Merry Christmas....again...

That's right! Christmas comes but thrice a year, here in Jerusalem. Today was the third and final Christmas of this winter season (though technically only the second one this year). For a variety of different reasons, different groups celebrate Christmas on the 25th (Protestant and Catholics), the 6th (Epiphany - Greek Orthodox, and apparently Armenians on other parts of the world) and the 19th (Armenians here...perhaps partly because they adhere to the old calendar and perhaps partly because by celebrating on a different date they get the "holy places" more or less to themselves). At least that's my current understanding of the situation. Religious things tend to be rather complex around here, so doubtless I'm forgetting something.

Anyway, today, to celebrate Christmas, I wandered around the Old City with a friend. We stopped in to the Church of the Holy Sepulcher: a good reminder that whenever he was born (almost certainly not December or January), this baby was born to die.

People wait in line to go into the traditional site of the tomb of Christ

Angels: Christianity vs. Judaism (conclusion)

While the study of angels in Classical Rabbinic Literature is interesting in itself, rife with entertaining stories and varying opinions, it is perhaps most interesting to consider what Chazal said about the Jews, and about Christians, through their comments on angels. “The angels, it seems were fertile ground for any number of polemic and apologetic purposes. It is probably that their imaginary and mythological character helped fuel the creative uses to which they were put.” (Fass, 287) As we have seen, angels in Rabbinic literature often compare poorly to humans. They were used to emphasize God’s love for and commitment toward mankind, especially Israel. Perhaps this expression of favoritism helped in the preservation of the Jewish identity in spite of the odds. (Fass, 281) In other stories, the actions assigned to angels make a point to contradict the Christian interpretation of the same events. Though springing from the same source, the differences between Christian and Jewish theology begin to become surprisingly apparent as each religions’ view of angels is examined. Christianity tends to see angels as morally and powerfully superior to men, though it recognizes a difference in purpose, which at times enables men to surpass them in certain ways. Judaism, on the other hand, often sees angels as below humans. There are still points of similarity between both views: both consider angels to be messengers of God (as fits with the meaning of the Hebrew word מלאך). Both also share a belief in demons, though they might differ on the exact nature of those demons. Nevertheless, these points of similarity are pretty superficial compared to the huge differences which lurk under the surface. For having started at roughly the same point, Judaism and Christianity have drawn a long ways apart over the years, as the study of the angelology of each reveals.

Angels: Christianity vs. Judaism (part 3)

Rabbinical expansions of the Akeda (Binding of Isaac) also contain many references to angels, in spite of the fact that the original story mentions only one angel towards the end. Some of these expansions begin with an accusing angel encouraging God to test Abraham’s devotion, similar to the story in Job. (Bernstesin, 266-267) Most often the angels are motivated by jealousy of man. After inciting God to action, another angel (or perhaps the same one) then strove to keep Abraham from obeying God’s command, warning that if he obeyed, he would then be guilty of murder. When Abraham refused to listen, the angel then turned to Isaac, trying to get him to rebel against his father. (Gen. Rab., LVI 4) This one type of angel seen in the story is characterized by pettiness and jealousy, if not outright evil, depending on the version. There are, however, other angels included in the story. Some of these angels appear to only watch the actions of Abraham and Isaac, admiring such devotion to God from afar. (Bernstein, 277) Then, some stories reference a different type of angel, saying that Abraham’s knife was dissolved in their tears. (Gen. Rab., LVI 7) Some versions even include singing angels. (Bernstein, 283) The final type of angel, the only one that actually appears in the Biblical text, is the one who interferes at God’s command.

