The History Of The Land Of Israel Podcast‪.‬ Shaiel Ben-Ephraim

The books of Samuel and Kings tell us how a monarchy developed despite the fact that God had serious reservations about it. That led to the institution being ruled over by legendary figures like David and Solomon. But how did the monarchy actually develop? Are these stories historically based? The evidence shows a lot of historically valuable facts in Kings and Saul, particularly about how the authority of kings developed and the role of religion in public life. 
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Throughout the world, there are many groups claiming to be descendants of the twelve tribes of Israel.  They range from the Samaritans, the modern Jews, to the Mormons, Beta Israel, and others. How accurate are these claims? How have they changed over the years? And why do so many make this claim? 
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The twelve tribes did not have much in common at first. However, as the Philistines emerged as a common enemy, they learned to cooperate and developed common political and religious institutions. We examine how the god of Israel became more important, how the gods Israelites worshipped at home or in tribal altars became less central, and why. 
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The twelve tribes of Israel come from the 12 sons of Joseph, at least according to Genesis. But the number of tribes and their names change over time and in different parts of the bible. Were there really twelve tribes? When did they cooperated and when did they fight? What does archaeology tell us about their existence? And why did the authors of the Tanakh stress their importance so much? We have the full story. 
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The books of Judges and Samuel in the Tanakh present an anti-monarchical ideology. But the stories of early Israelite leaders like Gideon, Jepetah, and Abimelech have elements of kingship. How historically factual are these stories, and what can we learn about early Israelite society and politics from them? 
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An invasion of mysterious raiders changed the region forever. It destroyed the Hittite empire and nearly brought Egypt to its knees. When the dust settled, a new people, the Philistines, controlled the coast of Canaan.  Where did they come from? How did they change world history and how are they linked to the Trojan War?
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