Ten Kings Who Ruled the Whole World Before Messiah

Exempla of the Rabbis (Gaster, 1924) Exempla of the Rabbis, No. 1
Curated by The Jewish Mythology Team·

Ten kings ruled over the whole world: God, Nimrod, Joseph, Solomon, Ahab, Nebuchadnezzar, Koresh (Ahasuerus ruled over half). Alexander of Macedonia not only ruled over the whole world, but went also to the end of the desert and intended ascending to Heaven. And the Lord divided his kingdom into four parts, to the ends of the world. The ninth will be the Messiah, and then the kingdom will return to the first ruler, i.e., God Himself, who will be the tenth.

Themes

Kings

Continue Reading

ApocryphaWalking in Meekness Before the Most HighThat’s the heart of the message we find in the Book of Ben Sira, a treasure trove of Jewish wisdom literature written in Hebrew sometime in the Second Temple peApocryphaBen Sira on Speaking Up at the Right MomentBen Sira, a sage writing around the 2nd century BCE, offers us some timeless wisdom on how to do just that. His words, preserved in the book of Sirach (also knoApocryphaSearch and Examine - The Persistent Quest for WisdomHe understood the persistent, sometimes frustrating, quest for wisdom. And in his book, he offers some surprisingly practical, and beautiful, advice. He urges uApocryphaSowing Seeds of Unrighteousness Brings RuinWe all do. But what if that little shortcut could lead to a whole heap of trouble? That's the kind of wisdom we find in the Book of Ben Sira, a treasure trove oApocryphaWhen Rash Speech Sets a Town on FireBen Sira, that ancient sage, certainly thought so. He observed, with a sharp eye and an even sharper wit, that "Those who speak rashly sets fire to the town." (ApocryphaGolyat and the KingNot just any David, but the David. The shepherd boy who became a king, the poet who penned psalms that still resonate today. Ben Sira, in chapter 47, paints a v