King David
The Real Life of the Man Who Ruled Israel
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Narrated by:
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Jonathan Kirsch
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By:
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Jonathan Kirsch
About this listen
David, King of the Jews, possessed every flaw and failing a mortal is capable of, yet men and women adored him and God showered him with many more blessings than he did Abraham or Moses. His sexual appetite and prowess were matched only by his violence, both on the battlefield and in the bedroom.
A charismatic leader, exalted as "a man after God's own heart," he was also capable of deep cunning, deceit, and betrayal. Now, in King David: The Real Life of the Man Who Ruled Israel, best-selling author Jonathan Kirsch reveals this commanding individual in all his glory and fallibility. In a taut, dramatic narrative, Kirsch brings new depth and psychological complexity to the familiar events of David's life - his slaying of the giant Goliath and his swift challenge to the weak rule of Saul, the first Jewish king; his tragic relationship with Saul's son Jonathan, David's cherished friend (and possibly lover); his celebrated reign in Jerusalem, where his dynasty would hold sway for generations.
Yet for all his greatness, David was also a man in thrall to his passions - a voracious lover who secured the favors of his beautiful mistress Bathsheba by secretly arranging the death of her innocent husband; a merciless warrior who triumphed through cruelty; a troubled father who failed to protect his daughter from rape and whose beloved son Absalom rose against him in armed insurrection. Weaving together biblical texts with centuries of interpretation and commentary, Jonathan Kirsch brings King David to life in these pages with extraordinary freshness, intimacy, and vividness of detail.
At the center of this inspiring narrative stands a hero of flesh and blood - not the cartoon giant-slayer of sermons and Sunday school stories or the immaculate ruler of legend and art but a magnetic, disturbingly familiar man - a man as vibrant and compelling today as he has been for millennia.
©2000 Jonathan Kirsch (P)2000 Books on Tape, Inc.Listeners also enjoyed...
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Story
From the internationally bestselling author of No god but God comes a fascinating, provocative, and meticulously researched biography that challenges long-held assumptions about the man we know as Jesus of Nazareth. Sifting through centuries of mythmaking, Reza Aslan sheds new light on one of history's most influential and enigmatic characters by examining Jesus through the lens of the tumultuous era in which he lived: first-century Palestine, an age awash in apocalyptic fervor.
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Vivid and well-researched
- By Tad Davis on 07-21-13
By: Reza Aslan
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Revelations
- Visions, Prophecy, and Politics in the Book of Revelation
- By: Elaine Pagels
- Narrated by: Lorna Raver
- Length: 6 hrs and 27 mins
- Unabridged
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Elaine Pagels explores the surprising history of the most controversial book of the Bible. In the waning days of the Roman Empire, militant Jews in Jerusalem had waged anall-out war against Rome’s occupation of Judea, and their defeat resulted in the desecration of the Great Temple in Jerusalem. In the aftermath of that war, John of Patmos, a Jewish prophet and follower of Jesus, wrote the Book of Revelation, prophesying God’s judgment on the pagan empire that devastated and dominated his people.
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Revealing "Revelations"
- By Diane on 05-13-12
By: Elaine Pagels
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Desire of the Everlasting Hills
- The World Before and After Jesus
- By: Thomas Cahill
- Narrated by: Brian F. O'Byrne
- Length: 9 hrs and 16 mins
- Unabridged
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In his subtle and engaging investigation into the life and times of Jesus, Thomas Cahill shows us Jesus from his birth to his execution through the eyes of those who knew him and in the context of his time—a time when the Jews were struggling to maintain their beliefs under overlords who imposed their worldview on their subjects. Here is Jesus the loving friend, itinerate preacher, and quiet revolutionary, whose words and actions inspired his followers to journey throughout the Roman world and speak the truth he instilled.
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Desire Delivers
- By David on 04-18-03
By: Thomas Cahill
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Sailing the Wine-Dark Sea
- Why the Greeks Matter
- By: Thomas Cahill
- Narrated by: John Lee
- Length: 7 hrs and 35 mins
- Unabridged
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Best selling history writer Thomas Cahill continues his series on the roots of Western civilization with this volume about the contributions of ancient Greece to the development of contemporary culture. Tracing the origin of Greek culture in the migrations of armed Indo-European horsemen into Attica and the Peloponnesian peninsula, he follows their progress into the creation of the Greek city-states, the refinement of their machinery of war, and the flowering of intellectual and artistic culture.
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Super super
- By Richard on 12-28-03
By: Thomas Cahill
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The Lost Gospel
- Decoding the Ancient Text That Reveals Jesus' Marriage to Mary the Magdalene
- By: Simcha Jacobovici, Barrie Wilson
- Narrated by: Bob Souer
- Length: 12 hrs and 55 mins
- Unabridged
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Waiting to be rediscovered in the British Library is an ancient manuscript of the early Church, copied by an anonymous monk. The manuscript is at least 1,450 years old, possibly dating to the first century, Jesus' lifetime. And now, The Lost Gospel provides the first-ever translation from Syriac into English of this unique document that tells the inside story of Jesus' social, family, and political life. The Lost Gospel takes listeners on an unparalleled historical adventure through a paradigm-shifting manuscript.
