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Analysis of the old testament
Analysis of the old testament
Historical analysis of the old testament
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The biblical account of Solomon’s reign contains criticisms; these criticisms illustrate the date of the narrative. Solomon was looked upon as a ruler of peace and welfare. He inherited his throne at a young age from King David. The land he inherited in 970 BC, Israel, ran all along the Mediterranean in the west, up to the Euphrates River in the north, and down all the way to the desert in the south and east.(George Konig, 68) Solomon did not expand his territory any further; rather he built alliances with surrounding countries and developed trade. The traditional powers of the ancient world, the Egyptians and the Hittites, and the empires yet to appear, Assyria and Babylon, were not aggressive during either David’s or Solomon’s rule.(George Konig, 68) David had expanded Israel’s sphere of influence by war; Solomon was a diplomat, who held what his father had gained. During Solomon’s reign, Israel’s wealth and power diminished. Solomon’s broad-mindedness weakened Israel’s wealth and power. (Anderson, 241)
Solomon wrote thousands of proverbs and songs and he is commonly known for his wisdom. His proverbs and songs were what made him known as man of peace and kindness. He however, soon did not stay true to his own writing, his life became promiscuous and materialistic. "Every part of the book bears the mark of foreign influences ... The close connection between the first part of the Thirty Sayings with Egyptian Wisdom ... is only a special instance."(J.C. Rylaarsdam, 444)
The gift Solomon requests is the wisdom to govern well. Yahweh is so pleased that he gives Solomon more than he has asked for: he will receive unparalleled wisdom (v. 12) and, with it, wealth and fame (v. 13). The story of Solomon’s dream has been expanded editorially by the insertion of certain materials lacking in the parallel version of the event in 2 Chron. 1:3-13, which seems to have escaped Deuteronomistic editing. Thus, 1 Kings 3:6 has been elaborated to connect Solomon’s succession to David’s throne with the dynastic promise in 2 Samuel 7; 1 Kings 3:14 has been added to qualify Yahweh’s promise; and v. 15 has been altered to shift the place of sacrifice from Gibeon to Jerusalem. (1988)
In Judgment of Solomon the account of the divine gift of wisdom is followed by an example of its practical application. The sagacity with which Solomon arbitra...
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...ve much to live on and their ruler was wrapped up in his own life and in making himself happy. It was a time when the monarchy was being weakened by the monarch. Solomon was criticized for not being like his father, a great military King.
Work Cited
A.S. Herbert. Ruth. Black & Rowley Editors. Peake’s Commentary on the Bible. Routledge Co. Ltd. 1962.
B.W. Anderson. Understanding the Old Testament. Fourth Edition. (Upper Saddle River, NJ.)1986.
Konig, G. Solomon (King): About Bible Prophecy. 2001-2005.
Solomon. 1993-2003 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.
Kings (books of Bible). 1993-2003 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.
The Reign of King Solomon. 2005. http://www.medialdea.net/historyguy80538/kingsolreign.htm
The book called Song of Solomon, by Toni Morrison, deals with many real life issues, most of which are illustrated by the relationships between different family members.
Solomon's silver watch contained multifaceted significance with regard to his character and it's effect on Livvie--it represented prestige and wealth, control and obsession, and a life of dark retreat. For Solomon the watch represented the prestige and wealth that were rarely attained by colored people. "For he was a colored man that owned his land and had it written down in the courthouse." (P. 85) Yet the watch also had another dimensionCit meant control over his life and his possessions, including Livvie.
Frick, Frank S.. A Journey Through The Hewbrew Scriptures. New York: Harcourt Brace College Publishers, 1995.
...yne A. The HarperCollins Study Bible New Revised Standard Edition . New York: HarperCollins Publishers, 1993. 1645-1722. Print.
The majority of the information in this novel has to do with Solomon’s own experiences. As a slave, Northup was cut off from sources of other news of the nation. The ...
Sacrifices and compromises are something many leaders have to deal with. Soloman had to put his life on the line in order to gain freedom. Solomon was forced to be away from the people he dearly
In Song of Solomon Toni Morrison tells a story of one black man's journey toward an understanding of his own identity and his African American roots. This black man, Macon "Milkman" Dead III, transforms throughout the novel from a naïve, egocentric, young man to a self-assured adult with an understanding of the importance of morals and family values. Milkman is born into the burdens of the materialistic values of his father and the weight of a racist society. Over the course of his journey into his family's past he discovers his family's values and ancestry, rids himself of the weight of his father's expectations and society's limitations, and literally learns to fly.
