First Temple Period
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The First Temple Period is the time of Israelite history where the first Temple of Solomon existed in Jerusalem. It was originally built by King Solomon, and later destroyed by Nebuchadnezzar when the Jews were taken into captivity in Babylon. Generally the period covered is from 1006 BC until 586 BC.
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History
David's first action as king was to conquer Jerusalem and declare it the capital of his kingdom. Even though the city was not the perfect choice from many points of view, a geopolitical constraint dictated this choice.
According to jewish history Mount Moriah is an important place where Abraham binded Isaac (and some other important events happened, e.g., it was here where Jakob saw his vision of the angels moving on a ledder from Heaven to Earth), and thus the Temple had to be built here.
David conquered Jerusalem in approximately 1004 BC and made it a center of his government. He brought the Ark of the Covenant to the city. Jerusalem became the political and spiritual nexus of the Jewish people. King David did not want to build the Temple, leaving the task to his son Solomon. The concentration of religious ritual at the Temple made Jerusalem a place of pilgrimage and an important commercial center.
The city served as the capital of the kingdom of Judah and Israel for only two generations: its centrality was restored by the conquest and destruction of the northern Kingdom of Israel by the Assyrians in 722 BC.
It was in Jerusalem where most of the great prophets were writing, articulating spiritual and ethical principles that would transcend the city's narrow confines to become pillars of the Jewish spirit. In 586 BC the city was invaded by the Babylonians.
At the order of Nebuchadnezzar, their king, the city was
- torched
- the Temple was razed
- the people were taken into exile
A small number returned from the 50 years later. This was the first exile of the Jewish nation.
Places
Major sites and places of the First Temple period includes:
- The City of David
- Mount Moriah
- Area G
- Hinnom Flank
- The Braod Wall
- Siloam Inscription & Hezekiah,s Tunnel
- Warren抯 Shaft
Persons
The most prominent personalities of the First Temple period included King David, King Solomon, the Prophet Isaiah}, King Hezekiah, and the Prophet Jeremiah.