Israel and Humanity - What is meant by the title God of Israel

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CHAPTER EIGHT

THE IDEA OF NATIONAL GOD IN THE JUDAISM

1.

What is meant by the title of God of Israel.

§ 1.

As they were originally polytheistic, in the words of our enemies, the Israelites were routed, according to them, to the pure monotheism amounting to begin by designing a particular God, protector of the Special Jewish nation, unlike other deities who presided over the destinies of foreign nations. It would have been their first step towards the concept of one God.

We'll see how this theory of national and local gods, which is not, as we believe, a form of evolution of the idea polytheistic, is reconciled to the contrary with monotheism, in which it is a serious basis. But by taking it in the sense most hostile to the idea of one God, we can not overlook some considerations that seem already significantly closer to our interpretation.

One can not deny first, as we believe we have previously shown that very numerous texts as explicit as possible and do the God of Israel the most universal character imaginable, it is therefore primarily to reconcile these passages with those where it claims to find the notion of a God exclusively Jewish. To say that these are the oldest and the doctrine that result from other texts is a much later date, is to discipline himself to prove the value of the assertion critical work that no one will ever be able to make because the two concepts that were opposed to one another are expressed simultaneously in the various biblical documents of all ages and all backgrounds. We are told here that the texts found so mixed, there is no reason to focus on one rather than another, lest it meet the requirements of a certain religious apologetics. But the comment we made about polytheism in general certainly has value here: when the spirit rises into his idea as an object to a certain height, it is this higher level that we must take into account, the rest can be reasonably attributed to the inevitable fluctuations of human thought, which in its upward march, sometimes back then advance again.

The worship of local deities and national, in the Israelite conception, it also would lead to polytheism itself? We think not, because if the true teaching of Judaism was truly that every people should worship their God and no other, it follows that the principle has received its first application in Judaism, and that the Israelites would monolatry been well and not shirk. Both do exactly the form of accusation commonly accepted today among our opponents. But the national character of God is, let us hasten to say, absolutely inconceivable for the God of Israel. Certainly, according to Jewish ideas, the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob was before Jacob, Isaac and Abraham. Who was he then God? He whom the Scriptures call the Creator of heaven and earth have for a long period, prevailed upon any people, while other gods were under their domination of vast and powerful empires? We must never forget that view of the Mosaic, before Israel existed, there was humanity and two thousand years had passed since the creation of man before the call of Abraham. It certainly does not deny that until the revelation at Sinai or at least until the time of Abraham, the God whom Moses is the apostle was the God of all men. How can we imagine this sudden transformation of a universal God in a God exclusively national? A little reflection makes it possible to avoid this mistake so common to the God worshiped by Israel alone for God of Israel alone. The fact that Israel has been for more or less time alone to worship did not change its universal character and what more undeniable proof of universalism can we wish to worship a religion, one God for his own it proclaims to be the God of all mankind! While other nations made a point of honor each jealously guarding its particular god, to have nothing in common with other nations and even against those incessant struggles with minor gods to one another, Israel 's persisted in refusing to recognize any other God than he who, in his mind, all men would eventually convert. He thus proved that only when he had the intuition of a human in origin, by nature as by destiny. In this sense we should understand the words of rabbis who in this way is fully justified: "Are you Jews, who are men, heathens do not deserve this name."

Does anyone know a text that is in opposition as evident as possible the universalist conception of the idea that Jews and made themselves gods of pagan local and national? The servants of the king of Syria after the defeat Israel has experience with their master, saying to him in speaking of the God of the conquerors: "Their god is a god of mountains, so they were stronger than us. But the fighting in the plain, and we'll see if we are not stronger than them. " And the prophet, advisor to the king of Israel, referring to it about the Syrians, said: "Thus says Avaya: Because the Syrians have said, Avaya is a god of mountains and valleys, not a god, I deliver all this great multitude into thine hands, and you know that I know Avaya "

But we do we objected, the epithet of the God of Israel itself as one meets at every step in the Bible is it not a proof of the particularist spirit of the Jews? We have already said that, after the simplest sense, most natural, it means God loves Israel. Even after the election of Israel we find often the title of God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, is it to say that this is a God different from that of Israel? Is not it rather then the God that Abraham, Isaac and Jacob would have passed the knowledge and why should we believe that Israel also has inherited the faith of patriarchs, he must, by special vocation transmit it to other people, and this was true in all periods of its history, and how badly it does Does not that name, so that we are blameless?

When they spoke in ancient times, the God of any particular individual, it meant was to give a rough idea who should hold responsibility for defining, it meant simply that God as conceived by the individual in question. Hence this explanation so much in favor among the Kabbalists that whenever he is spoken of God in the Bible of someone it is an attribute or sides of the Godhead and that these different aspects together are the Merkaba which means that the philosophical language complete notion of God, is the resultant all the ideas that have formed these saints from Him or have more fully realized in their lives. Hence also the beautiful theory of Kabbalah which is union and harmony of the spirit down here in attaining the descent and the establishment of the Divinity on earth.

