1994

A few months ago I lectured at a symposium in Bern in Switzerland on the theme ‘Kann von einer “israelitischen Religion” noch weiterhin die Rede sein?’ (‘Is it still possible to speak of an “Israelite religion”?’). The subtitle of the lecture was ‘Aus der perspektive eines Historikers’ (‘From a historian's point of view’). My answer was ‘yes and no’ at the same time. It is still possible to speak of an Israelite religion, although the only place this religion should be sought is in the Old Testament. No: Israelite religion, as it is described by the authors of the Old Testament, is quite different from the religions present in Palestine during the so-called Old Testament period. The Old Testament does not describe a religion that could be found in Palestine in ancient times; rather, Israelite religion must be studied in the light of later Jewish sentiment. One could also put it in the following manner: in the field covered by Old Testament scholars, two religions are likely to exist side by side. On the one hand, there is the biblical religion, a literary form of religion which is usually considered to be a true expression of ancient Israelite religion. On the other hand, we have a variety of west Asian religion, which Old Testament writers hardly ever allow to speak for itself, but which, instead, is mostly described in desultory terms and heavily criticized as religious abuse.