Posted on 12/22/2022 10:42:13 AM PST by nickcarraway
Were it not for its proximity to Christmas, Hanukkah would be unknown to most non-Jews and it would not be celebrated by most non-religious Jews. The proof is that the other post-Hebrew Bible holiday, Purim, while very popular in Israel, where it is sort of a Jewish Mardi Gras, is essentially unknown to non-Jews and largely ignored by most American Jews. Too bad. Hanukkah is actually of seminal importance both to Judaism and to the world.
SNIP
To understand why Judaism so bothered Antiochus, one needs to understand that no pagan religion completely rejected Hellenism. Judaism did. If Antiochus wanted a statue to him or to a Greek god erected in a pagan temple, none of the pagan religions would have objected. The pagan attitude toward religion was non-exclusive. No pagan god was regarded as the one God of all humanity. But the Jews claimed that their God was indeed the only God in the world.
Despite this belief — that the God of Judaism is the God of all humanity — Judaism never insisted that non-Jews needed to convert to Judaism. Thus, Jews never forcibly imposed Judaism on non-Jews. But, unlike all their pagan neighbors, the Jews rejected the gods of everyone else. And this infuriated Antiochus. He hated the Jews’ monotheism.
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Hanukkah made Christian Civilization possible.
Thanks for that.
Yes. And Catholics honor that with 1 Maccabees and 2 Maccabees.
Interesting that Prager ignores that this was at first a Jewish civil war. Hellenist Jews (‘Mit-yavnim’ in Hebrew) were eager to adopt Greek practices and outlook and to discard Torah-mandated practices.
While the Jews never forcibly imposed Judaism, Christians and Muslims drew the logical conclusion and forcibly imposed Christianity and Islam. However, it is also not clear that Judaism was the only pre-Christian monotheistic religion. There are monotheistic elements in some sects of Hinduism, Zoroastrianism, and Yazdism.
the Jews rejected the gods of everyone else.
:)
“I’m jewish, so its ok!”
Remember dentist Tim Watley on Seinfeld converted to judaism and started with the jokes...
“I went to the gym today and sat in the spa, you know, a jewish workout...”
“Hey Chrissie, gimme a schtickel of fluoride...”
I would point out that the statement “Jews never forcibly imposed Judaism on non Jews” is false.
Around 100 BC the Jewish king of judea, john hyracanus, invaded Edom and forcibly converted them to Judaism.
One of those forcibly converted was Herod the great’s father.
Incidentally the Idumeans ie Edomites, ended as a people in 70 AD when they died defending Jerusalem against the Romans
Hinduism at best is Henotheism, with the concept of Ishwara as being the primeval God from whom the others emanate. But that belief dates from after Christianity reached India in 52 AD.
Zoroastrianism until Zurvanism, the sect promoted by the Sassanid empire starting from 224 AD, was sternly dualistic with Ahura Mazda, the god of light, being equal to Aingra Mainyu, the God of the lie.
As for Yazdiism, I believe it post dates the arrival of Jews in Babylon
Wow. And some people think Prager is smart or something. Rejecting Greek Hellenism never happened, thankfully, which is why we have human rights, free markets and freedom of religion. Thank you, Pericles and Pythagoras. And thanks go to St. Raymond of Penyafort (died 1275) for advancing the principles of Greek Hellenism and to Alexander Hamilton (died 1804) for advancing free markets.
My stition is more super than your stition
“Jews never forcibly imposed Judaism on non-Jews.” Of course not. Gentiles were despised. Christ himself ordered his disciples to have nothing to do with them, and he himself only had relations on, as I recall, three occasions before appearing before Pontius Pilate and meeting his death. Before Paul came along, and the world was changed through the intercession of the heavenly Christ himself, gentiles and jewry were an anathema.
Roses are reddish, violets are blueish, if it wasn’t for Jesus, we’d all be Jewish.
Wow, thanks Jews!
The other GGG topics added since the previous digest ping, chrono sort:
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