Tip-Off #192 – Making sense – by William Green

This is a story from our time. The story is God’s response to human presumption. Political policy and programmes praise themselves. Discuss as we do. This issue requires eternal attention.

Tower of Babel(Genesis 11:1-9) They shared people united in a single language, created their own names, and built towers to avoid dispersal. God confused their language, scattered them all over the earth, and stopped the construction of the tower. The site has become known as Babel, a symbol of language confusion. The story would have been familiar to those who first heard it: God’s linguistic confusion was a known theme in the ancient world.

This ancient story continues to resonate with modern literature. Franz Kafka is often referred to as the modern heir to this story. In his parable, in “The Great Wall and the Tower of Babel,” generations struggle endlessly with projects that do not solve real problems and bring happiness. Even though they recognize that pointlessness, people remain too intertwined to abandon the company.

Generations of interpreters consider the inhabitants of Babel to be foolish. Scholars now disagree and argue that the story criticizes the rogance of the rulers, not the foolishness of the people. Empire power aims for uniformity and imposes a single language and culture. The story is not about human pride or punishment for rebellion, but about preventing humanity from becoming overly centralized and homogenized. By dispersing humanity and creating multiple languages, God overturns attempts to establish monolithic authority, and instead promotes numerous cultures and expressions. In those multiple experiences, we experience God more fully.

God did not choose Jews as Jews, but a blessing to all nations. Similarly, we can say that America is not chosen “first and foremost” but is a light to all nations. God’s intentions were not to argue that Hebrew and English are common languages ​​for the people, but to a variety of languages ​​to prevent artificial unity.

The verb used to multiply the divine language means “mixing” rather than “confusion.” “Dispersion” has a more neutral meaning than “scattering.” God disrupts the construction of the tower and disperses the builders to reject unity. Forced unity is rejected by God.

Robert Alter, a well-known Hebrew biblical scholar, contributes to this understanding through his linguistic analysis. He examines the importance of “bricks” in the construction of towers, noting that the manufactured building materials represent early urban technology. For Alter, the story criticizes the arrogance of urban civilizations, where people try to transcend natural limits through technology. The story features clever wordplay, including the similarity between “brick” and “Babel” that symbolically undermine the structure of the tower. Alter observes that Hebrew prose adopts the “inter-cho” word, creating a mirror effect of language. This is a literary technique that reflects the diversity of language that God creates from a single tongue. In that form, the text celebrates diversity.

Archbishop Desmond Chutu said, “God’s command is not to work for reconciliation, but to “reconciliation.” Our role is not to strive to create ourselves, but to express what is already true. “I’m not my brother’s keeper. I’m my brother’s brother.” You can’t artificially construct brotherly love.

George Orwell’s dystopian novel 1984O’Brien ominously warns Winston Smith, “You’ll hollow. We squeeze you into the sky, and then fill you with yourself.” These manipulative ideologies pose a threat to the individuality that defines our humanity.

Babel’s story ultimately raises questions about division rather than unity. Can something separate us save the day and make us perfect, not cure, in the true sense of healing?

Christians often say that Pentecost is the answer to Babel when the Holy Spirit allows those who speak different languages ​​to understand one another like their native language. And the apostle Paul said, “In Christ there are no Jews or Greek, no men or women, no slaves or freedom, but everything is one body.”

The stories of Pentecost, Paul, and Babel show how separation represents unity. In “The Ethics of the Father,” the Jewish wise asserts this wisdom in a timeless question and answer: “Who is wise? A man who learns from all men.”

These ancient traditions remind us that differences are not intended to be resolved at all times, and are keys that make no sense. Sometimes, others can help us to say what we want to say better.

• Lucas Van Bulkkenboch – “The Tower of Babel” (1568) – Van Valckenborch pioneered realistic landscape paintings in Northern European art in the 16th century. He includes “Nimrods” in the foreground, which is shown as the tower’s commissioner, despite the Nimrods not mentioned in the story of the Biblical Tower. Jewish, Christian and Islamic traditions portray him as a rebellious ruler who led mankind against God. He is mentioned in Genesis 10:8-12 just before the story of Babel.

Genesis – Translation and Commentary -Robert Alter (1996). Alter is American Honor and Comparative Literature in Hebrew at the University of California, Berkeley. He published a translation of the Hebrew Bible in 2018.

Torah – Modern Commentary – W. Gunther Plaut (American Hebrew Congregations Union (1981). shout) He was one of the most famous rabbis in the world. He has written over 20 books on Jewish theology, history and culture. “The Jews have long studied the Torah with the help of the rabbinical commentary, but nothing he has appeared before.”New York Times 2/11/12)

Tip Off #191-No Points

Chip Off #190 – What’s next?

Approx. 2 + 2 = 5