2009
ISSUE 72 | 79
EXCERPTS OF NEW BOOKS BY HUC-JIR FACULTY | EXCERPTS OF NEW BOOKS BY HUC-JIR FACULTY
nomenon of chosenness, Reuven Firestone ex-
plores the idea of covenant, and the expressions
of supersessionism as articulated through the
scriptures of the three major monotheistic reli-
gions: Judaism, Christianity and Islam. He
explores how and why the ongoing competition
and friction between these religions came about,
and offers thoughts about how to overcome it.
Choosing is something we do every day,
from our choice of what to wear in the morn-
ing to our decision at the end of the day to
turn out the light rather than read that next
chapter. Choosing is an ordinary act. We
choose which seat we prefer on the bus, which
route to take to work, which pen to use to
write this paragraph. To choose is to select
something freely and after consideration.
When a person chooses, that person shows a
preference for one thing over something else.
Choosing is also limiting. It is an act of
identifying, of distinguishing, of separating.
Although it is possible to choose “a few”
rather than one, it is understood generally
as singling out. The act of choosing immedi-
ately establishes a hierarchy. What is chosen
is somehow different than the others. Usually,
that difference represents a higher location on
the ladder. It can also mean choosing a loser,
of course, but that would be unintentional;
when you make a choice, you hope you are
choosing a winner. Being chosen, therefore,
would appear to be a special and positive sta-
tus that places the chosen over and above the
non-chosen.
If being chosen is generally a good
thing, consider being chosen by God. Jews,
Christians, and Muslims – all three families
of monotheistic religions – claim in one way
or another to be God’s chosen community.
Christian theologians have sometimes re-
ferred to God’s choosing for special favor as
“
election.” Whether called chosenness or
election, the special nature of that divinely
authorized status – its presumed superiority
–
has been glorified by religious civilizations
when in positions of imperial power, and it
has sustained religious communities suffer-
ing persecution. It has also made believers
uncomfortable at times, especially in places
where democracy, equality, and freedom are
considered defining categories…
In his 1828
American Dictionary of the
English Language,
Noah Webster used bibli-
cal language to support most of his
definitions. For his definition of
choose,
he in-
cludes, “To elect for eternal happiness; to
predestinate to life.” He cites Matthew
22:14, “
Many are called but few chosen,”
and Mark 13:20, “For his elect’s sake, whom
he hath chosen.” This is a big jump from
choosing between your beige or navy
slacks…
Those of us who live deeply within one
of the three families of monotheism tend to
accept the assumption of chosenness that is
articulated within it at one level or another.
It is good to believe that we live according to
the will of God, and there is certainly nothing
wrong about believing that we will receive
divine reward for our religious activities or be-
liefs. For many of us, these beliefs represent
deep and abiding aspects of who we are and
what our purpose in life is. If we lived entirely
within our religious communities and with no
interaction with people of other faith tradi-
tions, we would most likely not give the
notion of being chosen a second thought. But
we live in a multireligious world and bump up
against people and situations that sometimes
challenge our religious assumptions. This is es-
pecially true when we hear believers in
different faith traditions articulating the deep
and abiding belief that
they
belong to God’s
chosen. That would imply that we do not.
Can more than one be chosen? What about
those of other faiths who seem so certain? Can
a religious tradition that expects or requires
different beliefs or behaviors than our own
also
represent God’s will as surely as our own?
Unless we cut ourselves off entirely from
interacting with anyone outside our religious
communities, we cannot avoid this kind of
cognitive dissonance. Knowing something
about how and why the notion of chosenness
has become so important in the monotheis-
tic traditions can be useful because it can help
us navigate between our own beliefs and those
of others, and it can help us make sense of our
own unique place in a complex world.
At some deep level there is a lot at stake
in being chosen – or not being chosen. Web-
ster’s definition shows that chosenness is
associated with scripture, with happiness and
even eternal life, and with a divine sense of
order. It remains for us to try to understand
how and why the concept of preference of one
person or people over others became so im-
portant in religion.
We will embark on this quest by travel-
ing through the histories of emergence of
Judaism, Christianity, and Islam and the
early interaction between the believers in
these religious traditions. And we will exam-
ine the scriptures of each as well.
(
Reprinted with permission of Skylight Paths Pub-
lishing,
is Professor of Medieval Jewish and
Islamic Studies at HUC-JIR in Los An-
geles and is a Senior Fellow of the Center for Religion and Civic Culture at the
University of Southern California. He is co-director of the Center for Muslim-Jewish
Engagement, a joint project of HUC-JIR, USC, and the Omar Ibn Al-Khattab Foun-
dation. His publications include
Who Are the Real Chosen People? The Meaning of
Chosenness in Judaism, Christianity and Islam; An Introduction to Islam for Jews;
Jews, Christians, Muslims in Dialogue: A Practical Handbook,
with Leornard Swidler
and Khalid Duran;
Jews, Christians, Muslims in Dialogue: A Practical Handbook,
with Leornard Swidler and
Khalid Duran;
Children of Abraham: An Introduction to Judaism for Muslims; Jihad: The Origin of Holy War
in Islam;
and
Journeys in Holy Lands: The Evolution of the Abraham-Ishmael Legends in Islamic Exegesis.
Dr. Reuven Firestone
