Israel on the Serengeti: How the Modern State of Israel was Almost Placed in Africa

 

After the assassination of Tsar Alexander II in 1881, devastating pogroms swept through the Jewish communities of southern Russia. These events would trigger panic and unrest throughout Eastern Europe, and ultimately see in the years to come a large Jewish migration as a result. Initially the vast amounts of Jewish refugees settled in America, but Great Britain also took in many Jews with only a minority of Jews choosing to settle in Palestine. Thus in 1882, as a result of the Russian pogroms, Judah Leib Pinsker published a pamphlet called Auto-Emancipation which argued that Jews could only be truly free in a country of their own. These movements of Jewish migrations and political activism would ultimately birth the establishment of the Zionist movement in 1897, led by the Austro-Hungarian Jewish journalist Theodor Herzl.

The Zionist movement sought to establish a home for the Jewish people in Palestine, but in 1903 the British East Africa Protectorate offered land to the Zionist movement in the territory we know today as the country of Uganda. However, the Foreign Office was unable to attract white settlers to East Africa, but after the track of the Uganda railway reached Nairobi in 1899, the East Africa Protectorate became more appealing. It was projected that with a hard working population the railway would cause the economy of East Africa to prosper. But with the idea to settle poor Jews in the country, the European community was disappointed. Now the European community had placed its faith in Joseph Chamberlain, the colonial secretary. For Chamberlain was the man who put new meaning into the Colonial Office. So, the story of the Zionist Project for Africa begins with a visit Chamberlain made to the East African Protectorate in December, 1902.

While touring the East Africa Protectorate, Chamberlain noted that the climate was perfect. It was a vast country with unlimited possibilities. Seeing that the settlers had the railway, all that was needed was people and commerce to secure their future. Now negotiations between high level government officials including Chamberlain and representatives of the Zionist movement had been carried out at the beginning of the fall in 1902. Inspired by deteriorating conditions in the Jewish areas of eastern Europe, the Zionist leaders began exploring for colonization possibilities. The majority of these territories were in British-controlled areas. El Arish in the Sinai Peninsula of Egypt was discussed, investigated and then dropped. But in August of 1903, just before the Sixth Zionist congress was to meet in Basel, Switzerland the negotiations with Chamberlain proved to be a success.

The proposal of making East Africa a settlement for Jews is a mysterious and complex story. Zionists and East African settlers both felt threatened by the idea, which sparked much debate in both camps. From its inception there had been much confusion surrounding the subject, mostly because of its controversial make up and due to the emotional backlash that the proposal created. To add to this confusion, the Eastern Provence of Uganda was transferred to the East African Protectorate on April 1, 1902. Naivasha and Kisumu were two new provinces formed from the new additions made by the suggestion of Sir Charles Eliot. Areas for proposed Jewish settlements fell within the boarders of the transferred land. However, with the transfer of this land to the East Africa Protectorate, Uganda lost its territories which offered the most incitements for European colonization and settlement.

The meeting of the Zionist movement and East Africa's white settlers transpired in the later half of the nineteenth century, when modern Zionism was in its infancy. It was at this time that the scramble for Africa took place, which initiated European expansion into Uganda and East Africa. Britain's role in the scramble for Africa was for commercial advantages, to suppress the slave trade, to control territory on the rout to India, and to compete with the French and German governments. On the Zionist front, Theodor Herzl went on to write two books: Der Judenstaat (The Jewish State) in 1896, and Altneuland (The Old New Land) in 1902. Now the primary objective of Zionism was to seek and establish a home for the Jewish people in Palestine, not Africa or anywhere else.

