During the Exodus, when Moses and the Israelites crossed the Gulf of Aqaba and entered the land of Midian, they were met, at a place called Rephidim, by an army of Amalekites. The Bible recounts the events that took place:
Now Amalek came and fought with Israel in Rephidim. And Moses said to Joshua, "Choose us some men and go out, fight with Amalek. Tomorrow I will stand on the top of the hill with the rod of God in my hand." So Joshua did as Moses said to him, and fought with Amalek. And Moses, Aaron, and Hur went up to the top of the hill. And so it was, when Moses held up his hand, that Israel prevailed; and when he let down his hand, Amalek prevailed. But Moses' hands be came heavy; so they took a stone and put it under him, and he sat on it. And Aaron and Hur supported his hands, one on one side, and the other on the other side; and his hands were steady until the going down of the sun. So Joshua defeated Amalek and his people with the edge of the sword. -- Exodus 17:8-13, NKJV.
Just who were these Amalekites, and where did they come from? And what was to be their ultimate place in history?
Origins of Amalek
The Bible dictionary, Insight on the Scriptures, states that Amalek was a "son of Esau's first born Eliphaz, by his concubine Timna. (Ge. 36:12, 16) Amalek, a grandson of Esau, was one of the sheiks of Edom. (Ge. 36:15, 16) Amalek's name also designated his tribal descendants. -- De. 25:17; Jg. 7:12; 1 Sa. 15:2" (Watchtower Bible & Tract Society of New York, Inc. 1988. p. 86.)
While it is true Amalek's name designated his tribal descendants, there is a belief that Amalek dates back BEYOND the time of Esau; and this is backed up by the account of Chedorlaomer and the kings in Genesis 14:
In the fourteenth year Chadorlaomer and the kings that were with him came and attacked the Rephaim in Ashteroth Karnaim, the Zuzim in Ham, the Emim in Shaveh Kiriathaim, and the Horites in their mountain of Seir, as far as El Paran, which is by the wilderness.
Then they turned back and carne to En Mishpat (that is, Kadesh), and ATTACKED ALL THE COUNTRIES OF THE AMALEKITES, and also the Amorites who dwelt in Hazezon Tamar. -- Verse
Answer: Byzantine Empire
When Roman Emperor Constantine established his new capital city at the location of Byzantium (which then became known as Constantinople), he wanted to give it all the prestige and aura of the Roman Empire. The building of Constantinople took several years, and Constantine modeled it after Rome, with government buildings designed in Roman style. The Byzantine Empire, which was the Eastern Roman Empire and outlasted the Roman Empire in the West, was still modeled after the Roman Empire and influenced by its history and traditions.
Much of what I know of Adams's views on the French Revolution as it was happening is in reading parts of his letters to Thomas Jefferson as they appear in the book John Adams, by David McCollough. Adams was not against the revolution so much as he was against the extreme violence and methods that he pretty much equated as indiscriminate murder. He differed with Jefferson in this, as Jefferson held that the executions of the aristocracy and heads of institutions that supported them were necessary and signaled to the world there was no going back. Both Adams and Jefferson lost French friends to the revolution. Adams was of the opinion that the FR was resulting in replacing the tyranny of the few with the tyranny of the majority and that the excesses of the committee would lead to catastrophy in the end. Consequently, Adams developed a less than cordial esteem for the the leaders, while retaining hope for the French people in general. He had no love for the French agents the committee sent to America to drum up popular support for France and against Great Britain. These people caused serious problems for Adams as president and contributed greatly to the split in friendship with Jefferson that lasted for years.
