Papers by Elliott A Green
Jerusalem Post (slightly shorter version), 2021
The Shimon haTsadiq [also - haTzadik] Quarter has become a locus of controversy in recent years a... more The Shimon haTsadiq [also - haTzadik] Quarter has become a locus of controversy in recent years as Jews have moved back into the lot around the Tomb of Simon the Just, an ancient Jewish high priest. The Jewish residents were driven out early in the Israel War of Independence, in December 1947 & January 1948. Author argues that the contemporary practice of subsuming this quarter within the adjacent but separate Arab Sheikh Jarrah Quarter leads many to think that Jews have no business being there.
Jerusalem Post, 2010
The normally placid surroundings of the Tomb of Simon the Just have been shaken in recent months ... more The normally placid surroundings of the Tomb of Simon the Just have been shaken in recent months by regular protest demonstrations where moral fervor and strident self-righteousness take pride of place. The demonstrators ostensibly protest evictions, of Arab families in this case, although we may doubt their opposition to evictions in principle, since the notable personalities among them were absent from demonstrations five years ago against eviction of 8,500 Jews from their homes in the Gaza Strip.
What are the names given to the Land of Israel over the millennia? Who or which entity used which... more What are the names given to the Land of Israel over the millennia? Who or which entity used which name? At first called Canaan or part of Canaan, it is called Land of Israel in Jewish tradition, and was called Judea by Greeks and Romans, until Emperor Hadrian changed the name to Syria Palaestina, whence the now fashionable name Palestine. Christians typically called the Land Holy Land, according to their various languages. Arabs and the Muslim tradition saw it as an undefined part of Bilad ash-Sham. It was also seen as part of Syria, the Levant and other geographical notions.
Abstract:
Reason, Science and Progress:
Modern Pretexts for Judeophobia, Left and Right
... more Abstract:
Reason, Science and Progress:
Modern Pretexts for Judeophobia, Left and Right
Elliott A Green
Today, throughout the world, the left is generally hostile to Israel, and often hostile to Jews and Judaism. Some commonly held themes, views and attitudes which reflect this – including the Israeli left – go back to the Middle Ages or even to the Christian Church Fathers in late antiquity. It may surprise some that the Church Fathers generally viewed the Jews in a paradoxical way. They saw the Jews as pioneers of civilization and rational thought, while simultaneously hating the Jews as alleged conspirators against Jesus (punished by loss of their Temple, their city, Jerusalem, and their homeland, Judea). The favorable view was held throughout the Middle Ages and Renaissance by Jean Gerson, Marsilio Ficino, and others. In the late 1600s, Bossuet articulated both the favorable and hostile sides of the paradox. Meanwhile, medieval Christian theologians and philosophers believed that they had proven Christian dogmas, such as the virgin birth, the trinity, angels, purgatory, etc., by means of reason. Therefore, whoever did not accept these dogmas was unreasonable, incapable of or opposed to reason. This conclusion was applied to the Jews first of all.
Luther, who rebelled against the Catholic Church, expounded views of the Jews more hostile even than those of Catholic tradition. Subsequently, German Protestant theologians following Luther proved to their own satisfaction, that ancient Greek testimony as to Jewish influence on classical Greek philosophers was incorrect. This negative conclusion, canceling the favorable part of the Church Fathers’ paradox, was adopted by Kant and Hegel, who were in turn major influences on shaping the views on Jews and Judaism held by modern Leftist and Liberal ideologies, such as Marxism. Further, Kant and Hegel saw the Orient as incapable of progress. Therefore, since Judaism was Oriental, it was incapable of progress. Indeed, they viewed Judaism as inferior, even within the Oriental sphere.
Voltaire viewed Jews much as did the two German philosophers. The view of these three and others, that ancient civilization did not have any roots in Judaism and had not undergone Jewish influence, paralleled the claim of the Church Father Marcion that Christianity had no roots in Judaism. Marcion was considered heretical by the bulk of Church Fathers. However, he was studied by Luther, Voltaire, etc. Kant, Voltaire and Hegel’s denial of any ancient Jewish contribution to civilization supplied a paradigm followed not only by Marxists but by students of classical culture, archeologists, anthropologists, historians of antiquity, Nordic racists, German nationalists, and so on.
Utterances of certain Israeli leftists demonstrate that the values of reason, progress, and science – at least as abstractions – continue to be revered by the Israeli left, who believe Judaism and religious Jews are defective in these areas.
The Israeli left perpetrated the disastrous Oslo accords on the people, demonstrating that the left is far from rational or scientific itself. It made these accords paying no heed to Clausewitz’ teachings about war and diplomacy, while it refused and refuses to realize that Israel’s Arab-Muslim adversaries have their own unique culture and character which must be understood. Likewise the West – which often reproaches Israel for alleged moral breaches, while overlooking Arab and Muslim crimes – must be understood.
Today's anti-Zionism is seen as continuing old motifs of Judeophobia in Western culture/religion.... more Today's anti-Zionism is seen as continuing old motifs of Judeophobia in Western culture/religion. Specifically the old views of Jews as inherently evil, alien and dominating. Shows how the new notion of a "Palestinian people" facilitates continuation of viewing Jews as a people given to crucifying the innocent.