Another element in the British-Zionist relationship in East Africa were the European Christian missionaries who tried to win the souls of the Dark Continent's natives. The fact of how the Europeans mistreated the Africans only complicated things for the missionaries, who's responsibility it was to protect their converts. In response to the Jewish issue Peel, the Bishop of Mombasa, wrote a letter to Sir Charles Eliot explaining the difficult position he found himself in. Peel feared that if the Jews were granted the land along the railway it would cause an economic crisis among the African Christian tribes. At the same time Peel did not totally reject the idea of Jews being placed in East Africa. Peel went on to say that for Christians to bless Jews was to insure blessings for themselves but, to reject the Jews meant bringing a curse upon one's self. This school of thought would ultimately be used by the Zionists as a key factor in developing the Zionist movement overall.

In 1903, at the Sixth Zionist Congress, Herzl announced the possibility of placing Israel in East Africa. The announcement came as a total shock to the Jewish congress. One young woman became so angry that she tore down the map of East Africa which had been placed where usually the map of Zion was hung. However, by no means did all of the delegates who openly opposed the East Africa project see it as an abandonment of Palestine. During the debate on East Africa stronger arguments were made by the opponents of the East Africa scheme, who steadfastly held onto the Zionist vision. Palestine would not be lost from sight. So strong was the fixation on Palestine that at the end of the congress there was a demonstration, with many singing “Hatikvah” a song that expressed the hope of the Zionists for the return to the Land of Israel.

Though an attempt was made to establish a Jewish colony in East Africa, the attempt was not a success. With the exit of Joseph Chamberlain from the government, the project's likelihood for success was now even more unlikely. To Herzl, Zionism meant a Jewish homeland in Palestine. Herzl understood the importance of the British government recognizing the Zionist movement. With an international power like Great Britain as a partner, Herzl's dream of a Jewish State came ever closer to realization. If Palestine was unattainable, then some other place would have to do. But throughout all his work, Herzl never lost sight of Palestine as the ultimate goal. Not once did he deviate from the Zionist ideology which he had helped to build.

Though the East Africa project was abandoned, it was a milestone for the Zionist goal in acquiring Palestine. For through this offer the British government would recognize the Jews as a nation and at the same time acknowledge the Zionist movement as the negotiating agent for the Jews. These negotiations between the Jews and the British government would lead to the signing of the Balfour Declaration in November, 1917. This document stated that the British government viewed with favor “the establishment of a national home for the Jewish people in Palestine.” This document signed during World War I would be the cornerstone in the formation of the State of Israel, which would be officially birthed on May 14, 1948.

 

References:

Weisbord, R.G. African Zion. (Philadelphia, PA: The Jewish Publication Society of America, 1968).

Ancient Persia, Babylon & The Bible

 

Introduction

The attempt of this little essay is to concisely trace back the origins of human civilization by using accepted historical records, as well as the sacred history which is outlined in the pages of the Holy Bible. For as we shall see both the Bible and secular academia hold that civilization originated in ancient Babylon, specifically a settlement known to historians as Sumer and known to Bible scholars as the land of Shinar, an area located in the south-eastern most portion of Mesopotamia within the borders of modern day Iraq. In addition to documenting how the origins of humanity are paralleled in the Bible, we will also discover the presence of the ancient Persian Empire in the Scriptures, and the relationship held between the Persians and the Jewish people going all the way back to Antiquity. The kingdoms of Babylon and Persia as they are referenced to in both the Bible and in the ancient records will close this study.

The Sumerian Civilization: Babylon's Beginnings

The Sumerian civilization is the earliest known historical civilization in Mesopotamia located in the southeastern most region of the Fertile Crescent, in what we know today as the county of Iraq and is arguably the oldest civilization in the world. Some of the first settlements or cities of Sumer were Uruk, Akkad, and Ur. The names of these Sumerian cities are paralleled with similar names found written in the Bible, which describe the same geographical locations. For example, Sumerian Uruk is known as Erech in the tenth chapter of the book of Genesis where Akkad, or Accad is also found. A direct parallel of Sumer and the Bible is the ancient city state of Ur of the Chaldees. Not only was Ur one of the main settlements of Sumer, it was also the birthplace of the patriarch and prophet Abraham. Since Abraham has Sumerian roots, so too does the Bible share in this ancient Mesopotamian legacy. Additionally, the Bible also provides for us the back story of how and when the ancient civilization of Sumer was settled and established. So, by peering into the Biblical narrative, and by trusting in the version of history presented in the holy scripture's, we may come to a better understanding of the origins of human civilization.

