The narrative of Samson bringing down the Philistine temple, murdering thousands as well as himself, raises the matter of viewpoint. Acts of terror are condoned when the motivation is a belief that one holds. Contrarily, if one does not hold the incentivizing belief, the act is understood as bloodshed. First, the Israelite people likely considered Samson’s murder-suicide an act of war while Philistines saw it as unjust manslaughter. This dichotomy is exemplified in modern times when Jihadist use violence as a device of holy war, and others view it as a senseless massacre. Some may argue that Samson was provoked through being blinded and imprisoned, merely fighting against those who oppressed him. Others would point out that Samson killed
