The Old Testament, or Hebrew Torah, tells the story of Moses. One of the most important messages in the sacred text is from the story of the Battle of David, the son of Jesse, and Goliath, a Philistine giant. There is no specific year when the Old Testament was written, but historians believe the first parts of the text were written nearly 3500 years ago. Meanwhile, many years later, in 627 BC, the Byzantine Empire was in danger of being defeated by the Persians. But, Byzantine, led by Emperor Heraclius, triumphed over the Persians in what was an unlikely victory. According to the Merriam Webster Dictionary, an underdog is a predicted loser in a struggle or contest. Both the Battle of David and Goliath and the Perso-Byzantine War symbolize the idea of an underdog. In each conflict, the ultimate victor was originally on the brink of defeat. However, they both were audacious, allowing them to prevail. After the Perso-Byzantine War, Emperor Heraclius of Byzantine commissioned nine silver plates with imagery of David on each, to commemorate the victory. The Plate with the Battle of David and Goliath demonstrates the eternal truth that the good person is someone who does not fear losing because of their faith in the divine.
The Plate of the Battle of David and Goliath is 19 inches in diameter, and it is the largest of nine plates that depicts parts of the life of King David. The plate, which demonstrates the unlikely victory of young David against the mammoth Goliath, is split up in three sections.
“At the top of this magnificent plate, David confronts Goliath, and between them is a personification of the river from which David gathered stones for his sling. The major scene shows the decisive battle. Although David appears to be on the defensive, his men move forward, forcing Goliath’s soldiers into retreat. At the bottom, the victorious David beheads the giant.”
Also, at the very top of the plate, God is shown blessing David, by lending him a hand. On the back of the silver plate, there is a silver stamp of Emperor Heraclius. The design of the plate, as well as the silver stamp on the back, suggests that the plates were made to celebrate Byzantine’s underdog victory over Persia.
The plate, which is located in the Metropolitan Museum in Gallery 301, is a valuable artifact in examining the value of biblical figures in the Byzantine Empire. The artifact is one of many pieces of secular art from late Rome and early Byzantine in the Mary and Michael Jaharis Galleries. Historians believe that the biblical figures on the plate show the Byzantine emperor was likely chosen by God. Through this, historians are able to determine the purpose of art in early Byzantine. “In the portable arts, silver, vessels and furnishings, both for secular and ecclesiastical use, survive in significant number for the early centuries.” Not only does the plate give insight into the value of religion in Byzantine, but it also demonstrates the classical aspects of art in Byzantine. “Art objects of all varieties display an awareness of classical tradition through form, decoration, and visual vocabulary. The silver plate showing the Battle of David and Goliath looks to the Old Testament for its theme, but to the classical past for its naturalistic style and use of personification.” The plate depicting the Battle of David and Goliath shows classical elements of Byzantine art as well as the value of religion in the society.
The silver plate is symbolic of the victory of Emperor Heraclius and Byzantine over Persia in the Perso-Byzantine War.. “This epic war would reach its climax…during the Perso-Byzantine wars…By the time the Sassanids and the Byzantines would meet in battle, their armies and strategies were relative copies of each other.” After the Persians triumphed over Greece and Rome,
“nothing remained of the Byzantine Empire except for a few maritime Asiatic ports, some fragments of Italy, Sicily, Africa, the Balkan coast, Greece, and its navy… However, Byzantium was not yet completely defeated. After ten years, Heraclius, the successor to Phocas, who ruled from 610 to 641, was able to build a new army.”
Emperor Heraclius “invaded Persia from the rear,which started what is known as the Byzantine Crusade, while his Turk allies attacked Persia through modern day Georgia.” The war drew eery similarities to the Battle between David and Goliath. During the Perso-Byzantine War, Heraclius fought in single handed combat against the Persian general. Some historians even believe that he beheaded the general. Also, the war took place next to the Great Zab River, similar to the river that David and Goliath fought near. The plate commissioned by Heraclius was made to honor the unlikely victory in war, after the Byzantines had very little chance to survive against the Persian army. Even further, Emperor Heraclius named his son, who was born three years after the war, David, as he represented the epitome of a good person.
The silver plate was made to commemorate the Byzantine victory in war, and it symbolized the underdog victory of David over Goliath in the Old Testament. The story of David and Goliath demonstrates the idea of a good person. In the story, Goliath is said to have had a bronze helmet, a coat of armor, a bronze javelin, and a spear. He was also said to be a 9 feet tall! Meanwhile, David, the son of Jesse, was busy tending his father’s sheep. Although Saul discounted David’s ability to fight Goliath, David continued to believe in his ability and had the bravery to face the giant.
“As the Philistine moved closer to attack him, David ran quickly toward the battle line to meet him. Reaching into his bag and taking out a stone, he slung it and struck the Philistine on the forehead…So David triumphed over the Philistine with a sling and a stone; without a sword in his hand he struck down the Philistine and killed him” (I Samuel 17).
David is the embodiment of an underdog, similar to the Byzantines in the Perso-Byzantine War. Although he was smaller, shorter, and weaker than Goliath, his bravery allowed him to take down his opponent. David was undermatched, but he did not fear, allowing him to be victorious. As described in the Old Testament, the good person can come in all shapes and forms. There is one characteristic that triumphs over the rest. Audacity allows the good person to prevail, without fear of losing.
