Between the lines: Reading the Bible in context of Near East history

Religion and politics are bound together historically, if only because both have the power to evoke strong passions from otherwise unemotional people, and that is nowhere more evident than in the American public today.

When it comes to the subject of the Bible (Old Testament), just the thought of discussing questions about who wrote the Bible and what is the true interpretation of Scripture is enough to make any columnist shudder at contemplating the responses.

Needless to say, there are different ways to understand the Bible. Of course each religion and different branches or denominations within our faith traditions possess a wide variety of viewpoints. Furthermore, how often does the average reader of the Bible explore earlier religious writings coming out of the Ancient Near East, writings that either preceded or followed the period in which the books of the Bible were edited and compiled?

Recently I had such an opportunity to discuss this very subject with the high school students at Heritage Academy on Hilton Head Island. The academy is a private school whose special emphasis is to educate young people from all over the world who aspire to excel in sports and the arts. The teachers refer to their sports or other activities they pursue alongside their academics as their passions.

I visited with students in Sarah Hobson's world religions and Ted Zawacki's world history classes; they had recently finished studying some of the world's classics in Ancient Near Eastern religions. They also had studied the ancient literature of Sumer and Egypt, as well as the religions of Asia such as Buddhism and Hinduism. They studied the "Epic of Gilgamesh," which contains a version of the Babylonian Flood story that is much older than the Bible's version. We also discussed the Babylonian creation story and contrasted it with the account of creation in Genesis.

To study the Bible in the context of Ancient Near Eastern history requires a completely different mind-set. The teachers already understand that their role is not to advocate any one interpretation as the correct one. The mystery is to what degree did these earlier documents from outside civilizations influence or not the development of the narratives, legal portions or history that one can find inside the pages of the Hebrew Bible?

Most of the students do not regularly attend houses of worship. Some have a religious identity and others do not. When I asked them, "How many of your parents expect you to attend worship services?" only two students raised their hands. Does that reflect more about the secular nature of our society today?

At the same time a historical document means taking a neutral position, in contrast to the status most religious communities assign to their Scriptures. We need to recognize that the Bible was written over a period of almost 800 years, and that incorporates such diverse types of literature as law codes, history books, love poems and collections of proverbial wisdom.

We should not underestimate the impact of the Bible on Western Civilization particularly in the visual and literary arts. When we read the Bible, we are not only reading Scripture with the context of our respective religious traditions whether it be Judaism, Christianity or even Islam. We also should consider that what we read and how we interpret it comes upon layers of tradition that have informed us and guided us to understand the truth of what the Bible is trying to say to us in our time.

This is why it is important to consider the ancient world as one more layer of tradition that can help us to understand what ancient Israelite culture was trying to teach its people about their purpose and their ethics in the world they lived in. I do not believe it diminishes their understanding and appreciation for the Bible. On the contrary, it may strengthen it, and particularly when we consider how many of our students do not study the Bible as part of a religious discipline. By doing so it is a first step for many students to explore their own religious heritage and grow in knowledge and learning to the point where they might embrace a faith tradition that is comfortable for them.

In a time when so much tumult exists around religion, studying the Bible in its ancient historical setting can provide a common ground for sharing rather than engaging in polemics that divide us.

Rabbi Brad L. Bloom is the rabbi at Congregation Beth Yam on Hilton Head Island. He can be reached at 843-689-2178.