David and Goliath by Caravaggio

King Solomon and the Queen of Sheba

The Davidic line (also referred to as the House of David) (known in Hebrew as Malkhut Beit David (מלכות בית דוד) — "Royal House of David") refers to the tracing of lineage to the King David referred to in the Hebrew Bible, as well as the New Testament. Though this is important for kings and major Israelite leaders to claim royal lineage of David. In general, it is possible for anyone to claim as a descendant from King David because most of the tracings were lost.

History[link]

Upon being chosen and becoming king, the custom in the times of the Tanakh was to be anointed with Holy Oil poured on the head. In David's case, this was done by the prophet Samuel:

Now he [David] was ruddy, and with beautiful eyes, and goodly to look upon. And the Lord said: 'Arise, anoint him; for this is he.' Then Samuel [the prophet] took the horn of oil, and anointed him in the midst of his brethren; and the spirit of the Lord came mightily upon David from that day forward… (1 Samuel 16:12-13)

In Hebrew, the anointing is called meshicha (meaning "pouring") and a king (melekh or melech in Hebrew) is referred to as a Moshiach or Messiah or a Melech HaMashiach meaning "the anointed king". The procedure of anointment, in David's case, is said to symbolize the descent of God's holiness (kedusha) upon the king and as a sign of a bond never to be broken.

The monarchy was vouchsafed to the House of David by God in the Book of Samuel:

And Nathan said to the king: …Thus says the Lord of hosts: I took you from the sheepcote, from following the sheep, that you should be prince over my people, over Israel. And I have been with you wherever you went, and have cut off all your enemies from before you; and I will make you a great name, like the name of the great ones that are in the earth… and I will cause you to rest from all your enemies. Moreover the Lord tells you that the Lord will make you a house. When thy days are fulfilled, and thou shalt sleep with thy fathers, I will set up thy seed after thee, that shall proceed out of thy body, and I will establish his kingdom. He shall build a house for My name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom for ever. I will be to him for a father, and he shall be to Me for a son; if he commit iniquity, I will chasten him with the rod of men, and with the stripes of the children of men; but My mercy shall not depart from him, as I took it from Saul, whom I put away before thee. And thy house and thy kingdom shall be made sure for ever before thee; thy throne shall be established for ever.' …Then David the king went in, and sat before the Lord… 'now therefore let it please you to bless the house of your servant, that it may continue forever before you; for you, O Lord God, have spoken it; and through your blessing let the house of your servant be blessed forever.' (2 Samuel 7:1-29)

Initially, David was king over the Tribe of Judah only and ruled from Hebron, but after seven years the other Israelite tribes chose him to be their king as well:

Then came all the tribes of Israel to David to Hebron, and spoke, saying: 'Behold, we are your bone and your flesh. In times past, when Saul was king over us, it was you that did lead out and bring in Israel; and the Lord said to you: You shalt feed my people Israel, and you shall be prince over Israel.' So all the elders of Israel came to the king to Hebron; and king David made a covenant with them in Hebron before the Lord; and they anointed David king over Israel… (2 Samuel 5:1-3).

As well as in the Book of Chronicles:

So all the elders of Israel came to the king to Hebron; and David made a covenant with them in Hebron before the Lord; and they anointed David king over Israel, according to the word of the Lord by the hand of Samuel… (1 Chronicles 11:3)

And these are the numbers of the heads of them that were armed for war, who came to David to Hebron, to turn the kingdom of Saul to him, according to the word of the Lord… All these, being men of war, that could order the battle array, came with a whole heart to Hebron, to make David king over all Israel; and all the rest also of Israel were of one heart to make David king. (1 Chronicles 12:24 and 12:39).

All subsequent kings in both the ancient first united Kingdom of Israel and the later Kingdom of Judah claimed direct descent from King David to validate their claim to the throne in order to rule over the Israelite tribes.

After the death of King Solomon son of David, the ten northern tribes of the Kingdom of Israel rejected the Davidic line, refusing to accept Rehoboam son of Solomon, and instead chose as king Jeroboam and formed the northern Kingdom of Israel. This kingdom was eventually conquered by Assyria who exiled them, to disappear from history as The Ten Lost Tribes.

