Kings David and Solomon from 10th Century B.C.E. to...

Kings David and Solomon: From 10th Century B.C.E. to present day Controversy Introduction Perhaps the most famous Old Testament Kings, as well as two of the most famous Hebrew heroes of all time were, King Solomon and his father King David. Their stories have been told time and time again throughout the ages: passed down orally for centuries, then later reproduced and shared all over the globe as intricate portions of many historical religious texts including the Torah, the Koran and the Holy Bible. Biblical sources include: I Chronicles, I Kings, Ecclesiastes, as well as the accounts of many prophets. Furthermore, King David and King Solomon have been attributed to writing several Old Testament books including: the Song of Solomon,†¦show more content†¦1000 B.C.E. (Castel, 1985, pp.87-89; Grant, 1984, pp.75-78; Learsi, 1949, pp. 49-51; Rogerson, 1999, pp.79-80; 2 Samuel, c.a. 1100-1010 B.C.E., pp. 505-555). In a brilliant political move David took over the Jebusite city of Jerusalem and made it the capitol of the new United Kingdom of Israel â€Å"thencefor ward to be honored as the City of David† (2 Samuel, 1997, pp. 505-555; Eban, 1999, p. 47). Moving the capitol to Jerusalem was an ingenious move on David’s part since it placed him geographically between the northern tribes of Israel and the former Judah. This also unified the Hebrew nation politically since Jerusalem was a fresh start, not being formerly of Israel or Judah. In order to unify the nation religiously David (with the help of King Hiram of Tyre) built a palace on Mount Zion where he housed the Ark of the Covenant (Castel, 1985, p. 90; Eban, 1999, p. 49; Halkin, 2006, p. 43; Learsi, 1949, p. 55; Rogerson, 1999, pp. 81-82). He then set out to expand his kingdom taking over and taxing all of Canaan (Rogerson, 1999, p. 82). King David ruled Israel for the next 33 years (Castel, 1985, p. 89; Harkin, 2006, p. 41). Unfortunately the house of David, like many great monarchs (especially those who practiced polygamy) faced great diplomatic personal odds. Amon g them was internal dissent including a great deal of â€Å"palace intrigue† that was coupled with David’s personal struggles