Okay, there is a lot of debate, especially in the Christian camp about Judaism.
Let’s see if we can talk about it.
One of the claims of supremacy mindset and so on, comes from people reading the Talmud.
What is the Talmud, did anyone even think about that, and how is it studied?
Now, I come from a Neoplatonic perspective. I am a Neoplatonist philosopher.
One of the things I have done a lot, is to try and figure out the roots of European and Middle East culture. I have read about the Phoenicians, the Mycenenans (an off shoot of the Phoenicians), the Romans of cause, the Egyptian. All in all I have been a major geek, when it comes to history of ideas. It’s a unique Danish tradition, that goes back to a philosopher called Grundtvig.
One of the MAJOR centres of civilization was Babylon, that most people know because of the biblical story of said polis.
It was major center of civilization for thousands of years. They made, more or less, what today is thought of as political science, mediated through Plato and Aristotle.
A MAJOR centre of civilization.
The problem is, we have almost no written sources left directly from Babylon when it comes to true ideas of civilization, except for one; the Talmud.
Disregarding the Talmud is essentially barbarism, it’s a unique gem of ideas and principles directly from one of the main sources of civilization.
Add to this, the way it is used in the Yeshivas (the rabbi schools), is by EVERYONE disagreeing on EVERYTHING. One of my friends and fellow study pal, said, that this is what makes us improve our intelligence, by forcing reflection at the rabbis schools. So when you finish school, you have been educated in one of the main sources to human civilization, at the height of said city, by DISAGREEING with all of it.
Now don’t get me wrong, there is arrogance and corruption in the Jewish societies. It’s right, but not understanding the Talmud is just not fair.
It’s a shining gem of ideas and lore in that book, and it fosters reflection and intelligence.
We are not perfect, but we sure definitely not evil.
G-d bless the truth of the ancients.
