Historical insight of blood relations

[Guest guest]

>From a dear wise old friend, Alice O. Howell:

 

I find that many of the younger generation are not aware of the historical

reasons given for the antipathy of the Jews and the Arabs. So it might help

for them to check out Genesis 14-21 in the Old Testamenr. Both nations

descend through Abraham from one of the three sons of Noah, Shem, hence both

today are considered racially Semitic people. However, not all Muslims are

Arab, though they may speak Arabic.

 

The story, which today is perhaps better understood through seeing the

characters involved as eponymous figures, is nevertheless highly dramatic

and involves a domestic triangle. Abram is married to Sarai. Sarai is barren

and suggests that Abram take her Egyptian handmaid Hagar to be his concubine.

She bears him a son Ishmael. God tells Abram that Ishmael will be rhe father

of a great nation. When Ishmael is thirteen, Abram is a hundred and Sarai

near ninety, three men arrive and tell Abram that Sarai will bear him a son.

She overhears this and laughs, after which her name becomes Sarah. But they

were not kidding and Sarah bears a son called Isaac. God makes a covenant

with Abraham, commands all males to be circumcised, and Abram becomes

Abraham. God tells Abraham that Isaac will also become father of a great

nation. Then the plot thickens. Sarah complains that Hagar has mocked her and

the perplexed husband tells her to do whatever she wishes with her maid..

Sarah says send her away! and so reluctantly Abraham agrees. Hagar and

Ishmael are sent out into the desert with a bottle of water and a loaf of

bread. For the sequel, you have to read the story. Ishmael ends up in Egypt

and Isaac escapes death at the hand of his father who would have sacrificed

him when God tests him.

 

There is even a sub-plot involving Abimelech taking Sarai not knowing she

was Abram's wife, as he said she was his sister. Despite the biblical

language, quite a dramatic situation is implied. Sarah comes across as a

woman to be reckoned with.

 

With the coming of Mohammed, the new religion of Islam emerged in Arabia,

attracting Arabs in the 8th century and subsequently spreading further to

many different nations. Thus the two half-brothers did indeed stand for the

progenitors of two great religions. And Mohammed in the Koran pays respect to

the prophets of old including Jesus as one of them.

 

The important thing is that this history matters still in 2000. The Jews and

Arabs are wrecking each other's temples, fighting over holy ground in

Jerusalem, and killing each other seemingly forgetting they are historically

brothers and worship the same God by different names. As Joseph Campbell

pointed out what divides people is basically mythology.Thus the solution

eventually will have to be a spiritual rather than a political

reconciliation. But this point never seems to be addressed.

 

What a difference it might have made if Sharon going to the Muslim Temple on

the Mount had asked to come in peace to worship their One God rather than

march in because he had the political right to do so! This set off a terrible

sequence of events because it was taken by the Palestinians as a religious

insult.

 

Jerusalem was originally called Salem meaning City of Peace (!) yet it has

been fought over by Hittites, Egyptians, Hebrews, Babylonians, Alexander the

Great, Romans, Christians and Muslims in the Crusades, Muslim Ottomans. only

to mention a few. Maybe someday in the future, it can belong along with other

holy sites around the globe to the people of the world. I have been there

only twice and marveled at the early kibbutzes as experiments in communal

life and visited a single church in which four different Christian sects

practise ecumenism. One could hope that the Jewish people who have been

homeless for centuries, of all people, would have compassion for their

displaced neighbors. One Jew, Jesus of Nazareth, said that hate begets hate

and only love can conquer it, and that was almost 2000 years ago. As

unrealistic as this may seem today, surely it is worth a try.Maybe they could

rename the City of David and call it the City of God!

 

Hebrew and Arabic are even cognate languages. Curiously, I understand, Barak

in Hebrew means lightning and Baraka in Arabic mean 'spiritual energy'! The

Egyptian Mubarak, a Christian, carries the root in his name. So, who knows?

In any case, Clinton will hear "shalom aleichem' and 'salaam aleikim' the

traditional greetings of 'peace be with you'. For this, we should hope and

pray.

 

Alice O. Howell

Beartown Mt. Road

Monterey, MA

******************************************

[if you decide to print this, do not delay! There is always hope that someone

in our government might read it. I don't know the ropes of e-m to Washington.

Thanks!

[Guest guest]

Namaste All,

 

Most of the Bible is esoteric and fiction. There was no Hebrew

literature prior to about 500 BC. It is romantised history written in

Babylon, to give a sense of continuity and identity. Mostly purloined

from Egytian History....regards Tony.