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Papers by Elliott A Green
Reason, Science and Progress:
Modern Pretexts for Judeophobia, Left and Right
Elliott A Green
Today, throughout the world, the left is generally hostile to Israel, and often hostile to Jews and Judaism. Some commonly held themes, views and attitudes which reflect this – including the Israeli left – go back to the Middle Ages or even to the Christian Church Fathers in late antiquity. It may surprise some that the Church Fathers generally viewed the Jews in a paradoxical way. They saw the Jews as pioneers of civilization and rational thought, while simultaneously hating the Jews as alleged conspirators against Jesus (punished by loss of their Temple, their city, Jerusalem, and their homeland, Judea). The favorable view was held throughout the Middle Ages and Renaissance by Jean Gerson, Marsilio Ficino, and others. In the late 1600s, Bossuet articulated both the favorable and hostile sides of the paradox. Meanwhile, medieval Christian theologians and philosophers believed that they had proven Christian dogmas, such as the virgin birth, the trinity, angels, purgatory, etc., by means of reason. Therefore, whoever did not accept these dogmas was unreasonable, incapable of or opposed to reason. This conclusion was applied to the Jews first of all.
Luther, who rebelled against the Catholic Church, expounded views of the Jews more hostile even than those of Catholic tradition. Subsequently, German Protestant theologians following Luther proved to their own satisfaction, that ancient Greek testimony as to Jewish influence on classical Greek philosophers was incorrect. This negative conclusion, canceling the favorable part of the Church Fathers’ paradox, was adopted by Kant and Hegel, who were in turn major influences on shaping the views on Jews and Judaism held by modern Leftist and Liberal ideologies, such as Marxism. Further, Kant and Hegel saw the Orient as incapable of progress. Therefore, since Judaism was Oriental, it was incapable of progress. Indeed, they viewed Judaism as inferior, even within the Oriental sphere.
Voltaire viewed Jews much as did the two German philosophers. The view of these three and others, that ancient civilization did not have any roots in Judaism and had not undergone Jewish influence, paralleled the claim of the Church Father Marcion that Christianity had no roots in Judaism. Marcion was considered heretical by the bulk of Church Fathers. However, he was studied by Luther, Voltaire, etc. Kant, Voltaire and Hegel’s denial of any ancient Jewish contribution to civilization supplied a paradigm followed not only by Marxists but by students of classical culture, archeologists, anthropologists, historians of antiquity, Nordic racists, German nationalists, and so on.
Utterances of certain Israeli leftists demonstrate that the values of reason, progress, and science – at least as abstractions – continue to be revered by the Israeli left, who believe Judaism and religious Jews are defective in these areas.
The Israeli left perpetrated the disastrous Oslo accords on the people, demonstrating that the left is far from rational or scientific itself. It made these accords paying no heed to Clausewitz’ teachings about war and diplomacy, while it refused and refuses to realize that Israel’s Arab-Muslim adversaries have their own unique culture and character which must be understood. Likewise the West – which often reproaches Israel for alleged moral breaches, while overlooking Arab and Muslim crimes – must be understood.
Reason, Science and Progress:
Modern Pretexts for Judeophobia, Left and Right
Elliott A Green
Today, throughout the world, the left is generally hostile to Israel, and often hostile to Jews and Judaism. Some commonly held themes, views and attitudes which reflect this – including the Israeli left – go back to the Middle Ages or even to the Christian Church Fathers in late antiquity. It may surprise some that the Church Fathers generally viewed the Jews in a paradoxical way. They saw the Jews as pioneers of civilization and rational thought, while simultaneously hating the Jews as alleged conspirators against Jesus (punished by loss of their Temple, their city, Jerusalem, and their homeland, Judea). The favorable view was held throughout the Middle Ages and Renaissance by Jean Gerson, Marsilio Ficino, and others. In the late 1600s, Bossuet articulated both the favorable and hostile sides of the paradox. Meanwhile, medieval Christian theologians and philosophers believed that they had proven Christian dogmas, such as the virgin birth, the trinity, angels, purgatory, etc., by means of reason. Therefore, whoever did not accept these dogmas was unreasonable, incapable of or opposed to reason. This conclusion was applied to the Jews first of all.
Luther, who rebelled against the Catholic Church, expounded views of the Jews more hostile even than those of Catholic tradition. Subsequently, German Protestant theologians following Luther proved to their own satisfaction, that ancient Greek testimony as to Jewish influence on classical Greek philosophers was incorrect. This negative conclusion, canceling the favorable part of the Church Fathers’ paradox, was adopted by Kant and Hegel, who were in turn major influences on shaping the views on Jews and Judaism held by modern Leftist and Liberal ideologies, such as Marxism. Further, Kant and Hegel saw the Orient as incapable of progress. Therefore, since Judaism was Oriental, it was incapable of progress. Indeed, they viewed Judaism as inferior, even within the Oriental sphere.
Voltaire viewed Jews much as did the two German philosophers. The view of these three and others, that ancient civilization did not have any roots in Judaism and had not undergone Jewish influence, paralleled the claim of the Church Father Marcion that Christianity had no roots in Judaism. Marcion was considered heretical by the bulk of Church Fathers. However, he was studied by Luther, Voltaire, etc. Kant, Voltaire and Hegel’s denial of any ancient Jewish contribution to civilization supplied a paradigm followed not only by Marxists but by students of classical culture, archeologists, anthropologists, historians of antiquity, Nordic racists, German nationalists, and so on.
Utterances of certain Israeli leftists demonstrate that the values of reason, progress, and science – at least as abstractions – continue to be revered by the Israeli left, who believe Judaism and religious Jews are defective in these areas.
The Israeli left perpetrated the disastrous Oslo accords on the people, demonstrating that the left is far from rational or scientific itself. It made these accords paying no heed to Clausewitz’ teachings about war and diplomacy, while it refused and refuses to realize that Israel’s Arab-Muslim adversaries have their own unique culture and character which must be understood. Likewise the West – which often reproaches Israel for alleged moral breaches, while overlooking Arab and Muslim crimes – must be understood.