Holy History?
Heilgeschichte is the German term for 'holy history'. I was introduced to it by James Muilenburg, who shared with me his love of the Hebrew bible:
http://mb-soft.com/believe/txn/bibtheol.htm
One thing Professor Muilenburg warned us against back in 1956-57 when we were taking his course at Union Theological Seminary was not to apply the myths of the ancient texts (Heilgeschicthte) literally to contemporary events.
Needless to say the ancient world was barbaric in many ways in its xenophobias, boasts of conquests, brutal abuses of persons, et al. No one should, for instance, take the story of Jericho literally with its tale of annihilation of a city resistant to expulsion by the ancient Hebrews. The Jewish entrance into the holy land per the archeological evidence available then and presumably holding now was a gradual assimilation process. Muilenburg was close to his Jewish scholarly contemporaries -- particularly across the street at Jewish Theological Seminary -- no anti-Semite. But it was apparent even back then that Israel risked reduplicating the genocidal horrors of our American Manifest Destiny expulsions and eradication of our native North Americans.
So to those who dream of Eretz Israel -- a greater Israel restored in its entirety:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eretz_Israel
-- a reminder -- it was long ago that Israel, Judea, and Sumaria were solely Jewish domains. Before that time there were other peoples in residence there and subsequently populations in that area have changed with the times. There is no divine sanction for Israel abusing Palestinians now. The Holocaust was a European horror perpetuated by Europeans. There must be no echoes of it in shared holy lands.
--
"A war is just if there is no alternative, and the resort to arms is legitimate if they represent your last hope." (Livy cited by Machiavelli)
--
Ed Kent 718-951-5324 (voice mail only) [blind copies]
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Israel_Palestine
http://BlogByEdKent.blogspot.com/
http://www.bloggernews.net
http://mb-soft.com/believe/txn/bibtheol.htm
One thing Professor Muilenburg warned us against back in 1956-57 when we were taking his course at Union Theological Seminary was not to apply the myths of the ancient texts (Heilgeschicthte) literally to contemporary events.
Needless to say the ancient world was barbaric in many ways in its xenophobias, boasts of conquests, brutal abuses of persons, et al. No one should, for instance, take the story of Jericho literally with its tale of annihilation of a city resistant to expulsion by the ancient Hebrews. The Jewish entrance into the holy land per the archeological evidence available then and presumably holding now was a gradual assimilation process. Muilenburg was close to his Jewish scholarly contemporaries -- particularly across the street at Jewish Theological Seminary -- no anti-Semite. But it was apparent even back then that Israel risked reduplicating the genocidal horrors of our American Manifest Destiny expulsions and eradication of our native North Americans.
So to those who dream of Eretz Israel -- a greater Israel restored in its entirety:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eretz_Israel
-- a reminder -- it was long ago that Israel, Judea, and Sumaria were solely Jewish domains. Before that time there were other peoples in residence there and subsequently populations in that area have changed with the times. There is no divine sanction for Israel abusing Palestinians now. The Holocaust was a European horror perpetuated by Europeans. There must be no echoes of it in shared holy lands.
--
"A war is just if there is no alternative, and the resort to arms is legitimate if they represent your last hope." (Livy cited by Machiavelli)
--
Ed Kent 718-951-5324 (voice mail only) [blind copies]
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Israel_Palestine
http://BlogByEdKent.blogspot.com/
http://www.bloggernews.net
posted by Ed Kent at 10:36 AM
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