In a conversation on religious questions,
Fredric II, King of Prussia (1740-1786) asked
Joachim von Zieten, General of the Husars,
whom he esteemed highly as a Christian for his
plain and uncompromised views, “Give me proof
for the truth of the Bible in two words!” To which
Zeiten replied, “Your majesty, the Jews!” The
General’s statement reflected his understanding of
not only the miraculous preservation of the Jewish
people, but his belief that their preservation was for
the purpose of bringing God’s unfulfilled promises
to pass. To Zeiten, the present existence of the
Jewish people was proof that God’s Word was true
because Scripture had promised that they would
remain until all that had been prophesied
concerning them was fulfilled. Remarkably, this
expression of faith was made in a day when the
Land of Israel was desolate of a Jewish population
and the majo