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Very well-crafted but uses lot of sketchy material
- By Leifen on 01-09-18
By: Simcha Jacobovici, and others
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Agents of Babylon
- What the Prophecies of Daniel Tell Us About the End of Days
- By: David Jeremiah
- Narrated by: Todd Busteed
- Length: 10 hrs and 43 mins
- Abridged
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In his number-one New York Times best seller Agents of the Apocalypse, noted prophecy expert Dr. David Jeremiah explored the book of Revelation through the lens of its major players. Now, in the much-anticipated follow-up, Agents of Babylon, Dr. Jeremiah examines prophecy through the eyes of the characters in the book of Daniel, explains what the prophecies mean, and helps us understand how these prophetic visions and dreams apply to our lives today.
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Renewed the church in me, causing revival in heart
- By Pastor Mark on 05-25-20
By: David Jeremiah
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The Jesus Dynasty
- A New Historical Investigation of Jesus, His Royal Family, and the Birth of Christianity
- By: James D. Tabor
- Narrated by: James D. Tabor
- Length: 5 hrs and 53 mins
- Abridged
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Based on a careful analysis of the earliest Christian documents and recent archaeological discoveries, The Jesus Dynasty offers a bold new interpretation of the life of Jesus and the origins of Christianity. The story is surprising, controversial, and exciting as only a long-lost history can be when it is at last recovered.
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Provocative book
- By Dan on 08-27-06
By: James D. Tabor
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Persians
- The Age of the Great Kings
- By: Lloyd Llewellyn-Jones
- Narrated by: Lloyd Llewellyn-Jones
- Length: 18 hrs and 42 mins
- Unabridged
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The Achaemenid Persian kings ruled over the largest empire of antiquity, stretching from Libya to the steppes of Asia and from Ethiopia to Pakistan. In Persians, historian Lloyd Llewellyn-Jones tells the epic story of this dynasty and the world it ruled. Drawing on Iranian inscriptions, cuneiform tablets, art, and archaeology, he shows how the Achaemenid Persian Empire was the world’s first superpower—one built, despite its imperial ambition, on cooperation and tolerance. This is the definitive history of the Achaemenid dynasty and its legacies in modern-day Iran.
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Good History and Historiography
- By David A on 04-19-22
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Primitive Mythology
- The Masks of God Series, Volume I
- By: Joseph Campbell, David Kudler - editor
- Narrated by: Arthur Morey
- Length: 19 hrs and 1 min
- Unabridged
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The author of such acclaimed books as The Hero With a Thousand Faces and The Power of Myth discusses the primitive roots of mythology, examining them in light of the most recent discoveries in archaeology, anthropology, and psychology.
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Epic speculation into the origins of our mythic consciousness
- By BGZ on 01-10-19
By: Joseph Campbell, and others
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Tried by Fire
- The Story of Christianity's First Thousand Years
- By: William J. Bennett
- Narrated by: Wayne Campbell
- Length: 15 hrs and 41 mins
- Unabridged
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Full of larger-than-life characters, stunning acts of bravery, and heart-rending sacrifice, Tried by Fire narrates the rise and expansion of Christianity from an obscure regional sect to the established faith of the world's greatest empire with influence extending from India to Ireland, Scandinavia to Ethiopia, and all points in between.
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Best history of Christianity I've read
- By JOHN F KANARY on 05-05-16
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The War That Killed Achilles
- The True Story of Homer's Iliad and the Trojan War
- By: Caroline Alexander
- Narrated by: Michael Page
- Length: 8 hrs and 54 mins
- Unabridged
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Few warriors, in life or literature, have challenged their commanding officer and the rationale of the war they fought as fiercely as did Homer's hero Achilles. Today, the Iliad is celebrated as one of the greatest works in literature, the epic of all epics; many have forgotten that the subject of this ancient poem was war - not merely the poetical romance of the war at Troy, but War, in all its enduring devastation.
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Everything is more beautiful because we are doomed
- By Darwin8u on 07-29-15
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Armies of Heaven
- The First Crusade and the Quest for Apocalypse
- By: Jay Rubenstein
- Narrated by: Brian Holsopple
- Length: 13 hrs and 23 mins
- Unabridged
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Beginning in 1095 and culminating four bloody years later, the First Crusade represented a new kind of warfare: holy, unrestrained, and apocalyptic. In Armies of Heaven, medieval historian Jay Rubenstein tells the story of this cataclysmic event through the eyes of those who witnessed it, emphasizing the fundamental role that apocalyptic thought played in motivating the Crusaders.
