This was a question asked by my sister at our recent family Christmas dinner. Her argument was based on the assumption that, as a Gentile with no Jewish family connection, I would gain little after much intensive study. My response was quick and safe: "I am a Trekkie, and Hebrew looks much like Klingon." Another reason for my gravitating towards Jewish history and culture came from Indiana Jones. These movies took me back to a time in history where a personal and awesome God revealed Himself with great demonstrations of supernatural power and schooling to a "Chosen People."
Dinner levity aside, I have been more motivated in this area of study by some recent research I undertook to discover the unique underlying philosophy that eventually led to the recent refugee migration, which is so prominently discussed in the Western World. We in the West have become “Super Magnets” that attract refugees seeking upward mobility within safe, prosperous and tolerant communities.
My research revealed that the primary source of this Western humanitarian philosophy happened when founding governments adopted biblical principles for establishing law and order with “justice and fairness," and established a code of ethics based on the dignity and sanctity of human life. Until recently, anyone taking an oath of office or giving testimony in a court of law was required to swear on one of the holiest symbols in the Western World, the holy bible. It contains 39 books known as the Old Testament, followed by 27 books that pertain specifically to the Christian faith.
Historian Benson Bobrick, in his The Making of the English Bible, writes:
"It was (and is) the most influential book ever published. It gave every literate person complete access to the sacred text, which helped to foster the spirit of inquiry through reading and reflection. These in turn accelerated the growth of commercial printing and with the ever-widening circulation … people began to question the authority of their inherited institutions, both religious and secular, which led to reformation within the Church, and to the rise of constitutional governments."
And on a more personal level, historian G.M. Trevalyn writes: “Englishmen carried their Bible with them as the rock and foundation of their lives — overseas ... it fortified the spirit of the pioneers of New England, helped to shape the American psyche, and through its impact on thought and culture eventually spread the world over."
Adam Hendrickson supports this statement in his article in the Manitoban when he states that “Judeo-Christian principles are deeply ingrained in Canadian and American law … and their ideas on a person’s inalienable right to life, liberty, and property are bound to their Anglo-Saxon heritage in which Judeo-Christian principles played a defining role.” “The West is free because of … [these] … explicit safeguards.” “The Ten Commandments remind us of the origin of western civilization’s notions of morality … and why we should not forget what makes us free and why so many are denied the way of life we take for granted.”
So there you are, Sylvia, my methodical explanation for why I regard taking a course like Hebrew 101 is essential in my quest, like Indiana Jones, to discover who I am, where I came from, and to help me in my pursuit to find peace, prosperity, and to acquire a deeper concern for the welfare of those less fortunate. Shalom!
Stephen Martyn is enrolled in Elementary Biblical Hebrew at UBC as a continuing studies student.