Jeremiah's curse on the Solomonic line[link]

Because of the godlessness of Jehoiachin in the early 500s BC, Jeremiah cursed the main branch of the Solomonic line, saying that no descendant of "Coniah" would ever again reign on the throne of Israel (Jer. 22:30)^[1] This curse is considered by some Jewish commentators as the reason that Zerubbabel, the rightful Solomonic king during the time of Nehemiah, was not given a kingship under the Persian empire. Some Christian commentators also consider Jeremiah's curse the reason that the Solomonic genealogy in Matthew 1 must be the genealogy of Jesus' adopted father, Joseph. The genealogy in Luke 3, traditionally that of Mary, is from Solomon's brother Nathan.^[2]

There are also those who believe that God said in Jer. 22:30 "--- ruling any more in Judah." and did not say "No descendant of David would set on the Throne over the House of Israel". However, it only specifically said "rule over the house of Judah". Thus, they claim that the throne of David was transplanted by Jeremiah, via a daughter of King Zedekiah, the last king of Judah, to Ireland (Jeremiah 43:6), along with the stone of Jacob, which was named "The House of God" (Genesis 28:22), to Scotland and then to England, where the descendants of David, via the daughter of Zedekiah, are sitting on David’s throne today over the "House of Israel" who migrated there after having been transplanted by the Assyrians into northern Europe, then into Great Britain. The inhabitants of Great Britain are thus thought by some to be one of the "Lost Ten Tribes" of Israel, specifically, Josephs two sons Ephraim and Manasseh, and were taken into northern Germany and then migrated to Great Britain where the King and Queens of Davids Throne rule over them.^[3]

The Exilarch[link]

Following the conquest of Judah by Babylon and the exile of its population, the Babylonian Exilarchate was established. The highest official of Babylonian Jewry was the exilarch (Reish Galuta, "Head of the Diaspora"). Those who held the position traced their ancestry to the House of David in the male line.^[4] The position holder was regarded as a king-in-waiting.^{[citation needed]}

Hasmonean monarchy[link]

The Hasmoneans, also known as the Maccabees who were priests, (kohanim) from the Tribe of Levi, established a monarchy of their own in Judea following their revolt and war against the Hellenistic Seleucid dynasty. The Hasmoneans were not connected to the Davidic line that is attached to the Tribe of Judah. The Levites had always been excluded from the Israelite monarchy. When the Maccabees assumed the throne in order to re-dedicate the defiled Second Temple, a cardinal rule was broken. This is considered to have contributed to their own downfall, and partly to the eventual downfall of Judea. When internal strife brought in the Romans, it resulted in the violent although Jewish Herod the Great's becoming king and eventually ended with the destruction of the Second Temple by the Roman Empire, according to scholars within Orthodox Judaism.

Other descendants from David[link]

With the end of the monarchy following the destructions of both the Temple of Solomon and the Second Temple, the line of the monarchy was carefully preserved and guarded^{[citation needed]}. It was from that supposed^{[citation needed]} Davidic line though that many great rabbis and "princes" of the people claimed descent. Thus, men such as the editor of the Mishnah, Rabbi Judah haNasi, and his heirs were considered^{[citation needed]} to be from the Davidic line, hence their use of the title "Nasi", meaning prince.

Subsequently, great rabbis such as Rashi, Maimonides, Don Isaac Arbarbanel, and the Maharal of Prague, were all considered^{[citation needed]} to be of the Davidic line by Orthodox Judaism. Note, however, that according to Rav Sherira Gaon, in his iggeret, Hillel the Elder, great-great-great-grandfather of Rabbi Judah haNasi, was descended from David only on his mother's side^{[citation needed]} and was actually of the tribe of Benjamin^{[citation needed]}.

In general, the validity of such claims — as that of most claims to royal descent after a considerable passage of time — is difficult to check. But it may be said that Jewish society taking seriously a person's claim to Davidic descent is a testimonial to that person's standing and prestige in his own time.

The medieval dynasties — the Solomonids of Ethiopia and Bagratids of Georgia and Armenia — also claimed descent from David.

