I could see how the Jews would think that Christians and Muslims had expropriated and distorted their teaching. The Christians transformed the Bible into a teaching that was even used to attack the Jews. The Koran is the Bible rewritten according to the religious urges of the Arabic community, and reflects their social and political expansion as well. The whole idea of a book as the Word of God moved from cultural pride to global aggression. At first I couldn’t understand why the Jews were opposed to image worship, which most divides their tradition from the Hindu. Images are part of our artistic expression and are helpful tools for devotion. Image worship may not appeal to everyone, but there is no need to exclude it. And it is quite unenlightened to reject all images as unholy or those who worship them as unspiritual.

However, I discovered an historical reason for the Jewish rejection of image worship. The Jews were a small people that occupied an important trade and military route between two continents, which was a natural battleground for nearby empires. With the larger, more elaborate and imagistic Egyptian and Mesopotamian cultures on either side, the Jews could have been easily assimilated. Their aniconic religion aided in their survival by making them a distinct people and helping them stand apart from their often more materialistic neighbors. Unfortunately this social need got translated into a religious rule that became the basis of religious intolerance, particularly under Christian and Islamic dogma.

 [ Back ] [ David Frawley ] [ Up ] [ Next ]