The First Temple, built by King Solomon, ... Civil war, rivalries and betrayal made them ripe for invasion and conquest. The destruction of the Temple in 586 BCE was not just a military defeat.

The First Temple, built by King Solomon, was destroyed not solely because of external military conquest by the Babylonians but because of the rot within. As the prophet Jeremiah warned, the people had ...

The Temple built by Solomon would become the spiritual center of Jerusalem. At the same time, the king built a ring of strongholds to protect his kingdom, with fortresses in Megiddo, Hazor, and Gezer.

In the holy writings of the ancient Jews, King Cyrus of Persia has the distinction of being the first and only foreign Messiah.