History of Shield of David
'Magen David' products are extremely popular in the Mediterranean due to the belief that it helps ward off evil things and people. The most common ones being the ‘blue eye’, ‘the Hamsa’ and the ‘shield of David’.
What is the story behind the ‘Shield of David’?
The Magen David (Shield of David), the six-pointed star made of two triangles, appeared according to Jewish tradition on the shield of King David. According to the same tradition the same symbols appeared also on King Solomon's ring and therefore it is also called the Seal of Solomon. This symbol was considered to have magical powers and as a defense from the evil spirits. Such symbol without any connection to Judaism was found in India. The symbol was also considered as magical by the Moslems (as Solomon Seal) and appeared as the symbol of Nigeria. It was also used by the Ethiopian monarchs who, according to their tradition, were the descendants of King Solomon and the Queen of Sheva, and was also known there as Solomon Seal.
The Magen David was used by Jews for decoration and appeared as an official Jewish symbol for the first time in 1354 when the Jewish community in Prague received the right to have a flag of its own and chose the Magen David as the symbol on the flag. In the 15th Century the Magen David was used as a trademark for Jewish printers in Prague, Amsterdam and Italy, and in 1655 it was used on Vienna Jewish community seal and soon afterwards also by the Jewish community in Amsterdam. In the 19th century the Magen David was used almost by all Jews as their symbol and it was used for synagogue decoration, seals and letters.
When the first Zionist groups (Bilu, Hovevei Zion etc.) started their activities in 1881, they adopted the Magen David for their symbols. The Magen David also appeared at the first edition of Herzl's newspaper Die Welt in 1896.
Even though the Magen David is known as the Jewish symbol, the Jews had another symbol which is the Menorah which is also the emblem of the State of Israel and its origin is already in the Bible. The emblem is based on the engraving of the Menorah of the Temple in Jerusalem as it appears [engraved] on Titus Gate in Rome. The destiny of the original Menorah is unknown.
The Magen David is neither an ancient Jewish symbol nor a religious one like the cross. It originated in Bohemia around 500 years ago.
There is absolutely no archaeological evidence of David's existence. I am not suggesting that he did not exist, just that there is as yet nothing extra-biblical. Therefore it would be impossible to pin the Magen David on him.
From most accounts, the Magen David was originally chosen (on the flag of the Jewish community of Prague, in the middle ages) for decorative purposes — in other words, as a star, with no other meaning, in an age when heraldic stars had six points (easier to make). Explanations about 'shields' and 'seals' came much later.
Actually, the earliest known use of the six-pointed star by Jews was in the decoration of Classical (Greek/Roman) Era synagogues. The six-pointed stars are used alongside five-pointed stars and, of all things, swastikas. All are clearly meant only for ornamentation (just perhaps with a shared mystical background), with no further purpose. The six-pointed star doesn't arise again in Jewish iconography - again as a secular symbol - for another thousand years, on a flag. Use in other areas proliferated after that.
For those interested in the history of the Magen David, there is a book by W. Gunther Plaut, "The Magen David: How the six-pointed star became an emblem for the Jewish people", published by B'nai B'rith Books (1991). |
