Friday, April 8, 2011

Inherited Skepticism

"The overall reception of Jesus among those who knew of him - doubt turning to outright hostility - was only in keeping with a general Jewish tendency evident in the nation's past. The Jews are an acidic people, inclined to debate and question. Their inherent, inherited skepticism may account for the fact that among ancient peoples they were the first to successfully critique and forever pull away from the dominant polytheists of their world." - Why the Jews Rejected Jesus, Klinghoffer, p.13

I have no idea (yet) what Klinghoffer's view of the miracles of the Old Testament is, but he is clearly unimpressed with the idea that such miracles (Abraham's visions, Jacob's wrestling, the plagues upon Egypt, and on and on) might have resulted in a people worshipping the God who did and spoke these things. Secondly, while his characterization of the Jews as an "acidic people, inclined to debate and question" may or may not be true, the notion that they "forever" pulled away from "dominant polytheists of their world" is not true at all. This is the issue that Yahweh has with Israel - they continue to return to the gods of Eqypt, the gods of the Canaanites, and the worshipping practices of the polytheists all around them.

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