Israel and Humanity - Choice of Jerusalem as the world's religious center

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III.

Choice of Jerusalem as the religious center of the world.

§ 1.

It is thus established that the presence of a universal law, care of Judaism is a religious phenomenon unique in history and no other nation has recognized Israel as the legal existence of an class citizens in perfect order with no official religion, however, not be subject to his orders. But the Mosaic laws themselves, and that concern only Jews, they also bear the imprint of this universal spirit that we attribute to Judaism in general? That is what is important to look now.

Before studying in detail the Jewish faith, consider first the seat of worship, Jerusalem, and see what this city has been before becoming the capital of Israel and that Then it was after the constitution of the kingdom. What applies to the holy city in particular may well be widespread and thus extend to all Palestine represented by its political and religious center. It is clear for example that the central position assigned to Jerusalem in the world and the meaning we give to the religious point of view also agree to all the Jewish homeland. The rabbis, about thirty-one kings who divided Palestine in the time of Joshua, we say that these were powerful monarchs dominating large parts of Asia, but the greatest kings of the earth feel they have done enough for glory as they turn have not made possessors of a few acres of land in the Jewish metropolis. So even today we see the great powers representing the biblical religions, Catholic, Protestant and Muslim efforts to influence domestic clans holy places, so the doctors had an accurate intuition for future Jerusalem!

It is likewise to Jerusalem and Palestine that applies to rabbinical paraphrase the words of Moses: "This is a country which the LORD thy God cares and that the Lord your God has continually ". Does this mean, ask the commentators, that God is only concerned with this single piece of land? No, they reply, is that thanks to the special care he takes to the Holy Land, God exercises his providence towards all other countries. The highly universalistic idea that the text of the Pentateuch apparently exclusive to Doctors characterizes admirably suggests, in our opinion, the true spirit of Judaism. And we do not think we can safely say that this idea of a country which is not privileged to contempt for others, but which is chosen instead as a means of grace and blessing for the world, is the dominant thinking of all the Law, written and oral, beginning with Abraham to be blessed all the races, and eventually bring the Messiah, at the same time as the issue of Israel, knowledge of the truth to all peoples .

In the choice Israel made Jerusalem as its capital, we must certainly distinguish the history of the simple legend, although that it is far from worthless to the point view of the universalistic idea, since it proves the contrary that the Jewish mind has striven to build a whole wonderful past in which he could find the elements of its aspirations. It is primarily a striking fact that much of its importance by its singularity is that, throughout the Pentateuch, it faces no explicit mention of Jerusalem as the future headquarters of the sanctuary. This seat is simply stated in general as "the place which the LORD will choose ". But these words are already proving that the choice of this place is not immaterial, since it is not left to chance or the will of man, but delivered in the divine election, the human dispositions to at least return the providential as it happens so frequently in the stories of the Bible.

The sacred text does seem, however, that it not prove that you know or ignored the history of Jerusalem and the titles that this city could have become the religious center of Israel? It is nothing, because even without any prophetic inspiration, it was natural to anticipate that throughout the very long period of conquest, the seat of national worship could not be established in Jerusalem, but in the communities circumstances were to designate turn. The sacred writer would necessarily use a phrase which later devote the legitimacy of religion in the final capital of Israel, at the same time it safeguarded the reverence due to the locations where the tabernacle had to be temporarily erected. This, we believe, the reason is quite plausible silence observed by Moses on the future destiny of Jerusalem. Maimonides points out a few others whose importance is best to avoid anything that could be an excuse for jealousy between the tribes of Israel at a time when it became more than ever necessary to maintain the harmony between them.