According to the book of Genesis, Adam was created around the year 5,500 BC. Two thousand years or so later the Flood took place at around 3,500 BC (the same date historians believe writing was invented in Sumer, or ancient Mesopotamia). The Bible also states that after the Flood the whole earth was of one language and, “...as they journeyed from the east, they found a plain in the land of Shinar, and dwelt there” (Genesis 11:1-2). This plain as described in the Bible is where the people built the Tower of Babel, for the name Babel is where the name Babylon derives it's origin. Additionally, Sumer is known as the plain of Babylon in the Bible, and we all can agree that Babylon is located in ancient Mesopotamia, thus connecting ancient Sumer with the Biblical Land of Shinar. Also in the opening verses of the Book of Daniel, scripture directly links the land of Shinar with Sumer and Babylon. For it is written, “In the third year of the reign of Jehoiakim king of Judah came Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon unto Jerusalem, and besieged it. And the Lord gave Jehoiakim king of Judah into his hand, with part of the vessels of the house of God: which he carried into the land of Shinar...” (Daniel 1:1-2). So here we see plainly that Sumer and the land of Shinar are one and the same.

So, if the land of Shinar is where the Tower of Babel was built shortly after the Flood around 3,500 BC, then both the origin of where the inhabitants of Sumer came from and when are clearly answered. Going further, the Bible says that after the Flood the Ark of Noah came to rest upon the mountains of Ararat on the borders of modern day Turkey and Armenia. Since both the Tigris and Euphrates rivers have their origins in Armenia and end in Sumer (Modern Iraq), then it is very plausible that the survivors of the Flood and their families could have traveled down the area between the rivers until they decided to settle in Sumer. Now some scholars have argued that since the Bible relates that the survivors of the Great Flood traveled from the east, then the Ark must have rested in ancient Persia. However, when looking at a map of the Middle East we see that the Tigris and Euphrates rivers originate near Mount Ararat and begin their flow from the east towards the west. So if the Post-Flood people followed the rivers from the mountains of Ararat then they would have initially journeyed from the east just as the Bible says, until the two rivers bend towards the south which must have led the people into the land of Shinar.

Apart from the Biblical record academic historians also declare that ancient Sumer is the location of where writing was first invented around the year 3,500 BC, based upon archaeological discoveries unearthed in the regions of southern Iraq. Amazingly, this is also roughly the same date and place of where we find the beginning of civilization as presented in the Bible. Additionally, we see the connections of the Biblical land of Shinar with ancient Sumer from various passages found in holy writ. Following both the secular scholastic historians and Bible historians and theologians, it is possible to not only match the date of the history of writing, but also the geographical location of the beginning of history in a Post-Flood world.

The Tower of Babel

Returning to the Tower of Babel we see that in direct defiance of God, the people decided not to spread out into all the earth, and they even thought that by building a tower they would be able to reach heaven. “But the lord came down to see the city and the tower which the sons of men had built...” and the Lord said, “come, let Us go down and there confuse their language, that they may not understand one another's speech. So the Lord scattered them abroad from there over the face of all he earth, and they ceased building the city. Therefore its name is called Babel, because there the Lord confused the language of all the earth.” (Genesis 11:5-9). And just as God scattered the sons of men and confused their language at the tower of Babel, so on the day of Pentecost would the Lord Jesus Christ send the Holy Spirit causing His disciples to speak in tongues that other nationalities could understand. Thus the day of Pentecost was the opposite of Babel.