 

 

, Rainbolily@a... wrote:

> From a dear wise old friend, Alice O. Howell:

>

> I find that many of the younger generation are not aware of the

historical

> reasons given for the antipathy of the Jews and the Arabs. So it

might help

> for them to check out Genesis 14-21 in the Old Testamenr. Both

nations

> descend through Abraham from one of the three sons of Noah, Shem,

hence both

> today are considered racially Semitic people. However, not all

Muslims are

> Arab, though they may speak Arabic.

>

> The story, which today is perhaps better understood through seeing

the

> characters involved as eponymous figures, is nevertheless highly

dramatic

> and involves a domestic triangle. Abram is married to Sarai. Sarai

is barren

> and suggests that Abram take her Egyptian handmaid Hagar to be his

concubine.

> She bears him a son Ishmael. God tells Abram that Ishmael will be

rhe father

> of a great nation. When Ishmael is thirteen, Abram is a hundred and

Sarai

> near ninety, three men arrive and tell Abram that Sarai will bear

him a son.

> She overhears this and laughs, after which her name becomes Sarah.

But they

> were not kidding and Sarah bears a son called Isaac. God makes a

covenant

> with Abraham, commands all males to be circumcised, and Abram

becomes

> Abraham. God tells Abraham that Isaac will also become father of a

great

> nation. Then the plot thickens. Sarah complains that Hagar has

mocked her and

> the perplexed husband tells her to do whatever she wishes with her

maid..

> Sarah says send her away! and so reluctantly Abraham agrees. Hagar

and

> Ishmael are sent out into the desert with a bottle of water and a

loaf of

> bread. For the sequel, you have to read the story. Ishmael ends up

in Egypt

> and Isaac escapes death at the hand of his father who would have

sacrificed

> him when God tests him.

>

> There is even a sub-plot involving Abimelech taking Sarai not

knowing she

> was Abram's wife, as he said she was his sister. Despite the

biblical

> language, quite a dramatic situation is implied. Sarah comes across

as a

> woman to be reckoned with.

>

> With the coming of Mohammed, the new religion of Islam emerged in

Arabia,

> attracting Arabs in the 8th century and subsequently spreading

further to

> many different nations. Thus the two half-brothers did indeed stand

for the

> progenitors of two great religions. And Mohammed in the Koran pays

respect to

> the prophets of old including Jesus as one of them.

>

> The important thing is that this history matters still in 2000. The

Jews and

> Arabs are wrecking each other's temples, fighting over holy ground

in

> Jerusalem, and killing each other seemingly forgetting they are

historically

> brothers and worship the same God by different names. As Joseph

Campbell

> pointed out what divides people is basically mythology.Thus the

solution

> eventually will have to be a spiritual rather than a political

> reconciliation. But this point never seems to be addressed.

>

> What a difference it might have made if Sharon going to the Muslim

Temple on

> the Mount had asked to come in peace to worship their One God

rather than

> march in because he had the political right to do so! This set off

a terrible

> sequence of events because it was taken by the Palestinians as a

religious

> insult.

>

> Jerusalem was originally called Salem meaning City of Peace (!) yet

it has

> been fought over by Hittites, Egyptians, Hebrews, Babylonians,

Alexander the

> Great, Romans, Christians and Muslims in the Crusades, Muslim

Ottomans. only

> to mention a few. Maybe someday in the future, it can belong along

with other

> holy sites around the globe to the people of the world. I have been

there

> only twice and marveled at the early kibbutzes as experiments in

communal

> life and visited a single church in which four different Christian

sects

> practise ecumenism. One could hope that the Jewish people who have

been

> homeless for centuries, of all people, would have compassion for

their

> displaced neighbors. One Jew, Jesus of Nazareth, said that hate

begets hate

> and only love can conquer it, and that was almost 2000 years ago.

As

> unrealistic as this may seem today, surely it is worth a try.Maybe

they could

> rename the City of David and call it the City of God!

>

> Hebrew and Arabic are even cognate languages. Curiously, I

understand, Barak

> in Hebrew means lightning and Baraka in Arabic mean 'spiritual

energy'! The

> Egyptian Mubarak, a Christian, carries the root in his name. So,

who knows?

> In any case, Clinton will hear "shalom aleichem' and 'salaam

aleikim' the

> traditional greetings of 'peace be with you'. For this, we should

hope and

> pray.

>

> Alice O. Howell

> Beartown Mt. Road

> Monterey, MA

> ******************************************

> [if you decide to print this, do not delay! There is always hope

that someone

> in our government might read it. I don't know the ropes of e-m to

Washington.

> Thanks!