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Jul. 27th, 2010 03:04 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
teddywolfToday I was in my Imperialism class. The discussion went around the pre-modern empires and the notion of tribe. Historical tribe, by my professor's definition, is bound by bonds of blood. He brought up the Jews as the first historical pre-modern empire and, among other things, said that this was based on Jewish tribal notions which had no conversions until the modern era.
I decided I had to speak up at this point. I mentioned we had a strong history of conversions, even though they were less common before the modern era. I brought up Ruth, I brought up the Khazars, and mentioned that a number of converts were notable in our history. He then said, "Then why are you a tribe? You can't be G-d's Chosen People by blood while allowing others to join your tribe, it's not logical." I mentioned the distinction between religiously Jewish and Jewish by birth; he said the notions were still incompatible.
Do bear in mind I like my professor. He makes me think and is academically rigorous.
His definition of tribe is as something immutable, you are born to it or not, or might get forced into it by conflict.
I want to present to him examples of tribes that accepted in outsiders to become "of the tribe". I will be doing some research into this because I want to present it to him - yes, I have been looking. If any of you know of an historical example, off the top of your head, something not involving a marriage or slavery, I would appreciate a pointer. It could be somebody joining a Native American tribe, or brought into a particular African tribe, or a Chinese family, a Germanic village, what-have-you - in fact, the more diverse the better. I want to show that a tribe may have been primarily about blood but also could be something a person chose and, under exceptional circumstances, be accepted into.
Please feel free to signal boost this.
I decided I had to speak up at this point. I mentioned we had a strong history of conversions, even though they were less common before the modern era. I brought up Ruth, I brought up the Khazars, and mentioned that a number of converts were notable in our history. He then said, "Then why are you a tribe? You can't be G-d's Chosen People by blood while allowing others to join your tribe, it's not logical." I mentioned the distinction between religiously Jewish and Jewish by birth; he said the notions were still incompatible.
Do bear in mind I like my professor. He makes me think and is academically rigorous.
His definition of tribe is as something immutable, you are born to it or not, or might get forced into it by conflict.
I want to present to him examples of tribes that accepted in outsiders to become "of the tribe". I will be doing some research into this because I want to present it to him - yes, I have been looking. If any of you know of an historical example, off the top of your head, something not involving a marriage or slavery, I would appreciate a pointer. It could be somebody joining a Native American tribe, or brought into a particular African tribe, or a Chinese family, a Germanic village, what-have-you - in fact, the more diverse the better. I want to show that a tribe may have been primarily about blood but also could be something a person chose and, under exceptional circumstances, be accepted into.
Please feel free to signal boost this.
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Being Chosen
The proper term in Hebrew is {Ahm Segulah}. The best way to translate/explain "Segulah", is by finding another example this root/word is used in, such as the Periodic Table of Elements. In English we speak of the "Specific gravity" of an element, that value which uniquely identifies it (see streaker Archimedes and the Gold Crown). The term for this in Hebrew is {Mishkal S'guli} - that weight/density which is [uniquely] inherent to the element itself.
So as a group we have those innate qualifications to make G-d chose us. Basically, we were the only ones qualified for the "job". Thus Abraham could become, by his behavior, the proto-Jew, and thus so can any non-Jew, who chooses to follow the path of Abraham, also become a Jew, and are in fact referred to as the children of Abraham and Sarah.
In this regard, the transfer of this "innateness" by blood is the "odd" exception - if ones' mindset is limited to the "natural world", and chooses to ignore the metaphysical one.
Re: Being Chosen
Date: 2010-07-28 03:54 am (UTC)Re: Purple People
Date: 2010-07-28 01:32 pm (UTC)You mean you DON'T worship the Ultimate Purple Goodness that is Barney?
Re: Being Chosen
Date: 2010-07-28 03:53 am (UTC)