The Semitic Origins of the West
07
Jul
Our culture and society is often referred to as
Judeo-Christian, but if we look deeper into history, Judeo-Christian culture descends from Semitic, and thus both Arabs and Jews descend from Semites, as does much of North Africa.
At the root of three great religions is Abraham: Jews, Arabs and Christians, here is his pilgrimage from Babylon of the Chaldeans, the Biblical narrative places him in Ur of the Chaldeans, is the neogenesis of these three great peoples, of which only a few eastern peoples where these religions already penetrated and also some originary peoples where there is still their initial religiosity.
Abraham goes through two great civilizing crises the Babylonian fall and after his pilgrimage to ancient Assyria arriving at the city of Aleppo, which under the rubble of the war and the earthquake still exists in Syria today, and then from to the Hebron valley, where he spent by a second civilizing crisis in the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah, where there were orgies and decadence.
He leaves there and goes towards Egypt, and his son Isaac will also remain a nomad, the fight between his sons Esau and Jacob is famous, Machado de Assis has a book with this name and we could say that the polarization of humanity is older than we think.
From Jacob will be established the lineage of the 12 tribes from his sons, and from the lineage of Judah will come David, while from the lineage of this one will come Joseph son of another Jacob, and of Joseph be born Jesus.
Understanding this Abrahamic descent, with all the struggles and contradictions that have taken place in history, is fundamental for us to understand both Christian, Islamic and Jewish culture, an inter-religious and multicultural dialogue is possible if we understand that the history of a single God, just as a distant historical past unites these peoples.
Religious fundamentalism prevents this dialogue, the evangelist Matthew who was an enemy tax collector of the Jews, refers to his own conversion like this (Mt 9,10): “While Jesus was at the table, in the house of Matthew, many collectors came of taxes and sinners and sat at the table with Jesus and his disciples” and Jesus will say “it is the sick who need doctors” and completes the teaching by saying “I want mercy and not sacrifices”.
How much division, hatred and violence in the name of God, this is not religion, it is just fanaticism.