Jewish Messianism[link]

The future Jewish Messiah is expected to be from the "Davidic line" (The Tree of Life), as indicated in Jewish eschatology. Many prayers in the Jewish prayer book, the Siddur, make fervent mention of the restoration of King David's monarchy and the long-awaited Messiah, who is referred to as Mashiach ben David (Messiah son of King David). Given the difficulty of identifying the Messianic figure, Jews also pray for the coming of the prophet Elijah to serve as the Messiah's herald and to properly identify him.

Genealogy of Jesus[link]

Tree of Jesse in an illuminated manuscript by the Master of James IV of Scotland, Flemish, 1510-20, Getty.

The Gospels, Acts of the Apostles and Pauline epistles refer to Jesus of Nazareth as a descendant of David. The Gospels give two separate genealogies for Jesus.^[5] Christian faith regards Jesus as having been born of a virgin, Mary, and consequently as not having natural human father. Nevertheless, he is considered to be a prince of Judah, as though Mary's husband Joseph were in fact his father.^{[citation needed]}

Matthew 1 uses the format: "A was the father of B, B was the father of C", etc. Luke 3:23-38, on the other hand, uses a word that can mean either "biological son" or "descendant", in the form "C was the son of B, who was the son of A". Matthew traces the lineage from David through Solomon, while Luke traces the lineage through Nathan, Solomon's brother.^[5] An explanation traditionally offered by Christian apologists is that Matthew is stating Joseph's line and Luke is stating Mary's line.^[6] Under the Lucan text, Jesus would be a biological descendant of David through his mother.^[7] It is often this descent that is depicted in the Tree of Jesse subject in art, which usually shows Mary but rarely Joseph.

Another solution to the problem of two genealogies was offered by Africanus and repeated by Eusebius in his Ecclesiastical History. Under the Torah, a widowed woman could marry her late husband's brother, the children of the union being reckoned as the sons of the deceased. Thus the Gospel of Matthew is held to record Jesus' lineage by birth while Luke's by law, this distinction being defended by Luke's use of the phrase "Joseph son of Eli, as was supposed."^[8] According to Matthew Henry, the Gospels emphasize a trinitarian aspect of Davidic lineage.^{[Mt. 22:45][Mk. 12:37][Lk. 20:44]} Jesus outlines that, if he was to be a mere man, who would not exist till many ages after David's death, his forefather would not call him Lord. It means that Jesus is the Son of God and David's Lord equally with God the Father (in other words, God manifested in the flesh is the Son of man and the Son of David, as Jesus teaches).^[9]

Modern Davidic Descendants[link]

The Imperial Solomonic Dynasty of Ethiopia and the royal Bagrationi Dynasty of Georgia claim descent from the House of David. Although both lines are non-reigning royal houses, both claims of descent enjoy a high degree of legitimacy from their respective Orthodox Christian churches and form an important element of national identity in both modern Ethiopia and modern Georgia.

Notes[link]

1. ^ H. Wayne House Israel: Land and the People 1998 114 "And yet, Judah has also been without a king of the Solomonic line since the Babylonian exile. Because of Jeremiah's curse on Jehoiachin (Coniah) in the early 500s BC (Jer. 22:30), the high priests of Israel, while serving as the ..."
2. ^ Warren W. Wiersbe -The Wiersbe Bible Commentary: The Complete Old Testament - 2007 p1497 "Zerubbabel was the grandson of King Jehoiachin (Jeconiah, Matt. 1:12; Coniah, Jer. 22:24, 28), and therefore of the royal line of David. But instead of wearing a crown and sitting on a throne, Zerubbabel was the humble governor of a ..."
3. ^ See: British Israelism
4. ^ Max A Margolis and Alexander Marx, A History of the Jewish People (1927), p. 235.
5. ^ ^{a b} Boles, H. Leo, A Commentary on the Gospel of Matthew, Gospel Advocate Commentary, 1, Nashville, TN: The Gospel Advocate Company (published 1952), p. 19 
6. ^ Morris, Leon, The Gospel according to Matthew, Pillar New Testament Commentary, 3A, Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans (published 1992), p. 22 
7. ^ Boles, H. Leo, A Commentary on the Gospel by Luke, The Gospel Advocate Commentaries, 2, Nashville, TN: The Gospel Advocate Company (published 1940), pp. 88–91 
8. ^ "Hence the genealogy traced through him will not be rendered void, which the evangelist Matthew in his enumeration gives thus: 'Jacob begot Joseph.' But Luke, on the other hand, says: 'Who was the son, as was supposed' (for this he also adds), 'of Joseph, the son of Eli, the son of Melchi'; for he could not more clearly express the generation according to law. And the expression 'he begot' he has omitted in his genealogical table up to the end, tracing the genealogy back to Adam the son of God. This interpretation is neither incapable of proof nor is it an idle conjecture. "
9. ^ "Jesus questions the Pharisees". BibleGateway.com. http://www.biblegateway.com/resources/commentaries/Matthew-Henry/Matt/Jesus-Questions-Pharisees. Retrieved 2010-03-07. 

