Kingdom of David Part 2, The book and the sword / [electronic resource] : saga of the Israelites. Public Broadcasting Service.

Publisher: [Arlington, Va.] : PBS, [2007]

Series: Empires

Subject: David, King of Israel.
Jewish way of life.
Monotheism.
Television programs.
Documentary television programs.
Documentary Television special. migfg
Religion Television special. migfg

Other titles: Empires (Television program).

Performers: Narrator: Keith David.

Target Audience: Age group: NR.

Notes: Downloadable video file.
Title from title screen (viewed on Apr. 4, 2008).
Originally broadcast on television in 2003.
Digital content provided by OverDrive; access may be restricted to users at subscribing institutions.

Summary: In 458 B.C., a scribe named Ezra arrives in Jerusalem from Babylon. He gathers the mostly illiterate Judeans together in a square and reads the Bible to them. In the years that follow, the study of the Bible not only becomes an essential part of Jewish life, it prepares the Jews to face a mortal threat to their survival. In 330 B.C., Alexander the Great sweeps into the Middle East. In his wake comes Greek culture, the allure of which convinces many to abandon their ancestral ways. But when the Greek king Antiochus the Madman forbids the practice of Judaism, Judah the Maccabee leads the Jews in an epic fight to defend their religious freedom. In 160 B.C, the Maccabees succeed in driving out the Greeks and establish what would prove to be the last independent Jewish kingdom.