Now the dispersion of the peoples or nations happened a few generations after the Flood, at Babel in the days of Peleg; “for in his day was the earth divided.” (Genesis 10:25). Some are of the school that Genesis 10:25 refers to a geological separating of the continents. However, all continental splitting would of happened at the time of the Flood. As it is written in Genesis 7:11, when the flood waters fell from the sky, “all the fountains of the great deep,” were broken up as well. So this underground and oceanic movement of water during the great Flood would have been enough to separate the continental plates. For if the continents would have split during the days of Peleg, it would have been so catastrophic it may have caused another global flood! So, the division in the days of Peleg must refer to a linguistic and tribal separation which occurred when God confounded the languages at Babel, and not a separation or splitting of the continents.

Biblical Parallels in Ancient Sumer

When combing through the vast and extensive library of cuneiform clay tablets which the ancient Sumerians left behind for later generations to discover, we come across a certain mythological literary work which indeed possesses Biblical parallels. And this piece of early human theological and intellectual expression is none other than the ancient Babylonian poem, “The Epic of Gilgamesh.” Gilgamesh, the hero of the story, is stated to be two-thirds a god and one-third a mortal man. He is a might ruler, and a great builder. One could say he was a giant of a man. The Bible reveals that there were indeed giants in ancient times. The Bible tells us that the giants were mighty men, and men of renown, very much like the Gilgamesh of ancient Mesopotamia. One specific Biblical character that parallels Gilgamesh, is Nimrod. The King James Bible states that Nimrod was a mighty one on the earth, and a mighty hunter. Going further, the Greek Septuagint in fact describes Nimrod as a giant (Genesis 10:8). Also, the Bible says that the beginning of Nimrod's kingdom was “Babel, and Erech, and Accad...in the land of Shinar.” (Genesis 10:10). From Babel we get Babylonia, and from Erech we have Sumerian Uruk. Thus the geography and personal stature of the Biblical Nimrod could, at least in theory, correspond to the Babylonian Gilgamesh.

Moving past Genesis and looking into other books of the Holy Bible, we see similarities with other ancient Mesopotamian elements. For example, in around the year 1,750 BC, the Babylonian king Hammurabi put together a code of law, which in many ways echos the laws of Moses found in Leviticus. The Code of Hammurabi has laws of retaliation, such as “an eye for an eye,” which is also written in Leviticus 24:20. Though laws in the Code of Hammurabi are also found in the Bible, the law of Moses has many more laws in it than that of Hammurabi's Code. For instance, the Code of Hammurabi consists of 282 laws while the law of Moses contains 613 commandments, far surpassing the laws of the Babylonian Code. Despite this difference the Code of Hammurabi is indeed an ancient Mesopotamian forerunner of the Biblical Mosaic Law.

Returning to the Epic of Gilgamesh we see a most dazzling parallel with the story of the Flood as recorded in the book of Genesis. In the Gilgamesh epic the gods decide to destroy the world with a Flood, but choose one man and his family to escape this judgment by constructing a boat. The Noah character is named Upnapishti, and like Noah he releases birds after the Flood to see if there is any dry land. Unlike Noah, Upnapishti is granted immortality, but Noah's memory is still alive to this very day. And that might be the biggest parallel of the Bible and ancient Sumeria; the theme of how man is born only to die one day. In both cases the quest of mortals who seek immortality is to live a virtuous life, with the gift of Paradise and everlasting life awaiting them when their work in this life is over.

Ancient Israel and the Neo-Babylonian Empire

In the days of ancient Israel during the reigns of king Saul, king David, and king Solomon (dated between 1047 BC and 930 BC) was the Israelite kingdom united. However, after the the death of king Solomon, Rehoboam, king Solomon's son and successor carried out some oppressive policies which in turn led to the division of the kingdom of Israel. Ten tribes would unite under the leadership of Jeroboam I, and settled in the northern area of what would be known as Israel. The tribes of Judah and Benjamin under the rule of Rehoboam went on to possess the territories to the south, which included Jerusalem, and this kingdom would be known as Judah. The kingdoms of Israel and Judah continued with a separate but interrelated existence for about two hundred years, until the northern kingdom fell to the Assyrians in 722 BC. Israel was destroyed, and the ten northern tribes were led away captive never to return. And these Israelite captives would be known to history as The Ten Lost Tribes of Israel.