The pagans, when they mention the God of Israel before and after their conversion, sometimes referred to as Balaam "Avaya, my God," and we do not think we ever thought to take away the same special effects. On the other hand, if the God of Israel bears some titles from which one could infer similar consequences, it also has other meanings which is undoubtedly universal. What name more expressive in this regard as God of heaven and earth, God of all flesh, that nothing is impossible, for whom nothing is hidden?

About this title God of Israel, Mechilta, rabbinical book older than the Talmud contains a curious passage which gives a measure of universal feeling among doctors of the Synagogue. In the section of the Pentateuch Ki Tisa we read: "Three times a year all your males appear before the face of the Lord, Avaya, the God of Israel . "Why, ask the rabbis, it is said, before the face of the Lord, Avaya, the God of Israel, as found elsewhere: in the face of Avaya, at all? This is the name of God was united with Israel in particular. Similarly it is written: Hear O Israel, our God Avaya, Avaya is a "why this? Because it is us who must specifically confess his unit. Elsewhere it is said, Thus saith the God of Israel Avaya, why now? Is not it also called the God of all flesh? why do we read God of Israel? Again, it is because God has united more his name to Israel. Similarly it is written: "Listen, my people! and I speak, O Israel! and I'll let you know. God, your God, I'm . "God, it means God of all who come into this world and notwithstanding I have joined my name to Israel only. There is no need to signal the importance of this passage. The Mechilta notes from various biblical idea particularistic and universalistic idea: she opposes and balances, except for the second of the quoted passages about which there is no guarantee that more unites God's name to Israel but Israel is tied more closely to God because of the special duty imposed upon him to confess his unit, so that meaning is more universal at a time when we least expect it. Note about the same verse in regard to the issue of national God, the Mechilta could, without departing from the literal words found in the Avaya our God. monolatry, the only form of unity of God than some critics give to ancient Judaism, and in the following words: Avaya is the complementary idea of monotheism, declaring that Israel not only worship Him alone but his God is the unique Being, the One Lord, or, rather, the perfect unit, because, being himself an absolute, it links into a single beam the indefinite multiplicity of existing things.

But there is another equally striking example of reconciliation between the idea particularistic and universalist idea in Judaism. On the one hand, we read in the Bible that the heavens are God's throne and earth his footstool, far more than the heavens and the heaven of heavens not enough not contain it, that the earth is full of his glory, and secondly, it is not only in Zion, but he inhabits the temple of Jerusalem and even more particularly the Holy of Holies, what do I? this tiny space between the two cherubim which the biblical name of God "enthroned upon the cherubim." Perhaps this dual conception does it meet modern ideas of immanence and transcendence. Anyway this contradiction between two ideas, they do not appear to us as the two poles, positive and negative, which maintain a perpetual stream of life, light and heat in all parts of Hebraism ?

This has not escaped criticism also modern "What distinguishes also the Jewish faith, that God is sublime, which embraces the world in all its power and dominates with his strength on the stars, is united with them in a close relationship, it is the God of their race, protecting God as manifested in their fathers and the prophets, who is present and active in their midst. This link between the most general and most especially is quite unique ". We shall see what sort of link, when will be the role of Israel in the concert of nations, we want to talk about his priesthood whose idea so perfectly harmonises the two notions of Jewish faith and national universal faith . But without anticipating the developments that this idea has, remember that there is only one verse in Isaiah where the two characters are not juxtaposed, but combined as the two sides with a unique concept: "Your Redeemer, the Holy One Israel will be called the God of the whole earth ". And we will show when it comes to addressing the issue of Jewish priesthood that both parties are in terms of cause and effect.

The idea is the same here as in the words of Moses: "You will be a treasure to me above all people for all the earth is mine. And you, you shall be to me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation ". This last passage is crucial because it not only gives us a glimpse into the priesthood of Israel's critics seek link between particularism and universalism, but it says at the same time , and most emphatically, the two things: "You will be a treasure for me," is how the language of the national God. "You be for me a kingdom of priests" is how universal God, because the priest being consecrated for the layman, the Jewish priesthood requires a unit to which he is providentially placed. It should be noted that the design of a universal God is found even in the words that arouse precisely the particularistic idea: "You will be a treasure to me above all people, for all the earth belongs to me ". We may add that the election of Israel is presented as a reward: "If you obey my voice and if you keep my covenant, you shall be to me a treasure among all peoples. It can not be there, the language of a national God simply, a God that exist solely for his people as his people is made exclusively for him. Avaya would it then was the person God, if Israel had not fulfilled the conditions imposed? But a God who can choose at will his chosen people is obviously the sovereign Lord of all and far to find the national essence, it is highly universal, since it has worldwide.

It follows that the Mosaic, in addition to its own end in the case of Israel, is intended to fill a role in addressing the whole human race. he lives a double life, individual and social, and Israel Avaya calls its "God" because God loves him as he is called to make known to all men.