Kingdom of David: The Saga of the Israelites is the story of the creation of the world's first and most profoundly influential monotheistic religion - a religion that dared to redefine humanity's relationship with God. Episode 1 @ By the Rivers of BabylonIn 586 BC, the Israelites were exiled in Babylon and seemed destined to disappear. They fought back, however, by writing a book using Judean stories to explain the present disastrous situations. The book became the earliest edition of the most influential work in history: the Bible. Episode II ~ The Book and the SwordIn 458 BC, a scribe named Ezra arrived in Jerusalem from Babylon. Gathering the mostly illiterate Judeans together he read the Bible to them. In the years that followed, the study of the Bible not only became an essential part of Jewish life; it prepared the Jews to face a mortal threat to their survival. Episode III @ The End of DaysWhen the Roman General Pompeii led his legions into the land of Judea in 63BC it was the beginning of a clash of cultures that grew into one of the most brutal conflicts in history. It also pitted Jew against Jew. Terrorism, political assassination, starvation, and crucifixion dominated the landscape, ending with the Roman sack of Jerusalem and the destruction of the Temple in 70 AD. Out of the ashes rose two new religions: rabbinical Judaism and Christianity. Episode IV ~ The Gifts of the JewsIn 132 AD Jewish zealots rebelled against Rome's legions, forcing them to withdraw from the region. The Romans returned with a vast army, slaughtered nearly 600,000 Jews, changed the name of the region from Judea to Palestine and banned all Jews from Jerusalem. Many Jews fled to distant lands, only to face another challenge - a breakaway form of Judaism called Christianity.