See also[link]

• Exilarch
• History of ancient Israel and Judah
• Jewish eschatology
• Jewish Messiah
• Messiah
• Principles of Faith: The Messianic Age
• Tree of Life
• Y-chromosomal Adam
• Y-chromosomal Aaron

References[link]

• The Holy Bible: 1611 Edition (Thos. Nelson, 1993)

External links[link]

• Jewish Encyclopedia.com: "Exilarchs"
• A genealogy of the Exilarchs: "From Judah to Bustanai"
• Rabbic Sources and Seder Olam Zuta: "Seder Olam Zuta" & "Rav-SIG"

Charles "Chuck" Missler is an author, evangelical Christian, Bible teacher, former businessman and US Naval officer. He is the founder of the Koinonia House ministry based in Coeur d'Alene, Idaho.

Biography[link]

Missler was for several years the chairman, the chief executive, and the largest shareholder of Western Digital. In 1983 he became the chairman and chief executive of Helionetics Inc., another technology company.^[1] After teaching for many years at Calvary Chapel Costa Mesa, Missler moved to Coeur d'Alene in 1992 and founded Koinonia House. Through this organization, Missler distributes a monthly newsletter, Bible study tapes, and a radio show, and speaks at conferences.^[2]

Missler is a prominent speaker on the subject of bible prophecy.^[3] Missler has had numerous programs aired on the Christian television station GOD TV, namely the DVD versions of his biblical studies "Learn the Bible in 24 Hours", "The Book of Revelation", "The Book of Genesis", and "The Book of Daniel".^{[citation needed]} A Los Angeles Times article reported that Missler and co-author Hal Lindsey had plagiarized a portion of Miami University Professor Edwin Yamauchi's 1982 book Foes From the Northern Frontier in their own 1992 book The Magog Factor.^[4] A YouTube video in which Missler uses a jar of peanut butter to attempt to disprove evolution attracted media attention in 2007-2008.^[5][6]

Books[link]

• 2002 Learn the Bible in 24 Hours Pub: Nelson Books ISBN 0-7852-6429-9
• 2006 Prophecy 20/20: Profiling the Future Through the Lens of Scripture Pub: Thomas Nelson ISBN 0-7852-1889-0
• Alien Encounters: The Secret Behind the UFO Phenomenon. Koinonia House. 2003. ISBN 1-57821-205-7. 
• Eastman, Mark, & Missler, Chuck (1995). The Creator: Beyond Time & Space. Word For Today. ISBN 0-936728-61-2. 
• Cosmic Codes: Hidden Messages From the Edge of Eternity. Koinonia House. 2004. ISBN 1-57821-255-3. 
• Hidden Treasures in the Biblical Text. Koinonia House. 2000. ISBN 1-57821-127-1. 

