David playing the harp before King Saul
In the Bible the name David is borne only by the second king of
Israel, the great-grandson of Boaz and Ruth (Ruth, iv, 18 sqq.). He was
the youngest of the eight sons of Isai, or Jesse (I Kings, xvi, 8; cf. I
Par., ii, 13), a small proprietor, of the tribe of Juda, dwelling at
Bethlehem, where David was born. Our knowledge of David’s life and
character is derived exclusively from the pages of Sacred Scripture,
viz., I K., xvi; III K., ii; I Par., ii, iii, x-xxix; Ruth, iv, 18-22,
and the titles of many Psalms. According to the usual chronology, David
was born in 1085 and reigned from 1055 to 1015 B.C. Recent writers have
been induced by the Assyrian inscriptions to date his reign from 30 to
50 years later. Within the limits imposed it is impossible to give more
than a bare outline of the events of his life and a brief estimate of
his character and his significance in the history of the chosen people,
as king, psalmist, prophet, and type of the Messias.
The history of David falls naturally into three periods: (1) before
his elevation to the throne; (2) his reign, at Hebron over Juda, and at
Jerusalem over all Israel, until his sin; (3) his sin and last years. He
first appears in sacred history as a shepherd lad, tending his father’s
flocks in the fields near Bethlehem, “ruddy and beautiful to behold and
of a comely face”. Samuel, the Prophet and last of the judges, had been
sent to anoint him in place of Saul, whom God had rejected for
disobedience. The relations of David do not seem to have recognized the
significance of this unction, which marked him as the successor to the
throne after the death of Saul.
The
Triumph of David. Young David holds the impaled head of the Philistine
giant, Goliath, and marches in front of King Saul, who is riding a white
horse.
During a period of illness, when the evil spirit troubled Saul, David
was brought to court to soothe the king by playing on the harp. He
earned the gratitude of Saul and was made an armour-bearer, but his stay
at court was brief. Not long afterwards, whilst his three elder
brothers were in the field, fighting under Saul against the Philistines,
David was sent to the camp with some provisions and presents; there he
heard the words in which the giant, Goliath of Geth, defied all Israel
to single combat, and he volunteered with God’s help to slay the
Philistine. His victory over Goliath brought about the rout of the
enemy. Saul’s questions to Abner at this time seem to imply that he had
never seen David before, though, as we have seen, David had already been
at court. Various conjectures have been made to explain this
difficulty. As the passage which suggests a contradiction in the Hebrew
text is omitted by Septuagint codices, some authors have accepted the
Greek text in preference to the Hebrew. Others suppose that the order of
the narratives has become confused in our present Hebrew text. A
simpler and more likely solution maintains that on the second occasion
Saul asked Abner only about the family of David and about his earlier
life. Previously he had given the matter no attention.
David’s victory over Goliath won for him the tender friendship of
Jonathan, the son of Saul. He obtained a permanent position at court,
but his great popularity and the imprudent songs of the women excited
the jealousy of the king, who on two occasions attempted to kill him. As
captain of a thousand men, he encountered new dangers to win the hand
of Merob, Saul’s eldest daughter, but, in spite of the king’s promise,
she was given to Hadriel. Michol, Saul’s other daughter, loved David,
and, in the hope that the latter might be killed by the Philistines, her
father promised to give her in marriage, provided David should slay one
hundred Philistines. David succeeded and married Michol. This success,
however, made Saul fear the more and finally induced him to order that
David should be killed. Through the intervention of Jonathan he was
spared for a time, but Saul’s hatred finally obliged him to flee from
the court.
Saul Attacking David. Painting by Guercino
First he went to Ramatha and thence, with Samuel, to Naioth. Saul’s
further attempts to murder him were frustrated by God’s direct
interposition. An interview with Jonathan convinced him that
reconciliation with Saul was impossible, and for the rest of the reign
he was an exile and an outlaw. At Nobe, whither he proceeded, David and
his companions were harboured by the priest Achimelech, who was
afterwards accused of conspiracy and put to death with his
fellow-priests. From Nobe David went to the court of Achis, king of
Geth, where he escaped death by feigning madness. On his return he
became the head of a band of about four hundred men, some of them his
relations, others distressed debtors and malcontents, who gathered at
the cave, or stronghold, of Odollam (Adullam). Not long after their
number was reckoned at six hundred. David delivered the city of Ceila
from the Philistines, but was again obliged to flee from Saul. His next
abode was the wilderness of Ziph, made memorable by the visit of
Jonathan and by the treachery of the Ziphites, who sent word to the
king. David was saved from capture by the recall of Saul to repel an
attack of the Philistines. In the deserts of Engaddi he was again in
great danger, but when Saul was at his mercy, he generously spared his
life. The adventure with Nabal, David’s marriage with Abigail, and a
second refusal to slay Saul were followed by David’s decision to offer
his serves to Achis of Geth and thus put an end to Saul’s persecution.
