Christopher King shows how the so-called Anti-Defamation League” has misunderstood – or deliberately misinterpreted – the Bible in order to accuse cartoonist Gary Trudeau of anti-Semitism.
"New York, NY, 1 June 2009 ... The Anti-Defamation League (ADL) today released the text of a letter to cartoonist Garry Trudeau concerning his Doonesbury strip of 31 May 2009:
"Dear Mr Trudeau:
"We agree with the numerous people who are contacting us that Sunday's Doonesbury misquotes the Bible, maligns Judaism and promotes a Christian heresy, all within eight panels. It reinforces age-old stereotypes about Judaism that have been the cause of much suffering and pain over the centuries, and which have been rejected by a variety of Christian denominations over the last decades.
"Jesus' concern in the Gospels is with money-changers, not money-lenders. The money-changers converted the coins of the Roman Empire into the currency accepted by the Jerusalem Temple, as money-changers today convert dollars into Euros. To speak of money-lenders harkens back the stereotype of Shylock, when Jews were forced by Christians to engage in usury.
"Christian teaching is clear: the God of the Old Testament is the same God as the God of the New Testament. Doonesbury's Reverend Sloan is guilty of promoting anti-Jewish stereotypes and biblical illiteracy. He owes both Jews and Christians an apology."
Now, I’m going to indulge myself here. As I’ve confessed before, I was brought up as a Christian fundamentalist and have a passing acquaintanceship with the Bible. I just can’t help commenting.
There are three passages in the New Testament (NT) about Jesus throwing the money-changers from the temple. In each, the word normally translated as money-changer transliterates as kollybistē. (Strong’s lexicon No. 2855) The Blue Letter Bible gives an alternative translation as “banker”. Those bankers! And they’re still at it! Alistair Darling should have followed Jesus and taken a rope to their backs (John 2:15) rather than handing out taxpayers’ billions to the swindlers. Anyway, the Anti-Defamation League needs to get its Bible scholarship up to speed.
Nor do Christians teach that the God of the old testament (OT) is the same as the God of the NT. Alternatively, one might say we’ve learned more about Him. Rowan Williams, Archbishop of Canterbury and joint head of the Church of England, says here (paragraph 3):
Jesus works to recreate the people of God, just as the ancient prophets of Israel did; but he extends the boundaries of the people of God to include all nations. The God who once made a 'covenant', an alliance, with the people of Israel, now makes a covenant with all who trust in God because of what Jesus says and does.
Jesus was a Jewish heretic who taught that God loves all men and is interested in behaviour rather than ethnicity. That’s why he was killed. His heresy that the Jews were not God’s chosen people was the worst possible. It undermined at that time the Jewish exclusivity that is so destructive in Palestine right now. Jesus re-discovered and re-interpreted the vision of Pharaoh Amenhotep IV or Akhenaten from whom Moses learned monotheism and made his own interpretation of God’s nature.
Jesus said: “You have heard that the law of Moses says, “Love your neighbour and hate your enemy,” but I say, “Love your enemies!” (Matt: 5.43,4). That’s the real difference. Israelis and their supporters should try it.
Trudeau needs to make no apology. He says it far better than I can.
Christopher King is a retired consultant and lecturer in management and marketing. He lives in London, UK.
