Questions
To your descendants I give this land
We begin with Scripture
The word of the Lord came to Abram in a vision, “Do not be afraid, Abram, I am your shield; your reward shall be very great.” But Abram said, “O Lord God, what will you give me, for I continue childless, and the heir of my house is Eliezer of Damascus?” And Abram said, “You have given me no offspring, and so a slave born in my house is to be my heir.” But the word of the Lord came to him, “This man shall not be your heir; no one but your very own issue shall be your heir.” He brought him outside and said, “Look toward heaven and count the stars, if you are able to count them.” Then he said to him, “So shall your descendants be.” And he believed the Lord; and the Lord reckoned it to him as righteousness.
Then he said to him, “I am the Lord who brought you from Ur of the Chaldeans, to give you this land to possess.” But he said, “O Lord God, how am I to know that I shall possess it?” He said to him, “Bring me a heifer three years old, a female goat three years old, a ram three years old, a turtledove, and a young pigeon.” He brought him all these and cut them in two, laying each half over against the other; but he did not cut the birds in two. And when birds of prey came down on the carcasses, Abram drove them away.
As the sun was going down, a deep sleep fell upon Abram, and a deep and terrifying darkness descended upon him.
When the sun had gone down and it was dark, a smoking fire pot and a flaming torch passed between these pieces. On that day the Lord made a covenant with Abram, saying, “To your descendants I give this land, from the river of Egypt to the great river, the river Euphrates.” (Genesis 15:1-12,17-18 - the first reading in today’s Eucharist)
Questions
There are several questions that are roaming about in my mind regarding the nation of Israel. I may write more in the future. But for now, I just have questions.
I need to reflect more before I write more. My reflection process seems to be a mix of Mass & Office, media pieces on the issue, my studies over the years, and the nudging of the Holy Spirit. Usually as I walk the city’s streets.
I invite you to add your own true questions in the comments. Warning — if you try to answer my questions, I’ll delete the comment. This is just about the questions we find ourselves pondering. I’d also be happy for you to rephrase and improve upon my questions.
Here are my questions
If the Jews have no right to a Jewish homeland, exactly where is it they are to live?
The backdrop to this in my mind is that initially most of Israel’s Jewish citizens, but not all, came out of the pogroms and the Holocaust of Europe (around 688,000 people), or their displacement from Arab nations that they had long lived in (about 850,000 people).
Why do some Christians object to the Jews relying on their Scriptures as part of their justification for the current state of Israel?
We Christians use the New Testament and the Hebrew Bible to justify and support the existence of the church. Also, for those of us who say the Daily Office, the theme of God giving the land to the Jews is like a heartbeat. There it is again and again.
Is the effort of some Christians to challenge a Jewish biblical claim for the existence of the nation of Israel an act of antisemitism?
While one can pick through all the abstractions of biblical studies and how to use scriptures in relationship to our reflection and action in current life, why do we feel the need to make judgments upon the Jews? Why do we see a legitimacy for us to weigh-in in this fashion, at this time? What is motivating that energy?
As a matter of social ethics and conflict management, does it help to push claims of colonialism and genocide or might it be better to simply stay with the situation in front of us? How do we find a pathway to peace?
Part of the background in my mind is that it is those in the governments of Israel, Iran and its proxies, the PA, the US, Europe, the Arab nations. - many baptized Christians and many not - who must make the decisions that bring us toward war or peace (be it in the short or long term.) What is the way forward for them? Also, if I stay with the charge of “colonialism” do I see that in the Islamic armies that pushed across the Middle East (7th century) and the Ottoman Empire (14th to 20th Centuries) or the Biblical and more recent history of Israel? And in either case, given that colonialism has historically involved a nation state that took over a land for its own benefit. For example, the British in India. And when India became independent the British could return to Britain. Where would the Jews return to? Would all of the Palestinians have to return to Saudi Arabia? In the current struggles both sides accuse one another of intending genocide? And “intention” is an essential element in international law in determining genocide. Yet, if we look at what is taking place both populations have been increasing in size over the past 75 years.
Is it antisemitism to say that the Jews have no right to homeland?
That seems to be the underlying issue in some of the debate now going on. Is being an anti-Zionist antisemtic? Getting at the issue appears to be related to our ability to separate two things: do we see Zionism as being about the right of the Jews to a homeland vs. seeing Zionism as a defense against any criticisms of the state of Israel.
This abides,
Brother Robert, OA