As a vassal of the Philistine king, he was set over the city of Siceleg,
whence he made raids on the neighbouring tribes, wasting their lands
and sparing neither man nor woman. By pretending that these expeditions
were against his own people of Israel, he secured the favour of Achis.
When, however, the Philistines prepared at Aphec to wage war against
Saul, the other princes were unwilling to trust David, and he returned
to Siceleg. During his absence it had been attacked by the Amalecites.
David pursued them, destroyed their forces, and recovered all their
booty. Meanwhile the fatal battle on Mount Gelboe (Gilboa) had taken
place, in which Saul and Jonathan were slain. The touching elegy,
preserved for us in II Kings, i, is David’s outburst of grief at their
death.
By God’s command, David, who was now thirty years old, went up to
Hebron to claim the kingly power. The men of Juda accepted him as king,
and he was again anointed, solemnly and publicly. Through the influence
of Abner, the rest of Israel remained faithful to Isboseth, the son of
Saul. Abner attacked the forces of David, but was defeated at Gabaon.
Civil war continued for some time, but David’s power was ever on the
increase. At Hebron six sons were born to him: Amnon, Cheleab, Absalom,
Adonias, Saphathia, and Jethraam. As the result of a quarrel with
Isboseth, Abner made overtures to bring all Israel under the rule of
David; he was, however, treacherously murdered by Joab without the
king’s consent. Isboseth was murdered by two Benjamites, and David was
accepted by all Israel and anointed king. His reign at Hebron over Juda
alone had lasted seven years and a half.
Coronation of David
By his successful wars David succeeded in making Israel an
independent state and causing his own name to be respected by all the
surrounding nations. A notable exploit at the beginning of his reign was
the conquest of the Jebusite city of Jerusalem, which he made the
capital of his kingdom, “the city of David”, the political centre of the
nation. He built a palace, took more wives and concubines, and begat
other sons and daughters. Having cast off the yoke of the Philistines,
he resolved to make Jerusalem the religious centre of his people by
transporting the Ark of the Covenant (q.v.) from Cariathiarim. It was
brought to Jerusalem and placed in the new tent constructed by the king.
Later on, when he proposed to build a temple for it, he was told by the
prophet Nathan, that God had reserved this task for his successor. In
reward for his piety, the promise was made that God would build him up a
house and establish his kingdom forever.
No detailed account has been preserved of the various wars undertaken
by David; only some isolated facts are given. The war with the
Ammonites is recorded more fully because, whilst his army was in the
field during this campaign, David fell into the sins of adultery and
murder, bringing thereby great calamities on himself and his people. He
was then at the height of his power, a ruler respected by all the
nations from the Euphrates to the Nile. After his sin with Bethsabee and
the indirect assassination of Urias, her husband, David made her his
wife. A year elapsed before his repentance for the sin, but his
contrition was so sincere that God pardoned him, though at the same time
announcing the severe penalties that were to follow. The spirit in
which David accepted these penalties has made him for all time the model
of penitents. The incest of Amnon and the fratricide of Absalom (q.v.)
brought shame and sorrow to David. For three years Absalom remained in
exile. When he was recalled, David kept him in disfavour for two years
more and then restored him to his former dignity, without any sign of
repentance. Vexed by his father’s treatment, Absalom devoted himself for
the next four years to seducing the people and finally had himself
proclaimed king at Hebron. David was taken by surprise and was forced to
flee from Jerusalem. The circumstances of his flight are narrated in
Scripture with great simplicity and pathos. Absalom’s disregard of the
counsel of Achitophel and his consequent delay in the pursuit of the
king made it possible for the latter to gather his forces and win a
victory at Manahaim, where Absalom was killed. David returned in triumph
to Jerusalem. A further rebellion under Seba at the Jordan was quickly
suppressed.
