube links with Wednesday's class. Unfortunately, Tuesday's class was cancelled due to a water main break near the campus. I'm hoping Tuesday's students will have the opportunity over vacation to view one or more of these links, which provide background information for an art project we'll be working on when we return on Sunday, January 5th.

The YouTube segments are all taken from A&E cable channel's "Mysteries of the Bible" series, shown on television back in the late '80's and early '90's. The program used Biblical text, archaeological finds, and the work of many history scholars to share the origins and meanings of major Biblical accounts.

Prophets: Soul Catchers  - Acts I & II  (begin at 2:35 and finish segment at 18:37) - a general overview of the prophets and their era

King Solomon  -  Act III "Power Corrupts" (begin at 21:21 and end at 23:10) - God's warning comes true

Prophets: Soul Catchers -  Act IV "Holy City; Holy Men"  (begin at 23:43 and end at 29:20) - Isaiah and the Assyrian Conquest

Prophets: Soul Catchers  - Act IV (begin at 31:13 and end at 36:14) - Jeremiah and the Babylonian Conquest

Prophets: Soul Catchers -  Act V (begin at 37:14 and end at 44:24) - Ezekiel: Prophet of the Edot

Archenemy: The Philistines - Act V (begin at 42:37 and end at 43:30) - Why did the Jews survive and the Philistines disappear? Here's one idea.


Let me take this opportunity to wish you all a very happy, healthy and successful 2014. I'll look forward to seeing you all next year!