History of the Middle East to 1914

1 . One of the themes in these three chapters of the novel is the gradual development of monotheism - the belief that there is only one god - and the desire to convert the Hebrew people to monotheism . describe one episode from each of these three chapters and explain how each episode illustrates the rise of monotheism

Michener works on the development of Judaism as a monotheistic faith over the thousands of years he spans in his book , The Source (1965 ) In a compartmentalized narrative where fifteen period specific stories create a complex big

picture , the fourth , fifth and sixth chapters (167 to 364 of the novel deal with the times between 1400 BCE and 600 BCE . Tales of friction , faith and heroic endeavor recount the passion of Hebrew zealots for supremacy and drive forward the concept of one god in the pluralistic culture of Makor

The fourth chapter (167 to 232 ) An Old Man and His God tells the story of Zadok , a Moses like figure in lifelong conversation with his god the invisible El Shaddai . Leading his nomadic clan from the desert into the future , the diplomat in Zadok surfaces repeatedly in his quest for a peaceful transition to urban life . Seeking out and meeting the Canaanites halfway , agreeing even to marry his daughter to a worshipper of Baal and Astarte in the interests of peace (215 ) the old man is nevertheless summoned by El Shaddai and told to stop the abominations in Makor , failing which , the town must be destroyed (218 ) The refusal of Uriel , the Governor to accept the supremacy of El Shaddai and the subsequent massacre of the inhabitants of Makor lead to an annihilation of the pluralists (231 ) and the foundation of a monotheistic society

The Psalm of the Hoopoe Bird (235 to 322 ) sees the inhabitants of Makor now a frontier outpost of King David 's empire accepting the supremacy of Yahweh , an evolution of El Shaddai . However , they still go to Baal for humdrum favors . The tale , which concentrates on the genius of the engineer Hoopoe turns with the arrival of a refugee , the destitute singer Gershom . Composing and singing odes to Yahweh , he wins the heart of David and goes with him to Jerusalem . His songs and psalms on Yahweh the God of the Hebrews carry the faith forward through centuries and contribute significantly to the spread of monotheism

An old nondescript widow who is visited by Yahweh to communicate his will to the Hebrews of Makor carries forward the concept of allegiance only to Yahweh and to no other in The Voice of Gomer (325 to 364 . The widow Gomer is chosen by Yahweh to foretell the defeat of the Egyptians (342 ) the fall of Makor and the slavery of the Israelis (354 . She rushes to the top of the hill , where Baal stays , with a motley band of followers and pushes the monolithic stone , which represents the god of the Canaanites down the slope breaking it into a hundred pieces...