Toni Morrison's Song of Solomon tells the life story of Milkman and his family. The novel is well written and complex, while talking about several complex issues such as race, gender, and class. Although the novel makes reference to the several issues, the novel primarily focuses on what people’s desires are and their identities. Specifically through the difference between Macon Jr. and Pilate, Morrison illustrates that our most authentic desires come not from material items, but from our wish to connect with others.
“In those days there was no king in Israel; everyone did what was right in their own sight” (Judg. 21:25). This quote at the end of Judges sets up an optimistic view of kings for the rest of the Deuteronomistic History. King David is considered perhaps the greatest king over all of Israel, whereas King Hezekiah is praised for never turning away from God and being the greatest king among all the kings of Judah (2 Kgs. 5). However, despite the high need for a praise of kings throughout the Deuteronomistic history, Solomon is viewed with a skeptical eye and is the cause of the demise of Israel. Unlike the positive view of kings portrayed throughout the Deuteronomistic history, King Solomon is framed in a negative light in 1 Kings 11: 1-13, which
...ticle, Solomon has an unpleasant attitude of blaming others and complaining about the issue without proposing any real solutions. It also seems that he divides people into two categories: readers (good) and non-readers (bad), and he look down upon those who do not read. This will cause the readers to be emotionally uncomfortable and to reject his arguments and opinions because of the bias behind it.
Song of Solomon by Toni Morrison centers around a protagonist, Milkman Dead, who consistently depends on others for survival. Pilate Dead, Milkman’s aunt, brought Milkman’s existence into the world. Pilate pilots Milkman into discovering the family’s past by singing “Sugarman,” a blues song that tells the history of their ancestor. In addition, Milkman works for his father, Macon Dead Jr., as an “office boy” by collecting rent from the many houses his father rents (Morrison 222). As a grown man, he has yet to find individuality as he continues to work for his father and live with him. Moreover, he looks to Hagar, his cousin and lover, for sexual gratification who he eventually
After listening to what Macon has to say about Ruth, Milkman realizes he knows nothing for himself. Much of what he learns and knows come from what other people tell him. Having an identity-crisis, Milkman becomes motivated to start living by his own accord and to discover life and who is is for himself. The theme transcends throughout Song of Solomon: identity should only be created by the individual. The feeling of self-discovery is universal, and anyone can feel the want at any time. Most people have asked themselves at least once, “who am I?” Conflict between a person and a society is the common impetus for change, such as how Milkman fought his father. Where some people may accept what other people view of them as their identity, many others will go on great odysseys in order to figure out their identity for
Cambyses I, one of the earliest Achaemenid kings, ruled Persia around 600 B.C. Upon his death, his son Cyrus II took over as king in 559 B.C., and later became known as Cyrus the Great. As the ruler of Persia at the age of 41, Cyrus wanted to gain more power to strengthen the Persian Empire. He started by negotiating an alliance with the Babylonians against the Medes, who at this time were being ruled by Cyrus’ grandfather Astyages (Cyrus, the Great). Around 550 BC Astyages was worried that his grandson might be trying to form an alliance with his enemy Nabonidus, King of Babylon. Astyages called for Cyrus to come to him in the capital of Ecbatana to discuss the matter, but Cyrus would not (Pettman). With the support of the Babylonians, Cyrus led a revolt and defeated the Medes (Cyrus II, the Great). The Nabodinus Chro...
" Christianity & Literature 58.1 (2008): 81-92. Academic Search Complete. Web. 29 Mar. 2014. Fienberg, Lorne. "
This paper will focus on Proverbs 10, 12, and 14, Solomon’s Proverbs, to display this theme of choice and discernment. Proverb 10 is an antithetical parallelism, because the second line is opposite of the first. This passage is both observational and didactic. Some of the passages are subtle entities and some are teachings that promote an ideal. “ Wise children make their fathers proud of them; foolish ones bring their mothers grief” (10:1). This first passage is very simple; if you are wise, then you will be good to your parents, the teaching is, do not be foolish. The next passage has great insight, “wealth you get by dishonesty will do you no good, but honesty can save your life” (10:2). This passage is an ellipsis because it leaves out detail to how exactly honesty can save your life, but it will do you more good than being dishonest. You will be rewarded for choosing to act wisely. “The Lord will not let good people go hungry, but he will keep the wicked from getting what they want” (10:3). This passage shows the world as a just world, that God/dess will keep things even keel, even though this is not the case. Things are unfair sometimes, and using observation on personal life experiences, bad things can happen to good people. Although this passage does teach that if you choose to be good, you will be taken care of, and if you choose to be wicked you will not always get what you want. There are two choices here on how to live, good or wicked, and good judgment would be choosing to be good. It encourages again the need for right decision making. These passages lack emotion; they are just a steady flow of advice. They speak of retribution; you will get what’s coming to you. If you choose to be lazy, you will be poor and not achieve any status, if you choose...