Hey Jason, thanks for your thoughtful analysis on this. I wanted to touch on a few points that I think are worth considering.
Another way to look at the history is that Modern Judaism is younger than Christianity. The Old Covenant between God and the nation of Israel (12 tribes of Jacob) had certain features and requirements for Israel to uphold: the Tabernacle/Temple, Levitical Priesthood, and Passover Sacrifice. The Christian claim is that Jesus was the Messiah and fulfilled the Old Covenant promises, establishing a New Covenant in which he is the Temple (the place where God dwells), High Priest, and Sacrifice. This New Covenant is not only open to one nation, but to all nations, and is known as the New Israel or the Church. In that way, Christianity is the fulfillment and continuation of God's covenant with mankind.
On the other side, those Jews who rejected Jesus as the Messiah no longer had a way of fulfilling their end of the covenant; they had no Temple after the Romans destroyed it in 70AD, no priesthood, and therefore no way to offer Passover sacrifice. Modern Judaism had to adapt to that new reality and so became centered around the synagogue, rabbi, and the Talmud. In that way it is essentially different from what came before. The heart of the question is whether or not Jesus truly was the Messiah, and thus able to establish a New Covenant including the Gentiles. If he is the Messiah, then from a religious perspective, Jews' claim for Jerusalem/Palestine based off of the Old Covenant is moot.
From the Islamic standpoint, there is the Dar al-Islam (abode of Islam) and the Dar al-Harb (abode of war.) Historically, Islam had the goal to conquer the entire world to be under Sharia (divine law, according to Muslims). Therefore, territory under Islamic rule is extremely important to Muslims. The Jews' claim for the State of Israel in an Islamic territory essentially cannot be respected according to their understanding of the world. Muslims believe that both Jews and Christians corrupted their own Scriptures and have little to no connection with God, so the Jewish claim to that land falls on deaf ears.
My point is that this conflict centers around religious claims that are in direct opposition to one another. I have a very difficult time believing that there will ever be a secular solution that will leave both parties satisfied. Yet, I pray for a stop to the bloodshed.
I believe we'll never satisfy all parties on the religious interpretation, which makes your last point particularly germane. If Muslims believe they have a divine right, indeed duty, to rid Palestine of non-Muslims, where can negotiations begin? It's hard to find common ground when the other side's opening is, "We reject your right to exist."
Erich, please see Romans chapters 9, 10, and 11. Paul concludes that God has not abandoned his chosen people and is always faithful. The Church is not the new Israel, the church has been grafted on to the root of Israel. Paul writes that he is convinced "his people" will yet accept Jesus as Messiah.
Hey Jason, thanks for your thoughtful analysis on this. I wanted to touch on a few points that I think are worth considering.
Another way to look at the history is that Modern Judaism is younger than Christianity. The Old Covenant between God and the nation of Israel (12 tribes of Jacob) had certain features and requirements for Israel to uphold: the Tabernacle/Temple, Levitical Priesthood, and Passover Sacrifice. The Christian claim is that Jesus was the Messiah and fulfilled the Old Covenant promises, establishing a New Covenant in which he is the Temple (the place where God dwells), High Priest, and Sacrifice. This New Covenant is not only open to one nation, but to all nations, and is known as the New Israel or the Church. In that way, Christianity is the fulfillment and continuation of God's covenant with mankind.
On the other side, those Jews who rejected Jesus as the Messiah no longer had a way of fulfilling their end of the covenant; they had no Temple after the Romans destroyed it in 70AD, no priesthood, and therefore no way to offer Passover sacrifice. Modern Judaism had to adapt to that new reality and so became centered around the synagogue, rabbi, and the Talmud. In that way it is essentially different from what came before. The heart of the question is whether or not Jesus truly was the Messiah, and thus able to establish a New Covenant including the Gentiles. If he is the Messiah, then from a religious perspective, Jews' claim for Jerusalem/Palestine based off of the Old Covenant is moot.
From the Islamic standpoint, there is the Dar al-Islam (abode of Islam) and the Dar al-Harb (abode of war.) Historically, Islam had the goal to conquer the entire world to be under Sharia (divine law, according to Muslims). Therefore, territory under Islamic rule is extremely important to Muslims. The Jews' claim for the State of Israel in an Islamic territory essentially cannot be respected according to their understanding of the world. Muslims believe that both Jews and Christians corrupted their own Scriptures and have little to no connection with God, so the Jewish claim to that land falls on deaf ears.
My point is that this conflict centers around religious claims that are in direct opposition to one another. I have a very difficult time believing that there will ever be a secular solution that will leave both parties satisfied. Yet, I pray for a stop to the bloodshed.
Thank you for the thoughtful reply, Erich.
I believe we'll never satisfy all parties on the religious interpretation, which makes your last point particularly germane. If Muslims believe they have a divine right, indeed duty, to rid Palestine of non-Muslims, where can negotiations begin? It's hard to find common ground when the other side's opening is, "We reject your right to exist."
In a later installment, I'll revisit this idea.
Erich, please see Romans chapters 9, 10, and 11. Paul concludes that God has not abandoned his chosen people and is always faithful. The Church is not the new Israel, the church has been grafted on to the root of Israel. Paul writes that he is convinced "his people" will yet accept Jesus as Messiah.