to them, the two cannot coincide. It goes on further to note that "This violent opposition was repeated elsewhere from time to time" (Kishlansky, 100) This shows the power of the Jewish population whereas their belief gives them their cultural difference as well as their power. Another example of the Hebrew power would be in 1050 B.C. when "the Philistines had defeated the Israelites, captured the Ark of the Covenant, and occupied most of their territory." (Kishlansky, 28) The Ark of the Covenant " contained the law of Moses and mementos of Exodus." (Kishlansky, 28). At this point in time it would seem as if the Israelites were to be defeated. But in an effort to fight back what they created kingdom whose most important kings were David and his son Solomon. "David and his successor Solomon, brought the kingdom of Israel to its peak power, prestige and territorial expansion. David defeated and expelled the Philistines, subdued Israel's other enemies" This retaliation created a new kingdom that was to be subordinate to Yahweh. Whereas the power for this attack was as stated prior, believed to be owed to their cultural belief. "Roman conquerors and emperors, aware of the problems of their Hellenistic predecessors, went to considerable lengths to avoid antagonizing this small unusual group of people." Together the statement now makes more sense. The Roman conquerors realizing some of the mistakes from their predecessors, decided not to mess with the small groups of people because throughout the past have proven their worth as a culture in their own right. The belief of a single god proved to be very powerful to the human spirit. "When one Roman woman was asked why she remained shut up in her cell, she replied, "I am on a journey." When asked where she was going, she answered simply, "To God."" (Kishlansky, 191). An example showing that even through confinement the power of self-belief may triumph over torment. As the st...
