Palestinian Jesus
Palestinian Jesus is the idea that Jesus can be described as "Palestinian", usually on the basis that he was born in the Palestine region, as a geographical term used by contemporary authors.
Dr. Marguerite Abdul-Masih of Saint Mary's College of California, in her essay Orientalism in Christian Theology states that silence about Jesus's Palestinian identity has a "dire effects on Palestinians".[1]
Proponents[edit]
According to Israeli historian Meir Litvak, asserting Jesus is Palestinian has "virtually become official policy" for the Palestinian Authority, beginning with claims made by Hanan Ashrawi during the Oslo Accord negotiations. Litvak views this as a Palestinian attempt to take credit for Christianity and Western civilization.[2]
PA chairman Yasser Arafat was known for claiming that Jesus was a Palestinian.[3] In his 2013 Christmas address, Mahmoud Abbas declared that Jesus was "Palestinian who brought the good news and became a leader for millions worldwide" and that he strove for Palestinian freedom. An Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesman stated: "Abbas should have read the New Testament more carefully".[4] Palestinian officials replied that Abbas was applying the term "Palestinian" to all residents of the time, irrespective of religion.[5]
In 2019, Muslim activists Ilhan Omar[6] and Linda Sarsour gained media attention for tweeting that Jesus was a Palestinian from Nazareth. Sarsour added that she did not see a contradiction between being of Jewish religion and Palestinian nationality, as she claimed Jesus was.[7] Al Jazeera published an op-ed that described Jesus as a "Jewish Palestinian refugee".[8]
Some pro-Palestinian Christians also hold this belief[clarification needed], speaking of Palestinian Jesus, Palestinian Mary, and Palestinian apostles.[2][9] Some Palestinian Christians have claimed that Jesus was the first Palestinian shahid (martyr), which has also been asserted by Al-Hayat al-Jadida, the official newspaper of the PA. According to Litvak, it was Christians who started the "Palestinian Jesus" idea, which then spread to Muslim Palestinians.[2]
Criticism[edit]
Critics note that the New Testament describes Jesus as a Jew, and allege that the region was not formally called Palestine until more than a century after Jesus' death.[7] The Wiesenthal Center described the NYT's claims as "grotesque".[6]
In an academic review of Susannah Heschel's book, The Aryan Jesus, Rivkah Fishman-Duker wrote that "Both the Aryan Jesus and his Palestinian successor are deliberately torn from the historical context of Second Temple Judaism and the faith which Jesus of Nazareth actually practiced."[10] Litvak states that Palestinian Jesus is an attempt to blur or negate the actual Jewish origins of Jesus.[2]
References[edit]
- ↑ Abdul-Masih, Marguerite (20 June 2014). "Orientalism in Christian Theology". In Paul S Rowe; John H.A. Dyck; Jens Zimmermann. Christians and the Middle East Conflict. Routledge. p. 47. ISBN 978-1-317-80111-5.
However, Jesus was not simply a Jew. He was a Palestinian Jew. There is a silence about Jesus's Palestinian identity. And those who mention Jesus's Palestinian identity hold that his Palestinian identity is theologically irrelevant. Although I do not say that the stance is intentional or malicious, nevertheless, it has dire effects on Palestinians. The above mindset reveals interesting suppositions about history and culture, not to mention power relations.
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- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 Litvak, Meir (2009). "Constructing a national past: the Palestinian case". In Litvak, Meir. Palestinian Collective Memory and National Identity. Springer. pp. 118–119. ISBN 978-0-230-62163-3. Search this book on
- ↑ "UK newspaper: Jesus was a Palestinian". Ynetnews. 25 December 2006. Retrieved 8 July 2019.
- ↑ "Nahost: Abbas erntet Spott für „palästinensischen Jesus"". Die Welt. 25 December 2013.
- ↑ Associated Press (December 23, 2013). "Abbas: Jesus was a 'Palestinian messenger'". Ynetnews.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 "Wiesenthal Center: 'Grotesque' for Omar, NYT to Say Jesus Was Palestinian". Jewish Journal. 22 April 2019. Retrieved 8 July 2019.
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 "Linda Sarsour tweets that Jesus was Palestinian and Twitter goes crazy". Jewish Telegraphic Agency. 7 July 2019. Retrieved 27 December 2019.
- ↑ Dabashi, Hamid. "Remember: Christ was a Palestinian refugee". Al Jazeera. Retrieved 8 July 2019.
- ↑ Stalder, Will (2015). Palestinian Christians and the Old Testament: History, Hermeneutics, and Ideology. Augsburg Fortress. pp. 235–237. ISBN 978-1-4514-8214-0. Based on a 2012 PhD dissertation at the University of Aberdeen. Search this book on
- ↑ Fishman-Duker, Rivkah (2009). "Nazis for Jesus/Jesus for Nazis". Jewish Political Studies Review. 21 (3/4): 208. ISSN 0792-335X.
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