After the fall of the Northern Kingdom of Israel in 722 BC, the Assyrians who conquered them would also fall the century following. For after the death of the Assyrian ruler Ashurbanipal in 627 BC, the Assyrian empire began to crumble due to civil war. Taking advantage of this weakness, the Babylonians attacked in alliance with the Medes and Persians. Nineveh was sacked in 612 BC, and the seat of power in the region was transferred to Babylonia. Thus began a period in Mesopotamian history that witnessed a significant improvement in daily life. Architectural projects flourished as did other arts and sciences. And this new world power would be known as the Neo-Babylonian Empire. The most significant ruler of the Neo-Babylonian Empire was king Nebuchadnezzar. He would go on to capture much territory for his empire as well as beautifying his kingdom with impressive construction projects.

In addition to military excursions and engineering endeavors, king Nebuchadnezzar also made Biblical history through his sieges of Jerusalem and by destroying the Temple of Solomon. According to the Bible, in 598 BC, Nebuchadnezzar and his army came against Judah and besieged it. King Jehoiakim died during the siege and in the following year (597) Nebuchadnezzar conquered Jerusalem and took the new king Jeconiah prisoner. He then installed king Zedekiah and took from him a rich tribute. Along with Jeconiah prominent citizens and craftsmen, and much of the Jewish population, numbering about 10,000 were deported back to Babylon.

As devastating as this was for Judah, the Babylonians would return a decade later. Though Nebuchadnezzar installed Zedekiah, he revolted against Babylon and entered into an alliance with Pharaoh Hophra, king of Egypt. Nebuchadnezzar responded by once again invading Judah and began the second siege of Jerusalem in 589 BC. The siege lasted until famine prevailed and the city was broken up. The men of war fled by night and the king went the way toward the plain. However, the Babylonians pursued after the king and captured him in the plains of Jericho, where his army deserted him. Zedekiah was then taken to the king of Babylon for judgment in Riblah. There they killed Zedekiah's sons in front of him and then put out his eyes and carried him off to Babylon, where he remained a prisoner until he died.

The final blow came on the 9th of Av in 586 BC. Nebuzar-adan, captain of the guard, a servant of king Nebuchadnezzar came unto Jerusalem. He burnt the Temple, and the king's house, and all the houses of Jerusalem. The walls of Jerusalem were broken down round about. The people in the city were carried away, but the poor were left behind to be vine-dressers. The pillars of brass that were in the Temple as well as the brass sea were broke in pieces and taken away. All the vessels of gold and silver were also plundered and taken back to Babylon. The Temple was completely destroyed and all of Jerusalem with it. King Nebuchadnezzar returned to Babylon with the treasures of the Temple and a great number of the people of Judah. This would be the final deportation in the period of Jewish history know as the Babylonian Captivity.

Now before the Babylonians conquered Judah, the holy prophet Jeremiah foretold that the Jewish nation would serve the king of Babylon for 70 years (Jeremiah 25:11). The God of Israel allowed the destruction of the temple and Jerusalem, and did not defend the Jews from being taken into captivity because the Jews had turned away from the Lord and would not heed the words of the prophets which God sent to His people in order to shepherd them away from their transgressions. However, God also promised the Jews that after the 70 years of their captivity were accomplished, God would punish the king of Babylon and visit His people, and do good unto them and bring them out of captivity and return them to their place (Jeremiah 29:10). For during their exile in Babylon the Jews lamented the loss of their homeland. As Psalms 137 says, “By the rivers of Babylon...we wept, when we remembered Zion.” Now that the Jews were in a strange land they would have to do all that they could in order to survive, and survive they did.