King David, kneeling, praying to God. Jerusalem is in the background along with scenes from his life at the bottom.
At this point in the narrative of II Kings we read that “there was a
famine in the days of David for three years successively”, in punishment
for Saul’s sin against the Gabaonites. At their request seven of Saul’s
race were delivered up to be crucified. It is not possible to fix the
exact date of the famine. On other occasions David showed great
compassion for the descendants of Saul, especially for Miphiboseth, the
son of his friend Jonathan. After a brief mention of four expeditions
against the Philistines, the sacred writer records a sin of pride on
David’s part in his resolution to take a census of the people. As a
penance for this sin, he was allowed to choose either a famine, an
unsuccessful war, or pestilence. David chose the third and in three days
70,000 died. When the angel was about to strike Jerusalem, God was
moved to pity and stayed the pestilence. David was commanded to offer
sacrifice at the threshing-floor of Areuna, the site of the future
temple.
The Prophet Nathan advises King David. Painting by Matthias Scheits
The last days of David were disturbed by the ambition of Adonias,
whose plans for the succession were frustrated by Nathan, the prophet,
and Bethsabee, the mother of Solomon. The son who was born after David’s
repentance was chosen in preference to his older brothers. To make sure
that Solomon would succeed to the throne, David had him publicly
anointed. The last recorded words of the aged king are an exhortation to
Solomon to be faithful to God, to reward loyal servants, and to punish
the wicked. David died at the age of seventy, having reigned in
Jerusalem thirty-three years. He was buried on Mount Sion. St. Peter
spoke of his tomb as still in existence on the day of Pentecost, when
the Holy Ghost descended on the Apostles (Acts, ii, 29). David is
honoured by the Church as a saint. He is mentioned in the Roman
Martyrology on 29 December.
The historical character of the narratives of David’s life has been
attacked chiefly by writers who have disregarded the purpose of the
narrator in I Par. He passes over those events that are not connected
with the history of the Ark. In the Books of Kings all the chief events,
good and bad, are narrated. The Bible records David’s sins and
weaknesses without excuse or palliation, but it also records his
repentance, his acts of virtue, his generosity towards Saul, his great
faith, and his piety. Critics who have harshly criticized his character
have not considered the difficult circumstances in which he lived or the
manners of his age. It is uncritical and unscientific to exaggerate his
faults or to imagine that the whole history is a series of myths. The
life of David was an important epoch in the history of Israel. He was
the real founder of the monarchy, the head of the dynasty. Chosen by God
“as a man according to His own heart”, David was tried in the school of
suffering during the days of exile and developed into a military leader
of renown. To him was due the complete organization of the army. He
gave Israel a capital, a court, a great centre of religious worship. The
little band at Odollam became the nucleus of an efficient force. When
he became King of all Israel there were 339,600 men under his command.
At the census 1,300,000 were enumerated capable of bearing arms. A
standing army, consisting of twelve corps, each 24,000 men, took turns
in serving for a month at a time as the garrison of Jerusalem. The
administration of his palace and his kingdom demanded a large retinue of
servants and officials. Their various offices are set down in I Par.,
xxvii. The king himself exercised the office of judge, though Levites
were later appointed for this purpose, as well as other minor officials.
David playing the harp in from of the Arc. Painting by Viso Nicolò, part of the Artgate Cariplo Foundation.
When the Ark had been brought to Jerusalem, David undertook the
organization of religious worship. The sacred functions were entrusted
to 24,000 Levites; 6,000 of these were scribes and judges, 4000 were
porters, and 4000 singers. He arranged the various parts of the ritual,
allotting to each section its tasks. The priests were divided into
twenty-four families; the musicians into twenty-four choirs. To Solomon
had been reserved the privilege of building God’s house, but David made
ample preparations for the work by amassing treasures and materials, as
well as by transmitting to his son a plan for the building and all its
details. We are told in I Par. how he exhorted his son Solomon to carry
out this great work and made known to the assembled princes the extent
of his preparations.
The prominent part played by song and music in the worship of the
temple, as arranged by David, is readily explained by his poetic and
musical abilities. His skill in music is recorded in I Kings, xvi, 18
and Amos, vi, 5. Poems of his composition are found in II Kings, i, iii,
xxii, xxiii. His connection with the Book of Psalms, many of which are
expressly attributed to various incidents of his career, was so taken
for granted in later days that many ascribed the whole Psalter to him.