References[link]

External links[link]

Biography portal

• Koinonia House – Official website

Timothy Elpadaro Thedford (born September 19, 1976), better known by his stage name Jay Electronica, is an American hip hop recording artist and record producer, currently based in London, United Kingdom.^[2] Jay Electronica first gained significant attention after the release of the musical composition Act I: Eternal Sunshine (the pledge), made available on a MySpace page in 2007. It is fifteen continuous minutes of music, without drums, built from Jon Brion's soundtrack to the film Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind. In late 2009 he released two songs, both produced by Just Blaze, "Exhibit A (Transformations)" and "Exhibit C" the latter of which won a Sucker Free Summit Award for Instant Classic. On November 12, 2010, it was announced Jay Electronica had become an official member of Jay-Z's Roc Nation record label.^[3]

Biography[link]

1976-2006: Early life and career beginnings[link]

Thedford was born on September 19, 1976, in the Magnolia Projects of New Orleans, a place where the crime rate was infamous throughout the country before 2005, when the projects were flooded during Hurricane Katrina. Thedford began rapping after hearing his nephew Akeem Pryor rhyme. By the age of 19 Jay Electronica left New Orleans to pursue his musical career. Living a mostly nomadic lifestyle, he found refuge in cities such as Philadelphia, Baltimore, Detroit, New York, and briefly in Atlanta. From club to club, and stage to stage, Electronica had gotten booed off and denied because of his Southern accent and slang. "In my earlier years from when I first left home, I was embarrassed from being from the South," Thedford stated. "Not in general, but as a rapper because all of the negative things that people in the States put on the South."^[4] Electronica’s career really took form in the city of Detroit when he linked up with Detroit native Johnnie Last, a friend he had spent a lot of time with at Darp Studios in Atlanta, GA. Detroit is where Electronica met producer/engineer Mike "Chav" Chavarria, who introduced him to both J. Dilla and Mr. Porter, and who is now a regular collaborator.^[5][6] Detroit, where he recorded his Style Wars-era music with several J. Dilla beats, meeting the producer subsequently to ask for permission to use the recordings as a demo.

[edit] 2007-2010: Act I: Eternal Sunshine (The Pledge) and signing with Roc Nation

Jay Electronica first gained significant attention through Act 1: Eternal Sunshine (The Pledge), made available on a MySpace page in 2007. It is nine continuous minutes of music, without drums, built from Jon Brion's soundtrack to the film Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind. There are five segments or movements marked by changes in music and mood, raps by Electronica, and occasional snippets of sampled dialogue including scenes from Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory. The first segment is a spoken word piece by Just Blaze and Erykah Badu describing Electronica over piano music.

The nature of the piece of music, along with the nature of its appearance, led to a slow build-up of interest in Electronica as an enigmatic figure. Songs circulating online as the Style Wars EP gained wider circulation, and other songs, such as the dream-inspired "Dimethyltryptamine", soon appeared. In January 2008, Giles Peterson's 90-minute Gilles Peterson Worldwide was devoted to the rapper.^[7] Hiphopdx.com in 2008 called him "arguably...the most talked about new emcee last year ... at times...more like a myth or urban legend than an actual rapper",^[8] and URB ran a cover story on the artist under the banner "Jay Electronica: A Spotless Mind :: An MC’s mystery revealed", which referred to his wanderings as his being "like some sort of hip-hop Jack Kerouac".^[5]

Jeff Weiss' piece for the L.A. Weekly, "Jay Electronica: Much Better Than His Name Would Suggest", acknowledged that the rapper could be fairly described as "one of the most buzzed about rappers of 2008", but attempted to temper the hype somewhat, describing Act 1... as "ambitious, wildly original, if not slightly pretentious", while endorsing only to an extent the comparisons URB had made (referencing an "abstract rhyming style") to rappers like Nas and Pharoahe Monch.^[9][10]

[edit] 2010-present: Act II: Patents of Nobility (The Turn)

Jay Electronica has yet to release a full-length album, but he has released two official singles to date, "Exhibit A" and "Exhibit C", which won a Sucker Free Summit Award for Instant Classic. His music so far has been made available through the internet, either through being leaked to what URB magazine describes as "obscure web forums", or through an appearing and disappearing Myspace page (currently two seem to be in existence, at /jayelect and at /jayelectronica). Erykah Badu has questioned whether he ever will release, in her words, "actual albums".^[5] From New Orleans, LA he has lived in Baltimore, Philadelphia, Washington, D.C., Denver, and Detroit, where he recorded his Style Wars-era music with several J Dilla beats, meeting the producer subsequently to ask for permission to use the recordings as a demo. Jay met producer/engineer Mike "Chav" Chavarria in Detroit, the latter introducing him to both J Dilla and Mr. Porter, and who is now a regular collaborator.^[5][11]