But silence on the part of Moses is it complete and the Jews they were totally ignorant of the religious future of Jerusalem? This is unacceptable, because in this case the facts, hints that in the Pentateuch, foretell the election of the holy city would remain without explanation. It is more plausible to suppose that the tradition had already designated Jerusalem as the city worthy of the most prominent choice and that Moses gave instructions to that effect to his closest confidants, as is every reason to believe that he did for many other issues. Thus we read in Exodus after the victory at Rephidim Amalek. "Write this in the book so that it retains the memory and leaves the ears of Joshua that blot out the memory of Amalek from under heaven . Sign the book entrust the ear of Joshua seem two completely separate things. What should be written in the book, it is the narrative of events, or even the fate of Amalek, but the requirements in this topic should be reserved for special education course and one to whom the execution of the divine decree would be granted. Thus do we mean by any chance related to the words "place which the Lord will choose."

Do not we see that the Bible also observe the same silence about the Holy Land in genera1 in the promises made to Abraham? "Go," said the Lord in the land I will show thee. " And Abraham goes to Canaan soon, although in the order he receives from God, as at least as reported by the Scripture, no specific mention is made this fall. The same thing happens when the sacrifice God asked the patriarch to the test. "Take your son," said the text, going to the land of Moriah, and offer the burnt offering on one of the mountains I will tell ". But Abraham, apparently without receiving any other instruction, recognizable from a distance the mountain on which it must lead Isaac. So there is no surprise to see Solomon, in his magnificent prayer, speaking in Jerusalem in the past, just as the Pentateuch when it comes to mysterious place to become the seat of divine worship, as if the choice of this city had been stopped at any time.

But what is more remarkable and confirms our forecast is that the books of Moses themselves the secret designation of Jerusalem and the Temple is not always in the future. Are we not struck by these words from the Song of Exodus: "You bring them in, and you plant them in the mountain of thine inheritance, rather than you got for your house, O Lord! the sanctuary that your hands have established Exodus XX, 17. </Ref> "? If one objects that must be seen as a poetic image, we recall another passage from the same book: "Behold, I send an angel before thee, to keep thee in the way and to bring thee into the place that I 'I prepared ".

It is therefore no chance or an arbitrary choice that has presided over the election of Jerusalem as a religious center, it is the will of God intervening directly when it became necessary, or an ancient tradition, pre, spent choice.

§ 2.

If one looks in vain in the Pentateuch explicit mention of Jerusalem as a future capital, everything indicates, however, we believe that this city was for long in the mind of the ancient Hebrews to play this great role.

She is indeed described as the seat of worship of the true God, standing before the emergence of Israel, amidst the ruins of moral and religious paganism had accumulated on all sides. The Jews believed that their most illustrious character before Moses, their first ancestor and father of the faithful, Abraham, had acknowledged the legitimacy of the worship celebrated in Jerusalem and had paid tribute honoring the person of its high priest, invoking God it under the same name which was used in this place, that of El Elion , the most high God, as was so fond of this ancient cult that no longer sees the employee in any other place in the Pentateuch. They also believed that the high priest was of their race and, according to the Rabbis, Shem himself, which proves that the Holy Land belonged originally to the Semites, the Canaanites were therefore trespassers and that the election of Israel is that the election even Semites and its extension, or if you will, a differentiation in the same group to proceed all the way developments either physical or moral. Renan, speaking of the ancient inhabitants of Palestine, recognizes that Abraham, when she went inside, did not find the first of his race, since he met a leader like him Semitic and monotheistic, Melchizedek, with whom he made an alliance. However this issue, it is certain that the Scripture presents Jerusalem still belongs to the Gentiles as the seat of true worship. Far from supporting this reluctantly given biblical ill-suited to flatter the self-esteem as a Jew would be the case if the tradition was a product of their times, the Rabbis who would make the performers more expensive instead with a pious and incredible boldness on the holiness of Jerusalem to the Gentiles and the knowledge that they had their glorious destiny. "Salem said Nahmanides in a remarkable passage, is Jerusalem. For it is written: His tabernacle in Salem, and its king is called even in the days of Joshua, Adoni zedek for the Gentiles at that time knew that this place was the most August of all, it was the center of inhabited and tradition had taught them that corresponds earthly heaven where the Temple is called the Majesty zedek ".