Angels also play an important role in the giving of the Torah in Rabbinic literature, although the exact form of that role may be debated. Jubilees has them dictating the Torah to Moses. (Najman, 316) This could possibly play well into the Christian idea (Hebrews 1 and 2) of angels and the old covenant being inferior to Jesus and the new covenant. (Najman, 322) In the Talmud, however, they act territorial and jealous when Moses is brought to heaven to get the Torah. (Fass, 287)

When Moses ascended into Heaven, said the angels before the Holy One, blessed be He, “Lord of the Universe! What has one born of a woman to do among us?” The Lord answered: " He came to receive the Torah." Said the angels again: “Wouldst Thou give a precious thing that Thou hast preserved since nine hundred and seventy-four generations before the creation of the world to a being of flesh and blood? (Bab. Tal. Shabbat 88b)

Upon hearing the angels object, God commands Moses to answer. Moses answers their objections by citing humanity’s need for the Torah. Angels, for example, have no parents whom they need to learn to honor. The commands of Torah are clearly meant for humans. The angels are convinced by Moses’ arguments and allow him to take Torah back to earth, and each of them also gives him a blessing. (Fass, 288) Thus, Moses’ superiority to angels is displayed. Perhaps this display was at one point meant to combat the Christian insistence on the superiority of Christ. (Najman, 331) Once the Torah was on earth, Israel still had to accept it. God warned of dire consequences for all of creation if they refused. (Fass, 288) Fortunately, they accepted the Torah and the angels rewarded them. “R. Simai lectured: "At that time, when Israel answered to the information of Moses, ‘We will do and we will obey,' six hundred thousand angels had furnished to every one of Israel two crowns: one for the answer 'We will do,' and one for the answer 'We will obey.'” (Bab. Tal. Shabbat 88a) Unfortunately, shortly thereafter they sinned against the commands of the Torah with the Golden Calf and the Talmud records thousands of angels descending to take back those crowns. Nevertheless, the story points out the partiality that God was thought to have for Israel, favoring them above the angels by giving them Torah.

Angels: Christianity vs. Judaism (part 2)

Another interesting passage in the study of angelology is Genesis 18: “Then the LORD appeared to [Abraham] by the terebinth trees of Mamre, as he was sitting in the tent door in the heat of the day. So he lifted his eyes and looked, and behold, three men were standing by him.” (Gen.18:1-2) It quickly becomes apparent that the men are no ordinary men, and they are called angels later in the passage. However, the passage is confusing; the connection between the LORD and the appearance of the three men is unclear. Christianity generally fastens on to this as an appearance of the trinity: each member of the Godhead took on human form for a day. This is also related to the understanding of the phrase “Angel of the LORD” as a theophany – an appearance of the pre-incarnate Christ. Judaism, however, has no need or wish for such an understanding. Whereas Christianity unites the vision of God with the appearance of the three men, Judaism keeps them separate: “He saw the Shechinah and saw the angels.” (Gen. Rab. XLVIII 9, emphasis added) Furthermore, the angels are given the names Michael, Rafael, and Gabriel and are said to have appeared disguised as a Saracen, a Nabatean, and an Arab. No similar description of the Shechinah is offered. As these three “men” are considered angels (and in no way divine), so in Judaism the designation “Angel of the LORD” seems to have no special meaning beyond that of simply an angel. This is demonstrated in the commentary on Genesis16 where the angel of the LORD appears to Hagar. The phrase “angel of the LORD” is used four times in this passage and each instance is taken to be a different angel by some Rabbis. (Gen. Rab. XLV 7). Christianity would connect the phrase “angel of the LORD” and the statement that the LORD spoke to Hagar (Gen. 16:13) and conclude that this juxtaposition argues for the deity of the Angel. Rabbis take it the other direction and argue that the LORD himself did not actually speak to Hagar; it was only his messenger(s). (Gen. Rab. XLV 10)