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Long, too much moment-to-moment detail, dull
- By Christopher on 07-02-12
By: Jay Rubenstein
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Jerusalem
- The Biography
- By: Simon Sebag Montefiore
- Narrated by: John Lee
- Length: 25 hrs and 21 mins
- Unabridged
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Jerusalem is the universal city, the capital of two peoples, the shrine of three faiths; it is the prize of empires, the site of Judgement Day and the battlefield of today’s clash of civilizations. From King David to Barack Obama, from the birth of Judaism, Christianity and Islam to the Israel-Palestine conflict, this is the epic history of three thousand years of faith, slaughter, fanaticism and coexistence. This is how Jerusalem became Jerusalem, and the only city that exists twice - in heaven and on earth.
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In-depth and gripping history of 3,000 years
- By A reader on 12-16-11
What listeners say about King David
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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- Matthew
- 02-18-10
Don't expect a Sunday School lesson
This book is written by a Bible scholar, not a Sunday School teacher, so you will be treated to a very scholarly look at King David, not a sermon from a limited perspective and religious agenda. If you enjoy a historical perspective on David, then you will enjoy this book. If you are looking to bolster your preconceived ideas about who he was from a religious perspective, you will probably not enjoy it. No matter who you are, though, if you enter this with a desire for facts - you will enjoy learning some things you never knew or even considered about one of the most famous men in the Hebrew Scriptures. He was as flawed as they come and nobody can deny that. If he had not been flawed, he would probably not be such an iconic character today.
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17 people found this helpful
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- Eric C.
- 11-01-15
Interesting listen
The life of David is intriguing, but the book almost made it seem over-sensationalized. I did not like the book because the author seemed biased. There was too much conjecture. This is probably worth the listen, but maybe pick up another book to get a more balanced perspective.
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3 people found this helpful
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- Edward B Woods
- 01-22-24
More of a commentary, but a great commentary
It focused primarily on the biblical narrative, and peppered in archaeological, theological, and literary info.
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- kboy2008
- 02-03-20
Paints a good picture.
Overall I like the picture you paint. It's very descriptive and you give me ideas. However, you fall into the trap of many other people. 1 I heard you say the conquest happened in Judges, giving me the impression you don't accept the conquest of Joshua. Also, God never makes mistakes. Israel asked for a king he gave them one. Then he sat back and pulled the strings to put David on the throne and birth his whole line all the way to Jesus. Other than that I enjoyed it.
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- History Buff
- 01-25-22
Well done
Kirsch provides information that is often lost on casual readers of The Bible.
Fascinating work that leads to more readings.
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Overall
- MAJ Shakespeare
- 12-28-10
Intriguing History of David
I found this audiobook fascinating because of its in-depth review of David using various translations of the Old Testament with clarifying information from other religious sources. The best part of this book was its comprehensive look at David's life using the whole scriptural record rather than just focusing on the children's stories shared in Sunday School. It is a scholarly treatise so it will offend listeners who struggle when beloved religious figures are portrayed as mortal, with faults and sinful behavior. The scripture by scripture detail, with additional perspective provided by scholarly research, highlights the society and perspective of the time. The politics involved are fascinating and the book, overall, is quite engaging - when taken from the academic perspective in which it is written. The narration is well done with a reader who has a fine timbre of voice.
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14 people found this helpful
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- Coby
- 05-06-15
Interesting
Starts off pretty slow but really starts building good momentum. Very informative. The only complaint I have is that the author (who also reads) is constantly sighting his sources mid-narrative. Slightly annoying. But a great historical "read"
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2 people found this helpful
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- Keith Murray
- 08-06-17
A great story told well. A terrific job by Kirsch.
A great story told well. A terrific job by Kirsch. From the writing, to the reading, to the intrigue generated, the old story of David become alive again.
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- JC
- 04-07-12
Negative
This book wasn’t for you, but who do you think might enjoy it more?
agnostic
What could Jonathan Kirsch have done to make this a more enjoyable book for you?
be less jaded and pre-judgemental
What reaction did this book spark in you? Anger, sadness, disappointment?
I thought it was an attempt to discredit the biblical texts and authorship. It focused on and magnified the negative aspects of King David, his life and legacy.
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4 people found this helpful
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- Anonymous User
- 06-29-23
I should have looked at the reviews first.
5 stars from the non christians, 1 star from the christians... I tried to push through it just to hear another take on the character, but you win buddy. I wish you would have been a little more factual in the "real" story of David. and I might have finished it had it not been so insulting to those with faith. I got past the line about God having multiple personality disorder, because we refer to him at 3 in 1. but the line about God being whiny was when I decided that everyone is entitled to their opinion, although I'm normally open to hearing what others believe, I don't to be have my beloved insulted to do so.
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