The Jews would go on to build a prosperous life for themselves during their exile and even thrived. Though the Jews settled comfortably in Babylon, they maintained their Jewish identity and did not assimilate into the religious practices of their non-Jewish neighbors. By remaining separate the Jews were able to cultivate their belief in God and study His laws. For it was during their sojourn in Babylon that the Jews came to realize that the presence of their Lord was not solely limited to the borders of Jerusalem, but that God's sovereignty extended into all lands and unto all ages. It was also in Babylon that Jewish scribes compiled the religious writings they had brought with them from Judah, such as the books of the law and combined them with the books that were written during their exile, to at least partially form what we known today as the Old Testament of the Holy Bible. However, without a temple the Jews began to “assemble” in houses of prayer, and these Jewish congregations in Babylon could possibly be the origins of the synagogue and where Judaism was birthed.

Cyrus the Great & The Persian Empire

Cyrus the Great was the founder of the Persian Achaemenid Empire, the first of the Persian Empires. Under his rule, all the previous civilized states of the ancient Near East were conquered. Cyrus would go on to make history by conquering Babylon in 539 BC, and for freeing the Jewish refugees. Now the city of Babylon, which was built on both sides of the Euphrates River, had enormous fortified double walls and enclosed an area of some 200 square miles. The outside wall was protected by a wide deep moat fed by the Euphrates River. Five brass gates connecting streets to the outside were protected by drawbridges which were raised at night. Spanning the north end of the river, between the east and west bank wall, were two huge leaved gates of brass. At night the gates were swung shut and secured by large iron bars. In those days of ancient warfare, the city was impregnable.

However king Cyrus managed to enter Babylon along with the assistance of a couple of Babylonian traitors who (it can be argued) made the Persian overthrow of Babylon an inside job. For according to the writings of the ancient Greek historian Herodotus, these turncoats were able to divert the Euphrates River into a new channel allowing the Persian army to march over the dry riverbed and into the city, while the Babylonians were preoccupied in the revelry and drunkenness of a party dedicated to their gods. And this story, taken directly from the historical record of ancient Babylon, is also recorded in the 5th chapter of the book of Daniel as found within the pages of the Holy Bible. For it was the proverbial “writing on the wall” that the prophet Daniel was able to decipher which proclaimed God's judgment upon the kingdom of Babylon, and her ultimate demise as an ancient world power.

According to the Bible, king Belshazzar of Babylon made a great feast one night. While he was drinking wine, he commanded that the gold and silver vessels which his father Nebuchadnezzar had taken out of the temple which was in Jerusalem be used for him and his princes, his wives and his concubines, that they might drink therein. Then as they drank wine, and praised the gods of silver and gold, came forth fingers of a man's hand and wrote on the wall of the king's palace. The king was suddenly troubled, so that the joints of his loins were loosed, and his knees knocked. The king's wise men were brought in, but they could not interpret the writing. Then was the prophet Daniel brought in. He was able to read the writing on the wall and give the interpretation. And this is the writing that was written, MENE, MENE, TEKEL, UPHARSIN. This is the interpretation of the thing: MENE; God hath numbered thy kingdom, and finished it. TEKEL; Thou art weighed in the balances, and art found wanting. PERES; Thy kingdom is divided, and given to the Medes and Persians.

Thus the Persian army marched into the city on a dry riverbed and took Babylon without a fight. And just as the Babylonian king Nebuchadnezzar had been instrumental in enslaving the Jews and leading them into captivity, so was king Cyrus of Persia instrumental in freeing the Jewish refugees and encouraged them to return to Jerusalem and rebuild the temple. For in the book of Ezra it is written that, “...the LORD stirred up the spirit of Cyrus king of Persia, that he made a proclamation throughout all his kingdom...saying, thus saith Cyrus king of Persia, the LORD God of heaven hath given me all the kingdoms of the earth; and He hath charged me to build Him an house at Jerusalem, which is in Judah” (Ezra 1:1-2). Cyrus went on to bring forth the vessels that Nebuchadnezzar had taken from the temple and sent them back to Jerusalem along with the former Jewish captives. Thus the prophecy of Jeremiah was fulfilled, the Jews returned to their homeland and in 516 BC was the Second Temple competed. And these events would usher in a new era in Jewish history, known as the Second Temple Period.