Another “angel” (though never actually called an angel in the passage) visits the patriarch Jacob at Peniel and wrestles with him. (Gen. 32:22-32) Again, in Christianity, the combination of a mysterious being and divine terms (“the face of God”) point to a divine being, while Judaism again gives less credence to the references to God and accepts the being as a mere angel. “R. Hama b. R. Hanina said: It was the guardian Prince [angel] of Esau. TO this Jacob alluded when he said to him [Esau]: Forasmuch as I have seen thy face, as one seeth the face of Elohim, and thou wast pleased with me (Gen. 33:10).” (Gen. Rab., LXXVII 3) God warns the angel wrestling with Jacob that Jacob has “five amulets” – his own merit, and the merit of his parents and grandparents. God tells the angel that Jacob’s own merit is more than the angel can stand against. (LXXVII 3) Later, as Jacob refuses to let the angel go without a blessing, the angel eventually gives in and reveals a bit of the future to Jacob: another meeting with God at Bethel and a name change. The text says “you have struggled with Elohim” (Genesis 32:28). Though “Elohim” is usually translated as “God” the worldview of the Rabbis seems to forbid this understanding in this passage, so they understand it as referring simply to an angel. When Jacob asks for the name of the being, the angel refuses to tell him, from which the Rabbis imply that the names of angels are changeable from day to day. Most of them, at least, have no permanent name. (Gen. Rab. LXXVII 4) Christians, with the understanding that Jacob wrestled with God who somehow took on human form, postulate instead that God simply refused to reveal his divine name to Jacob at that time.

In only these few passages, the differences between the Christian and Jewish understandings of angels, as based upon differences in their whole worldviews, begin to be readily apparent. Though both understandings claim to be based in scripture, the divide between them widens as Rabbinic commentaries on other passages without scriptural reference to angels are considered.

Angels: Christianity vs. Judaism (part 1)

With the craziness of my life here over the last couple months there has been rather a dearth in blog postings. I propose to begin to remedy this lack with a little series on Angels and how they are seen in both Christianity and Judaism.

This last semester I took a class on Classical Rabbinic Thought and Literature, which was very helpful in trying to understand modern Judaism. Many Christians want to look at Modern Judaism, searching for the roots of Christianity. After all, Jesus was a Jew. While this sentiment may be admirable, it must be understood that modern Judaism is drastically different from what Jesus would have known. Christianity and Judaism may have started from the same roots, and similarities may still be visible in places, but they parted ways long ago.

For this class I had to write a term paper and I chose the topic of Angels in Classical Rabbinic Literature. What follows will be excerpts from that paper, comparing and contrasting common Christian beliefs about angels to what the Rabbis wrote about angels, starting in about 200AD. I think it gives a good glimpse of some interesting differences.

If you have questions about any of the terms used or the references, please feel free to ask. And now, without further ado, here is excerpt number one:

In spite of the dearth of information in the Mishna on the subject of Angels, Chazal had a number or things to say about them that can be found in others sources such as Genesis Rabbah, and the Talmud, as well as pseudepigraphal books such as Jubilees, Enoch, and various writings from the Dead Sea Scrolls. The English translation of the Tanakh itself contains over one hundred verses which specifically reference “angels” (Hebrew מלאך), in addition to places where other words may be used (such as “man” or “host”) but the context indicates that the reference is to angels. Rabbinic literature recognizes the presence of angels in scripture and then proceeds to expound upon their role, even in passages where their presence is not so readily apparent.
Angels in the Tanakh are seen as having basically two purposes: firstly they are messengers of the divine, and secondly they make up the court of heaven. (Fass, 281-282) In Rabbinic literature, angels often serve as a foil, both for man and God. They are often seen asking “unthinkable” questions or performing duties for God. They are also at times contrasted with humans.

Christianity and modern Judaism began to be developed around the same time, and thus they contain similar subjects, but often take diametrically opposed views on these topics. This can be seen in the study of angels. The book of Genesis is foundational to both faiths and contains many references to the supernatural in general and angels in specific. Christianity, with its belief that Jesus was God and its developing theology of the trinity, naturally looked to the Tanakh for earlier evidence and fastened on to Genesis 1:26 as one possible bit of support: “Let us make man in our image.” Both Judaism and Christianity want to emphasize the importance of every word recorded in scripture, and thus the plural pronoun cannot simply be glossed over without an attempt to explain and understand. Christianity argues that the pronoun is plural as God spoke to the other parts of the Godhead. Judaism has many alternate solutions, one of which involves angels: “R. Hanina [said] when He came to create Adam He took counsel with the ministering angels.” (Genesis Rabbah, VIII 4) The angels were conflicted in their opinion of the creation of man and debated among themselves. Within their debate more differences between Judaism and Christianity become apparent.