The authorship of these hymns and the question how far they can be
considered as supplying illustrative material for David’s life will be
treated in the article PSALMS.
David was not merely king and ruler, he was also a prophet. “The
spirit of the Lord hath spoken by me and his word by my tongue” (II
Kings, xxiii, 2) is a direct statement of prophetic inspiration in the
poem there recorded. St. Peter tells us that he was a prophet (Acts, ii,
30). His prophecies are embodied in the Psalms he composed that are
literally Messianic and in “David’s last words” (II K., xxiii). The
literal character of these Messianic Psalms is indicated in the New
Testament. They refer to the suffering, the persecution, and the
triumphant deliverance of Christ, or to the prerogatives conferred on
Him by the Father. In addition to these his direct prophecies, David
himself has always been regarded as a type of the Messias. In this the
Church has but followed the teaching of the Old Testament Prophets. The
Messias was to be the great theocratic king; David, the ancestor of the
Messias, was a king according to God’s own heart. His qualities and his
very name are attributed to the Messias. Incidents in the life of David
are regarded by the Fathers as foreshadowing the life of Christ;
Bethlehem is the birthplace of both; the shepherd life of David points
out Christ, the Good Shepherd; the five stones chosen to slay Goliath
are typical of the five wounds; the betrayal by his trusted counsellor,
Achitophel, and the passage over the Cedron remind us of Christ’s Sacred
Passion. Many of the Davidic Psalms, as we learn from the New
Testament, are clearly typical of the future Messias.
JOHN CORBETT (Catholic Encyclopedia)
Mother
Godinho, who directed the Lisbon Orphanage where Blessed Jacinta Marto
stayed shortly before dying at the hospital, carefully wrote down the
holy girl’s words.
The second, rather prophetic statement is “Fashions that will greatly offend Our Lord will appear.” 
Eventually,
he retired as a hermit to a cave on a mountain near Bethlehem, but his
sanctity and miracles attracted many who wished to serve God under his
direction. A spacious monastery was built on a place called Cathismus,
which became a haven of saints in the desert.
St.
Peter Orseolo’s is an unusual life. He was born in 928 of a prominent
Venetian family. At twenty he was appointed to the command of the city’s
fleet and defeated the Dalmatian pirates who infested the Adriatic Sea.
St.
Basil was born in Caesarea in Cappadocia - today, southeastern Turkey -
in 329 A.D. of a family of saints. His grandfather died a martyr in the
Roman persecution, and his grandmother, mother, sister and two brothers
are all canonized saints.
Basil
was becoming famous as a teacher when he decided to leave the world. He
lived for a while as a hermit then founded what was probably the first
monastery in Asia Minor. His monastic principles have influenced Eastern
monasticism to this day. He was a gifted orator, and his writings place
him among the great teachers of the Church.
has expounded the truth to the whole earth.” He died on January 1, 379.
When
the Magi arrived in Judea seeking the newborn “king of the Jews” (Matt.
2:1-2), King Herod was worried. After ascertaining in Scriptures that
Bethlehem was the likely birthplace of the Child, he met with the Wise
Men. The crafty king bid them go to Bethlehem and bring him back details
so he could also adore the new king.
The
Church considers those slaughtered babes, the first martyrs, since they
shed their blood because of Christ. The Church officially honors their
martyrdom on December 28. Several churches in Rome and throughout Europe
claim to house their relics.
Princesses
Irmina and Adela were daughters of St. Dagobert II, King of the Francs.
Their father had acceded to the throne at the age of seven but had been
deposed soon after and had fled to Ireland for safety. During his exile
he married the Anglo-Saxon princess, Matilda, and had five children,
among them Adela and Irmina. He returned to the Frankish capital of Metz
in 673 and reclaimed the throne.
Born on June 23, 1390, John Cantius takes his name from the town of his birth, Kanti, Poland.
In
1816, a young Fr. Joseph Mohr, wrote the verses, some say inspired one
Christmas night as he returned from visiting a family with a newborn
babe high up in the Alpine hills.
There,
families of young singers, similar to the Von Trapp Family, avidly
picked up the new song, and carried it throughout Europe.