Thus, according to the etymology proposed by the rabbis, found in Jerusalem Jire of Abraham and Melchizedek of Salem and the dual element, one is for the Gentile and the other in Israel. In the cooperation of Israel and humanity, the idea of a universal religion, whose holy city must be the seat, is already a wonderful manner. Abraham, say doctors who insist on this point with complacency, called this city Jire, and Shem, Noah's wire, has named Salem. The Holy One, blessed be He, said: I will call him names they have given them both, that is to say Jire-Salem

We must point out for readers who are unfamiliar with the Hebrew language, the pronunciation of the name of Jerusalem in the sacred text, Jeruschalaïm is the duel, although the spelling that is singular. In some other names of towns whose written form is at least more consistent with the pronunciation as, kiriathaim , Mahanaim the grammatical duel meets a dual history. If this is true for Jerusalem, we ask what this name is duality in turn. Perhaps the historical question is it insoluble regarding the holy city, but the religious reason that results of the double feature, and nice Jewish forming part of its name, keeps all its value and great significance.

What is certain is that the name of the king of Jerusalem at the time of Joshua, Adoni-zedek was none other than the name of the priest Melchizedek, king of Salem, except for the substitution of Adon Melek , basically synonymous. Yet we know from Isaiah that the Messiah's future name will Adonai-Tsidkénou, or even just Tsidkénou (our righteousness) or zedek with the addition of the pronoun. This text, taken together with another passage in which he predicted that Jerusalem will be called the just city, complete persuade us of its kings, from Melchitsédek to Messiah, take a title that contained the name of the city itself, zedek (justice). Do we not also call the prophet Jeremiah Jerusalem Isaiah announces that name for his future king: "This is how we shall call Tsidkénou Adonai (the Lord our righteousness) "? Zedek name appears as a kind of dynastic title for all the kings of Jerusalem, just as Pharaoh in Egypt and Abimelech of the Philistines, and that at the time of Abraham as the time of David.

The identity of Salem and Jerusalem also shows almost formal statements of Scripture. Thus we read in Psalm LXXVI: "God is known in Judah, his name is great in Israel, the tabernacle is in Salem and his home in Zion." The parallel course in Hebrew identifies two last names. Elsewhere it is said about the exile of Judah: "Judah is taken captive as a whole, is taken captive Selomim ". Selomim word that derives from Salem and Salom (the peaceful, peace), may designate something other than Jerusalem and the plural is no doubt recalls the duel of the usual pronunciation, Jeruschalaïm. Compare also the name of the bride of the Song, Sulami, with that of the husband, Solomon (Selomo). We know the explanation that the Scripture gives the name of the son of David, "You give birth to a son who is a man of rest, and I will give him rest for the issuing of all his enemies, for Solomon is his name, and I will bring Israel peace and tranquility during his life ". Is it not natural to suppose that we wanted to express the same idea by the name given to the wife Sulami the Song and which evidently refers to Jerusalem? Zedek and Salem, justice and peace are two words that combine two things and happy in the language of the Bible: "Justice and peace shall kiss" said the Psalmist Psalm .

Since Salem and Jerusalem are one and the same city, it is impossible for the Israelites, knowing that the true worship of God it was perpetuated until the onset of their ancestor Abraham and paid tribute to the cult and its high priest, Melchizedek, do not be expected to see selected as the headquarters of the Mosaic worship, precisely because the old securities which pointed to the glorious role. And if so, how to ignore evidence of universalism resulting in Judaism, since the designation of the city which was to be the center draws its raison d'etre in the history of the same city as the seat monotheism of the Gentiles? Thus the two religions fused into one; Mosaic monotheism is as a continuation of earlier monotheism and Israel, making Jerusalem its capital, religious worship has maintained its traditional center.