“Love and Truth fought together. Righteousness and Peace combated each other (Ps. 85:11): Love said, 'Let him be created, because he will dispense acts of love'; Truth said, 'Let him not be created, because he is compounded of falsehood'; Righteousness said, 'Let him be created, because he will perform righteous deeds; Peace said, 'Let him not be created, because he is full of strife.” (Gen. Rab., VIII 5)

The theology of modern Christianity at least, expresses a belief that when man created he was morally good, with no semblance of evil. Not until after Genesis 3 did he perpetrate falsehood and strife. This discussion among the angels, however, admits to no change in the nature of man. He has always been the same mixture of good and evil. Nevertheless, God, paying no attention to the debate, went ahead and created man.

2009: A Year in Review

2009 started out for me back home in Montana...where the mountains are purple, and blue, and green, and white, and sometimes pink...

I enjoyed being a Montana girl again...

...before heading back to warm(er) Jerusalem

I spent a little time becoming reacquainted with the city.

For Valentine's Day, hopeless romantic that I am, I took part in a murder mystery. I was not guilty. Nor was the feather duster used as a weapon.

One of my favorite weekly activities was Friday afternoon Ultimate Frisbee.

Yes, I can catch, thank you very much.

At one point it almost even snowed...though it was really more of a hail. Oh well, it was white.

I celebrated Purim with my Jewish Thought and Practice class by going to Synagogue that night.

Camp flashbacks one day as some of us helped with dishes.

There were not as many field studies this year, but we did get to do some hiking on some of them. This is St. George's Monastery in Wadi Qelt...on the way to Jericho. Fortunately, there were not hedge robbers.

Learned more about Synagogues and Jewish life on a field study with Rabbi Moshe.

On another field study with Rabbi Moshe, we learned (sort of) how to harvest barley and other parable-type imagery.

I spent an amazing and relaxing extended weekend in Dahab, snorkeling, reading, eating, sleeping...ah... See, we even almost look happy.

Got to know some fellow students better. Yeah, they're all crazy.

I joined a Palm Sunday Parade,

went hiking in Galilee,

watched the Samaritan Passover lamb slaughter,

and participated in a triclinium meal.

Hoppy Easter from Jerusalem!

I participated in the "miracle" of Holy Fire.

One day we took off and went the the beach.

Another field study took us to some ruins of a Synagogue/Pagan Temple in Upper Galilee.

Happy Birthday, Israel!

One day I was privileged to see and ancient Roman walking down his ancient Roman road.

I went on week-long epic trip to Jordan where we watched sunsets, stormed castles,

killed sheep,

kissed camels, and just generally had a good time.

On my way home from Jerusalem I took a little pit-stop to visit my brother.

Back home I visited my Grandmother, and my Grandfather's grave.

Hung out with some friends. :)

...And headed off to camp. Snow, yay!

I was witness to some very rapid dismounts at the Big T Rodeo,

and to some exceptionally large explosions at the incinerator.

Family Foto Fun!

Happy Birthday, America!

My Cabin-mates at camp were pretty much the best ever.

We even got to celebrate Christmas in July...with the tree our bus knocked over...

I took a quick break from camp to reconnect with some High School friends. Yeah, they're crazy too.

I visited several waterfalls,

and enjoyed a little extra time with friends and family before heading back to...

the "Holy" Land.

Fortunately, I still had my sister around to keep me in trouble.

HaShum adventures!

I celebrated Yom Kippur by lying in the middle of the street.

I went on a family vacation where we managed not to leave our car behind at Caesarea

and where we celebrated JUC on the shores of Galilee.

I visited the big Shuk for the first time.

We had friends over several times. Living off campus is lovely.

We hung out on couches on top of Helkath for Reg-Exs.

Went hiking on Gilboa...

...where I acquired my Christmas Stick.

We had a Christmas party at the end of the semester and began to say good-byes.

...More good-byes...

I hosted numerous guests, not all of whom were expected.

I spent Christmas Eve in Bethlehem,

made special Christmas food,

and spent Christmas day with special people.

It was a good year. Rather unique, I would say. So I wish you all a Happy New Year as we do our own ball drop, here in Jerusalem.

We'll see what God has in store for 2010! :)