The Persians, the Second Temple Period, and Beyond

Now by continuing the trend of the ancient camaraderie which existed between Persians and Jews, do we come to a passage in the Bible that elevates the Persian king Cyrus to such a high degree by which no other person in the entire Old Testament, Israelite or pagan alike, have ever been exalted to or titled. And this most lofty of Biblical titles which has been granted unto Cyrus is none other than “Messiah”. Now it is of no wonder that the Bible refers to Cyrus as “Mashiyach” or “Anointed”, for Cyrus was a just and benevolent ruler who was even respected by his enemies and rivals. In addition to his humanitarianism of freeing the Jews, Cyrus went on to make a charter on human rights. For discovered in 1879, and dating to the 6th century BC, an ancient clay cylinder written in the Akkadian cuneiform script relates how Cyrus declared that all people residing in his empire must live in peace. And this ancient clay charter on human rights is known as the Cyrus Cylinder. Compared to the Babylonian Code of Hammurabi, and even by some to the Law of Moses, Cyrus' Cylinder stands as a testament of what made this man great.

In addition to the Persian king Cyrus being mentioned in the Bible, the names of other Persian kings are also found in the pages of the Old Testament. For example, the Persian king Xerxes is know as Ahasurerus in the book of Esther. However, it is at this time when the relationship between the Persians and the Jews begins to go south. Ultimately the Jewish queen Esther would save her people from genocide by winning the favor of her Persian husband king Ahasurerus, also known as Xerxes. The Persian king Darius the Great is also favorably written of in the book of Ezra, where it is recorded how Darius helped in the efforts of repatriating the Jews, and was also highly instrumental in the task of rebuilding the Temple in Jerusalem.

The Second Temple stood for nearly 600 years, from 516 BC until it was destroyed by the Romans in 70 AD. After the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 AD, the only religious sects that survived were the Pharisees and the followers of Jesus: the Christians. In the early days some Pharisees became Christians themselves, take the Apostle Paul for example. In modern times the Hasidic Jews are arguably the closest thing to the ancient Jewish sect of the Pharisees. And even though the Second Temple was destroyed two-thousand years ago, the belief that a third Temple will be built sometime in the future still occupies a large tenet of Jewish faith even to the present day. For in Jewish Eschatology it is believed that when the Third Temple is built, it will usher in the Messianic Age. Currently there are rumors that religious Jews in the state of Israel are preparing for the construction of the Third Temple, and are gathering all the Temple furnishings and utensils needed to bring back the ancient Israelite practice of burnt offerings and animal sacrifice. So, even after nearly 3,000 years since the First Temple was initially erected, the Temple in Jerusalem has continued to be at the very center of Jewish culture and worship.

Bibliography

 

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• Brenton. The Septuagint with Apocrypha: Greek and English. (London: Samuel Bagster & Sons, Ltd., 1851).

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• Daniel, J. Scarlet and the Beast Vol. II. (Tyler, TX: JKI Publishing, 1994).

• George, A. The Epic of Gilgamesh. (London, England: Penguin Classics, 1999).

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• Kramer, S.N. History Begins at Sumer. (Garden City, NY: Doubleday & Company, Inc., 1959).

• Rawlinson, G. Herodotus: The Persian Wars. (New York, NY: random House, Inc., 1942).

• Rehwinkel, A.M. The Flood. (St. Louis, MO: Concordia Publishing House, 1951).

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• Rose, Fr. Seraphim. Genesis, Creation, and Early Man. (Platina, CA: St. Herman of Alsaka Brotherhood, 2011).

• Zondervan. The Holy Bible, King James Version. (Grand Rapids, Michigan: Zondervan,