392 AD to 800 AD, The Period of Regional Church Leadership Parallels the Time of the Judges in Israel

From the year 392 A.D., when Christianity acquired the position of the state religion of the Roman Empire, till the year 800 A.D., when Charlemagne was enthroned as emperor of the Holy Roman Empire, a type of feudalistic system emerged in which western Europe was led by 5 different patriarchates. This time period corresponded providentially to the time of the Judges in Israel.

5 Patriarchates

Image result for map of the 12 tribes of Israel

Twelve Tribes of Israel

From the time Joshua and Caleb led the Israelites into Canaan until the time Saul became king of Israel, the Jewish people had a feudalistic system in which the different tribes had to unify. For that they had to build a temple as the unifying symbol. The different tribes had a leading figure that functioned as king, chief priest, and prophet. Joshua became the first judge. Other famous ones are Gideon and Samson. Samuel received the calling from God when he was a child. He was the last judge and the one who anointed the first king of Israel. Ongoing conflicts between the tribes and with other inhabitants of the lands marked these four centuries.

God never works by inciting division among people. He seeks to foster unity through love and peace. Human resistance to the path of love has been the cause for the wars between people. During the time of the Judges Israel should have found the way to foment relationships with the other peoples of Canaan without falling prey to their customs. Just as Jacob had won his brother over, the Israelite tribes should have guided the surrounding tribes to the knowledge of God. As they protected the women who safeguarded the Israelite spy soldiers, the Jewish people should have loved, guided and protected the other native tribes of the land. However, they could not even overcome their own individual tribes' interests and work to establish one unified nation, much less they were able to go beyond the interests to protect their own land to foment good relationships with their neighbors.

Finally God gave them a king.

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