According to URB, Act II: Patents of Nobility will feature Nas, and will be the second of a putative trilogy. URB also reported that digital EPs with both Guilty Simpson and producer 9th Wonder were planned. According to a Filter TV interview,^[12] Jay Electronica has partnered with Decon to release his debut project. It is being described as a multi-media release and footage from the project which was partially shot in Nepal and Dubai has begun to surface online. The first clip to leak is titled "Dear Moleskine" and can be found on YouTube, the track was produced by Just Blaze and the clip was directed by Jason Goldwatch from Decon. In June 2009, Decon and Jay's "The Dogon Society" released "Exhibit A" digitally. "Exhibit C" was released on iTunes December 16, 2009 and quickly shot to the top 10 of the iTunes Hip-Hop charts. The following week it was chosen by Hot 97's Dj Enuff as the Heavy Hitter pick of the week.

Jay Electronica appeared at the 2010 Bonnaroo Music Festival. Jay Electronica continued his scattered release practice, releasing "A Million In The Morning" on April 4, 2010. The song features a weary Electronica trying to keep himself awake to escape his nightmares.^[13] On April 30, Jay Electronica debuted "The Ghost of Christopher Wallace" via his Twitter. The song features P Diddy and is produced by London beatsmith Quincey Tones, who is known for producing such acts as Young Jeezy and Royce da 5'9".

On November 12, 2010, Jay-Z announced that Jay Electronica was officially the newest member of his own 'Roc Nation' record label/management company, which boasts such acts as J. Cole, and Willow Smith. Before signing to Roc Nation in 2010, Jay Electronica was a prospective signee of Bad Boy Records, a label owned by producer/rapper/entrepreneur Sean “Diddy” Combs.^[14]

In late 2010, he and Lucy Liu were featured on The Bullitts' track "Close Your Eyes". It was BBC Radio 1 DJ Zane Lowe's 'record of the week' and will feature on The Bullitts upcoming album set for release in 2011. Then in July 2011, he produced and was featured on the track "Run & Hide", which will be on the same album.

In July 2011, Jay Electronica posted via his twitter that his debut album, "Act II: Patents Of Nobility (the turn)," was complete.^[15] On October 10, 2011, Jay Electronica released the song Call Of Duty, featuring Prodigy from Mobb Deep. He stated that this single would not be on his album. On March 8th, 2012, Jay Electronica tweeted that the album is complete and will be turned in to Roc Nation ^[16]

Personal life[link]

Jay Electronica and Erykah Badu have one child together, Mars Merkaba Thedford, born on February 1, 2009.^[17] He is a member of the Five Percent Nation.^[18]

Discography[link]

Studio albums[link]

• Act II: Patents of Nobility (The Turn) (TBA)
• Act III: The Last Will & Testament Of Timothy Elpadaro Thedford (The Prestige) (TBA)

EPs[link]

• Style Wars EP (2007)

Mixtapes[link]

• Act I: Eternal Sunshine (the pledge) (2007)

Singles[link]

As lead artist[link]

As featured artist[link]

Guest appearances[link]

Production discography[link]

2008[link]

[edit] Nas - Untitled

• 01. "Queens Get the Money"
  • Sample Credit: John Powell - "I Am Sam (Theme)"

External links[link]

• :::::::Magnetik7::::::: (come on in, the water's fine.) - Official web site (inactive since 2005)^[19][20][21]
• Jay Electronica Official News Source
• Jay Electronica Fan Website(domain expired)
• Jay Electronica (JayElectronica) on Twitter
• URB Jay Electronica cover (left) (.gif)
• Giles Peterson Worldwide (.mp3, 80MB) - Lengthy interview and music
• Jay Electronica video interview on redbullmusicacademy.com
• Just Blaze, Jay Electronica, & Mike "Chav" Chavarria - An Interview with Jay, Chav, & Just Blaze
• Exclaim! magazine interview with Jay Electronica-Exclaim!

Sources[link]