One should understand history in order to understand current affairs.
Rich Lawry’s The Case for Nationalism should be on your reading list. While good points are made it is important to consider how our current situation relates to the creation of the national identity of the Judean people. While our founding fathers read the same Bible, today’s serious students understand the rest of the story. Over the last 150 years and more importantly, the last 50 years, scientific archology has explained who wrote the Bible and why. The Bible, or more accurately, the Pentateuch was written to prevent civil war. If you haven’t studied Hezekiah or Josiah you lack sufficient background to understand what is going on in the Middle East. I am not talking about religion but rather dramatic historical figures that were able to avoid war. News outlets manage an event’s presentation in order to influence public opinion. When I was young and less jaded I thought the internet would inform the public and there would be less manipulation by the intelligentsia: sadly, no. Most news consumers have their opinions decided for them.
We now know who wrote the Bible and why. It is a dramatic story that is sadly most often relegated to academic circles. Over the past 50 years historians and archeologist have discovered so much that should be front page news. However, I can tell you from experience, if you want to strike up a conversation there are better lines than, do you know who wrote the Bible? If you have read the works of esteemed archaeologists such as Neil Silberman, Amihai Mazar, Brian Schmidt or Israel Finkelstein feel free to skip ahead to the conclusion of this article. However, if you don’t know any of the above, you are about to experience a sea change in your understanding of world history. More importantly, you may be in a better position to opine upon what roll we should play.
Of course facts are funny things. Most can’t define the word. One of my historical theory professors explained, a fact is something upon which everyone agrees. Fifty years ago it was a fact there were nine planets in the solar system. Now it is an open question since most in the astrophysics world define Pluto as a dwarf planet. Regarding Biblical authorship, one can debate the details but there is much that we know.
I don’t want to offend any religious sensitivities. However, one can not help but let what you know effect what you believe. I was raised in a Presbyterian household and am a follower of The Way; or, as many call it, a Christian. Again, I don’t want to offend but few if any biblical scholars believe Jesus was born anywhere other than a small town near the Sea of Galilee. The Gospel stories about miracles were written for dramatic effect. The writer did not mean for us to believe a multitude was physically fed with a few fish. First century readers did not understand the story of Jesus walking on water to be taken literally. They understood the Jewish writing style known as Midrash. I fear we are stupider(sic) now.
Similarly, the Old Testament stories are too often taken as fact. Understanding the truth does not make you a non-believer. You simply need to adjust your word view to accommodate this new understanding. If believing the Patriarchs or virgin birth stories as literal is key to your belief system you need to re-think everything.
Before going into the Biblical authorship it is best to set some baseline understanding. Again, I urge everyone to read about the archeologic discoveries in the last 50 years. These are dramatic discoveries that are largely ignored because the word Bible is all to often in the headline. Remember, don’t talk religion or politics in polite company. The story of the Patriarchs is a myth. The Israelites were always in Canaan. There was no grand unified monarchy. The capital of the Israelite kingdom, Samaria, was polytheistic. YHWH was but one of the gods worshiped in the southern Levant during the early iron age.
I will now assume I am only talking to open minded individuals or ones that have read Finkelstein, et al. The southern Levant was lightly populated at the beginning of the iron age. Small communities and nomadic peoples interacted and were part of an economic system. In lean years and good years the populations would shift back an forth as nomadic life became more or less difficult.
As iron age empires emerged, pressure was applied upon the peoples of the southern Levant. In Egypt during the last quarter of the sixth century BC the Nubians pushed out the Libyan Dynasty. This likely drove refugees or migrants north into the southern Levant. At the same time, pressure from the north drove refugees into Jerusalem. In 722 BC the capital of Israel the Omari Empire’s Samaria, fell to the Assyrians. The Omari Empire was well established with grand buildings and political infrastructure. Jerusalem was a small village with likely under 1,000 citizens. This flood of immigrants swelled the population. Up to 70,000 Semitic peoples fled to Judah. Judah was also Semitic and they shared many customs. Still, this flood of peoples into a previously less populated area must have been dramatic. In the span of a decade, King Hezekiah found himself and the original inhabitants in the minority.
One can debate the role of the Egyptian/ Libyan migrants but they appear to have been key in the creation of the Bible. We know there was no mass exodus from the archeologic record. However, one can not deny one of the corner stones of the Pentateuch is Egyptian. Roger Roberts, The Fundamental Question, postulates a learned group of the priestly class of Libyans brought with them the seeds of monotheism. The words Levite and the name Moses appear to have roots in the Libyan Dynasty. However, those details are conjecture and not critical to understanding the next step.
Between 725 BC and the end of the sixth century BC, a new religion was rolled out. In less than a century the new kingdom of Judah with its new inhabitants, had a common identity with YHWH as the lead god in the pantheon. Each of the communities kept their god but could look to a common history. The priestly class used the Patriarch stories to meld the peoples of the southern Levant into a common people. The conversion was gradual and cooperative. However, such a change in as little as a generation is dramatic. A century later Josiah took the next step to meld the gods into one. He was able to build a strong cultural identity that survived almost a century of subjugation by the Babylonians but that is a story for another time.
This theocracy brought laws designed to improve society. The Ten Commandments were far from the first set of moral laws. A millennia earlier Hammurabi’s laws hit many of the same notes. Theocracies continue to rule much of the world to this day. Theocracy has been a double edged sword. The new theocracy in Judah kept the priestly class at the top of society. The Levites accounted for less than 8% of the population but controlled as much as half of the wealth. It was a small ethnic group wielding great power over society. Clearly that is not seen as appropriate in modern day western society. Over the past millennia secular leaders have attempted to wrest power back with varying success.
Many of the current world struggles are not east/west but rather modern ancient. Few westerners see an all powerful god with his/her hand on the levers of power. The idea of blowing one’s self up in order to get a reward in heaven is a primitive idea. It is unlikely one could develop a new creation narrative that would get the Kurds to see themselves in a common history with the Syrians or the Turks. We live in a post miracle age so how can one influence the world in a positive way?
A great man/woman would help the world to understand that humans have a common history and destiny. Religious leaders need to be involved. Evangelical Christians need to stop telling people the way to heaven is through Jesus Christ. Catholic, Protestant and Jewish leaders need to teach the Bible stories in an historical context. Buddhist and Hindu leaders mush teach there is no cast system. Muslim leaders must teach that killing in the name of Allah is wrong.
You don’t need believe Moses split the Red Sea to believe in a loving god. You can be Christian even if you don’t believe Jesus physically walked on water. Of course, god can mean a great many things. To me it is how I find ultimate truth. There is a right and good way to behave. Being an atheist does not prevent one from believing in ultimate truths. The late Episcopal Bishop John Sponge didn’t believe in “Theism”. Just because you are an atheist it doesn’t mean you are not a Christian. Religion should be more about what you do. I believe that what you do for the least of us you do to me. In this post miracle internet age we can reach the world. Everyone needs to be on the same page on this.
We need to stop participating in wars. World leaders need to pull back and tell the participants that fighting over such things is worse than silly; it is an abomination. Look at how poorly it has worked out in the past. Just a few short decades ago we armed the Mujahedeen against the Russians. Of course they turned into Al Qaeda. World leaders need to shine the light on aggression and use non-lethal force to effect change. You may not agree with much or anything Trump says or does. I think he is right on this. He may not succeed in forging peace on the Syrian Turkey boarder but it is not for lack of the attempt. So remember, a wise man once said, if you see a crazy man running out of a building yelling “fire”, you had best check. He may be right.