Greater Israel: Theology as Cartography – Cartography as Catastrophe

(blogs.timesofisrael.com)

16 points | by bryanrasmussen 19 hours ago ago

23 comments

  • KnuthIsGod 18 hours ago ago

    "lo tirtzach (do not murder) and

    tzedek tzedek tirdof (justice, justice shall you pursue) "

    • pfannkuchen 18 hours ago ago

      Historically, don’t most moral codes only apply to the in group?

      • stephen_g 18 hours ago ago

        Not the Torah - e.g. “[18] He executes justice for the fatherless and the widow, and loves the sojourner, giving him food and clothing. [19] Love the sojourner, therefore, for you were sojourners in the land of Egypt.” Deuteronomy 10:18-19 (ESV)

        • Cordiali 17 hours ago ago

          Regarding the second one, variations of that, to help or protect strangers/travellers, seems to have been relatively common across a variety of historical cultures.

          Tangentially, it also reminds me of a woman's grave that was found in Denmark I think. I can't remember how old the grave was, but something like 3-4000 years. They were able to use isotope analysis of her teeth, hair, stomach contents, etc. to trace her movements.

          She was from the area, but in the last year of her life, she'd travelled down to around Switzerland and back. There was a documentary about it, I'll see if I can find it...

          • Cordiali 16 hours ago ago

            Well... I'm not sure which bog body it was, there were a few!

            It might've been the 'Haraldskær Woman', I found an article [1] about her which roughly matches my recollections, and is from around the same time I would've seen the documentary. Although she might've only travelled as far as central Germany.

            [1]: https://journals.openedition.org/archeosciences/4407

          • pfannkuchen 16 hours ago ago

            Tangential, but I am always skeptical of these sorts of reconstructed stories when they rely on purely academic methods such as ancient stomach contents analysis and inferred historical geographic flora. Like, if that’s wrong somehow, how would you know, exactly? Both of those examples are fundamentally non-verifiable.

            • Cordiali 16 hours ago ago

              You can check if there's agreement between different techniques. Tooth enamel would be a pretty trustworthy source of information, for example. It just depends on what level of confidence you want in the results.

              I'm personally comfortable with a "probable" or "it's likely that" in my history docos. I'm a lot less comfortable with that standard when it comes to planes, trains, and automobiles.

        • pfannkuchen 17 hours ago ago

          And the New Testament says all kinds of things Christians don’t follow in practice as well.

      • nielsbot 18 hours ago ago

        Hopefully we've evolved.

        • pfannkuchen 18 hours ago ago

          It makes complete sense that people feel that way. European and Euro derived cultures are universalist from Christianity. But universalism isn’t the norm for moral systems throughout history. We only feel like universalism is best because it permeates the morality we grew up with.

    • nivertech 18 hours ago ago

      .

      • Gibbon1 18 hours ago ago

        I'm not sure what to say about people that encourage other people to keep starting wars they can't win instead of cutting a deal. While being at no personal risk themselves.

        • 17 hours ago ago
          [deleted]
  • lifestyleguru 16 hours ago ago

    When people start quoting their "holy book" you know shit is going to turn insane.

  • idiomat9000 16 hours ago ago

    [flagged]

    • Daishiman 16 hours ago ago

      This is such a tremendously biased and ignorant e reading of history it blows my mind.

      Hamas is a modern creation that has nothing to do with Gaza. Gaza was a refugee camp for the displaced Palestinianas, many who came from towns torched by Jewish paramilitary forces.

      To talk about Islam legitimizing attacking nonbelievers is as bigoted a statement as characterizing Judaism by the insane beliefs of the half million settlers who constantly bulldoze Palestinian towns (and act which the West refuses to call it what it is: terrorism and ethnic cleansing).

      For the Palestinians and the southern Lebanese who have also been bombed by Israel, or the innocent people who die every day in Gaza, Israel is the “permanent hostile neighbor”. Hamas and Hezbollah didn’t come out of the ether.

      • idiomat9000 11 hours ago ago

        Hamass is a direct spawn of the muslim brotherhood which spawned due to hitlers propaganda in the 2nd worldwar. The idea that shaped the organisation are ancient and literally where there before israel was founded as save haven for the jews escaping europe and the middle east .

      • 15 hours ago ago
        [deleted]
    • 4gotunameagain 16 hours ago ago

      Israel is by definition a western colony and a planted, newly formed state.

      Of course the displaced people that have been living there for thousands of years will be aggressive against it.

      What is happening in Gaza is not just atrocious, it is an offence to the very concept of humanity.

      • 14 hours ago ago
        [deleted]
    • StopDisinfo910 16 hours ago ago

      The whole point of the article you are commenting on is discussing the history of the notion of Eretz Yisrael, a political point which has always existed in Israel and has become significant after Netanyahu recent interview - certainly not a “Western fantasy” - and confront it with how it was applied during Israel history.

      No one is discussing than Ben-Gurion did use borders as a négociation tool. But Likud’s 1977 platform also exists and the “Yinon plan”.

      The main question is how relevant is the concept to Israel current political environment and ambitions.

      I have no comment to make about your last paragraph. I fear we have reached the point where history will have to be the judge.

      • idiomat9000 12 hours ago ago

        My whole argument is that "great israel" as an idea in a democracy never had any vetoing power aka any blockung majority. Its as relevant to israel as "nazi-moonbases" are to the western world. Its loud cringe fringe ignored. What Israel wants most of all is peace , because war with a reservist army hurts its economy. Yet, it has been at war with the islamo-supremacists in the arab world forever and a day. Israel has to deal with the reality it faces, not the make a wish realities into which large parts of the west retreat every time they look at the world without looking at it . Thus here we go.. again and again.. the wheelchair war, were your retarded neighbor tries to run you over again and again no matter what you offer..

        • StopDisinfo910 2 hours ago ago

          > Its as relevant to israel as "nazi-moonbases" are to the western world

          Demonstrably false and actually discussed by the article you are commenting on.

          > What Israel wants most of all is peace

          Israel is currently committing a genocide. You should be ashamed of yourself for writing the comment you just wrote.