Israel and Humanity - Jerusalem location in the Israelite conception
V.
Status of Jerusalem in the Israelite conception.
Having studied the past of Jerusalem in biblical history, see what idea the Jews were doing their religious capital. What was its location after them? There is no doubt that for the rabbis she occupies the central point of the earth and this belief is confirmed by a text from Ezekiel: "Thus saith the Lord GOD: This is Jerusalem, which I have placed it among the peoples and around which I have prepared other countries [1] ".
But one might say that this idea is not unique to Judaism and it is found among other nations, both ancient and modern. Philosophers themselves have received past. Plato does he say about the oracle of Delphi, it is placed in the center of the world and that is why all men should listen to? National pride and religious, sufficiently explains this fact. We believed in the excellence of his own country, and as the central position in all things seems a sign of superiority, each attributed to his homeland to the shrine of his worship. We do not deny either the facts or the explanation given to him. We say only that they all involve a secret reason to be none other than the unity of mankind, the world view of nations. If our country must be considered the center of the inhabited world is that humanity as a body, and if the central position is represented by the expected location, because the earth and humanity are a as the soul and body, with a center and a circumference. Finally, if there is a social organism, it must tend to unity and this should be achieved mainly through its central organ, which is to say that Israel simply because it sees itself as the center, is the bond of humanity.
Now it breaks out here, and both sides at once, the difference between pagan ideas and Jewish ideas. Paganism had [2] unaware of the scope of this popular notion, while Judaism was part of a whole set of doctrines with which it harmonized; unity of the Creator, since it is unity of plan; unit of human origin, since there is unity between men and between nations. If we wanted to find similarities with the Hebrew anthropocentrism, but rather in modern times that we should seek them. There seems he, among peoples instinct that drives them to form a body having virtually the center of gravity. That is what is called in political language, hegemony. Never had this idea has been more supportive than in our present civilization. What justifies it is the feeling of the need for central direction that was completely lacking among the pagans and, instead, was the most salient point of the Jewish program. In the Jewish conception, this situation of Israel in the world was that of the master among his disciples, the priest surrounded by believers, and it therefore imply any special social duties and simply do not flatter, as among the Gentiles the 'national pride.
The role that Judaism, admittedly, he has assumed some relationship with the geographical position of Palestine? In other words, this is it in harmony with the mission of Israel? The spirits, who do not show precisely as the interpreters of rabbinic ideas, recognize explicitly: "Jerusalem," said Salvador, was providentially sitting at the junction of Asia, Africa and Europe [3] ". But whatever the value of this fact, we must not forget the observation of the philosopher Gioberti telling us that the word circumference and center generally have a value simply metaphorical, they express the idea of a link between and the multiple in the various organizations [4]. What is certain is that Palestine offers the widest variety of climates and serious writers have even said it is like a mirror of the physical remains of the earth. "Palestine," writes Renan, has this in common with Greece, Tuscany and all countries that have seen the emergence of civilizations original offer in a few leagues of character differences [5] the most trenches [6] ". The historical significance of such countries is, it seems, that they are better able than other men to shape a synthetic nature, able to acclimatize everywhere, and in his moral itself, the ideas represent an average that will be the result of the most diverse tendencies. There has only to recall what we said about the relationship between ethnic and theological differences and varieties of local cults and national unity, however, not exclude, realized, of According to Judaism, the Jewish center, so we understand how these geographical circumstances are interesting in the question before us, because without fully subscribe to the doctrine of Montesquieu on the decisive influence that the climate and soil have on the people a country, we can not ignore, however, the considerable part in shaping their characters and institutions. [7]
