today—what we call xenophobia. In the
Hebrew Bible, you do not have xenophobia,
you have xenophilia, love of the foreigner.
You treat them equally. Paul repeated this
rhetoric in Romans 5:8 (“While we were yet
sinners, Christ died for us”) and
“Such were some of
you”). Thus, both the Hebrew Bible and the
New Testament teach us to extend the same
love toward others that we ourselves
received from God.
Repentance and Forgiveness
The #MeToo movement really brought to
the surface our deep societal and personal
need to forgive and to be forgiven. And
further, to be released from the guilt that
stems from a lack of forgiveness. If you ask
people, “What would you want from this
person—this man or woman who exploited
people for decades?” Most of us would say
something like, “I want them to publicly
admit that they were wrong.”
Think about the 2015 massacre in
powerful it was when those people from the
church stood in the courtroom and forgave
that young man who killed their loved ones
in their Bible study.
We desperately long for repentance and
forgiveness when something is wrong. That is
a very difficult concept to find in the ancient
world. Try reflecting on the events which took
were implemented by the one true God who
redeemed Israel. He gave the law to give His
people ethical and moral limits that reflect
His holiness and divine character. His code of
law defines sin. We can now understand
when we have done something
wrong, through
what has been
revealed in the
Bible.
Recognizing sin
through the
Dr. Dru Johnson,
August 1, 2019
The following
is an edited
transcript of
the lecture by
Dr. Dru
Johnson of
Kings College,
New York City
on the
importance
and impact of
the Hebrew
Scriptures. The
article is
therefore
written in the
first person
and will
become the
focus of a
longer and
expanded
booklet to be
produced in
M any people do not
appreciate the depth of
the contribution made by
the Jewish people in
providing the world with
shaped our global civilization—especially
the culture and values of Western
nations. Additionally, the Jewish people
further impacted civilization by giving the
New Testament to the world. What other
group of people has contributed so
much through the literature they
produced?
I categorize the shaping of our society
through the impact of the Jewish
First is a general concern for others.
forgiveness. Third is the equality of all
human beings. Fourth is the rule of law.
General Concern for Others
Leviticus is my favorite book of the
Bible. Most of my students have heard
me ask, “Have you ever heard somebody
say, ‘You shall love your neighbor as
yourself’?” Of course, they have heard of
it, and I will ask, “Who said it?”
Many will answer, “Jesus,” but Jesus
said, “Love your neighbor as yourself.”
Jesus said, “For if you love those who
love you, what reward do you have? Do
not even the tax collectors do the same?”
As you keep plowing through
this instruction of Leviticus, just
a few sentences later you arrive
at, “and you shall love the
stranger as yourself.” Why? “For
you were aliens in the land of
Egypt; I am the Lord your God”
fear of foreigners in America
the near
future. when we have
4 The Chosen People | SPECIAL EDITION 2019