David was young and fearless, giving him one advantage over Goliath. Goliath taunted the Israeli army for forty days. Not one Israelite accepted the challenge to fight the Philistine, until David came and conquered. But, many historians argue that David’s confidence in God was an important advantage. “David had no armor, no experience, no equipment, he was not battle tested, nor was he trained. But one thing he had that Goliath also had was confidence but the huge difference was his confidence was in His God and not in his own strength” David went into the battle with no fear. In fact, he ran towards Goliath because he had trust in his God. In one interpretation of the story, Theo Ellis writes,
“David knew size doesn’t matter, its heart, courage, and commitment that matters. You can apply the same principle and same level of thinking to your life and the challenges you’re facing. Think bigger than the challenge, be bigger than the obstacle, and act as if it’s impossible for you not to fail.”
As an underdog, David went into the battle with the mindset that if he lost, not much would change. But, if he won, he would be a hero. To him, no matter the outcome of the battle, he still showed loyalty to God. The mindset that David had going into battle allowed him to be a good person in the eyes of God.
The eternal truth that the good person is someone that does not fear because of their faith in God is still important in the 21st century. In sports, from Holly Holm defeating Ronda Rousey in UFC 193, to the the Miracle on Ice at the 1980 Winter Olympics in Lake Placid, to Jeremy Lin’s unlikely stardom, these athletes have defied the odds as the underdog by having faith in God. Jeremy Lin was unable to get a basketball scholarship. He went to Harvard, and was the one of the only Asian-American players in the conference. He was subject to many racist slurs, but he persevered, becoming the first NBA player American born of Chinese descent. Jeremy became a journeyman in the NBA, and was close to quitting basketball after being cut many times. However, the Knicks gave him one last chance. Against the Nets, he scored 25 points and had 7 assists. The next game, he scored 28 points and had 8 assists against the Jazz. This was the beginning of Linsanity. Jeremy Lin, said, “there are so many things that were orchestrated by God, that were put into place to make this perfect storm, that created Linsanity.” Through all of his difficulties, Jeremy Lin continued to have faith in God, and he was able to be a successful professional basketball player. Rick Maese, a reporter for the Washington Post, wrote that Lin quickly became “a rallying point, dribbling a ball at a unique intersection where culture, religion, and sport meet.” In literature, Life of Pi by Yann Martel, Pi survives a shipwreck on a lifeboat with a tiger. Prior to the shipwreck, Pi became connected to Catholicism, Hinduism, and Islam. In the novel, Pi says, “‘Religion will save us,’ I said. Since when I could remember, religions had always been close to my heart” Although it was extremely unlikely that Pi would have been able to survive, he had a sliver of hope by having faith in God. In an UK essay about religion in Life of Pi, the author writes, “His study about all three religions, serves as a great defensive safeguard from the difficult harsh situations of life. It is a very long journey filled with too much danger, loneliness and doubt, but most of all an exploration of faith.” Pi’s faith in God allowed him to continue to believe in survival. In the 21st century, the eternal truth that the good person is someone that does not fear because they have faith in God is still significant.
Danger is the cause of fear. However, danger is not meant to be feared. It might sound cliche, but the story of David and Goliath in the Old Testament explores the eternal truth that the good person does not fear. Courage is the reason that David was able to prevail victorious against an opponent that was bigger, faster, and stronger. His determination in a time of peril allowed him to disregard the doubters. The eternal truth that the good person does not fear because of their faith in God is explored in the Plate with the Battle of David and Goliath.
The story of the Battle of David and Goliath in the Old Testament demonstrates the eternal truth that I try to live with each day. In Judaism, there are a number of ways in which one is able to connect with God. As a Jew in the 21st century, it is difficult to not fear anti-semitism. However, by following the eternal truth displayed during the Battle of David and Goliath, I am able to be courageous and confident every day. The Plate with the Battle of David and Goliath symbolizes the Jewish life that I try to live, and I also try to use the same eternal truth in my everyday activities. For example, in both the Perso-Byzantine War and the Battle of David and Goliath, the underdog in each conflict won. In sports, I tend to be undersized, especially in basketball. But, my scrappiness and courageousness allows me to be successful. The story of the Battle of David and Goliath, which is displayed on the silver plate commissioned by Emperor Heraclius, demonstrates the eternal truth that the good person does not fear as they have faith in God. In my everyday life, I try to resemble the same bravery that David possessed in his battle.
From this experience, I have been able to learn about Byzantine, David, and myself. The Legacy Project has allowed me to discover the reason why I feel so confident, even in a time of conflict and war. While it is difficult to disregard the constant terror threats around the world, the eternal truths that I have explored in the Plate with the Battle of David and Goliath have allowed me to understand that if I live my life with courage, I will be able to face any challenges that lay in my path. The Legacy Project has also forced me to step out of my comfort zone and fully research Byzantine and David in great detail. By doing so, I have learned how to research in new ways, while learning about the history of the Byzantine Empire and David.