Music Monday: Psalm 53 (Aramaic)
Following on from last week’s post, here is some more Aramaic chant. This is sung by Assyrian Eastern Orthodox Archimandrite Serafim and is the text of Psalm 53:
Matrilineal Judaism?
I recently read an article by Taylor Marshall, the author of the excellent book, The Crucified Rabbi. In this article, he shares with his readers that he has recently discovered that he has Jewish ancestry. Towards the end of his post, he addressed a concept which I’ve heard throughout my life, but to which I have never really given much thought. This is the idea that Judaism is matrilinial, that you’re considered a Jew if either you are a convert or your mother is Jewish.
This belief seems to be first officially found in the Mishnah, the Second Century codification of Jewish Oral Tradition. I did a little bit of research and found out that matrilinialism is still officially upheld by Orthodox Jews. In contrast, Karaite Judaism holds a patrilinial belief, saying that Judaism comes through the father, and Reformed Jewish groups favour a bilinial stance, saying that you’re Jewish if either parent is Jewish.
In his article, Dr. Marshall presents a number of very compelling Biblical examples to show that Judaism can’t be matrilinial:
1. The tribes of Ephraim and Manesseh
These were the sons of the patriarch Joseph and the heads of two tribes of Israel. Their mother was an Egyptian, the daughter of an Egyptian priest. If Judaism is matrilinial, that would exclude a sizable portion of the Twelve Tribes of Israel!
2. Moses
He married and had children with a Cushite (non-Israelite) woman.
3. David
We read in the genealogy of David of his grandfather Obed. He was the child of Boaz and Ruth who was a Moabite. If Judaism is matrilinial, Obed was not Jewish and, by extension, neither was King David!
I’ve seen some writers respond to these arguments by saying that the Jewish people (“a kingdom of priests, a holy nation”) only begin at Sinai with the giving of the Law. Other explanations say that the conversion of the foreign wife to Judaism is assumed even if the biblical text sees no need to explicitly narrate it.
However, as a Catholic, it doesn’t really matter whether Judaism is matrilinial or not, since every Catholic has a Jewish mother, Mary the Theotokos! As Pope Pius XII said in 1938 to a group of Belgian pilgrims, “Spiritually, we are Semites”.
Fr Ed: Friend of Fulton Sheen, Former Alcoholic, Priest of Mercy
We are approaching the end of the Year Of Mercy. It’s officially ending on 20th November 2016. Because of this, I thought it was an appropriate time to share this video of Fr. Ed Thompson who was a friend of the great Archbishop Fulton Sheen:
Friday Frivolity: Keep it shut
TED Talk: Karen Gaffney
Since I quit Netflix, I’ve been binge-watching TED talks instead:
Wise Words on Wednesday: In need of prayer
“Every one of us needs half an hour of prayer each day, except when we are busy—then we need an hour.”
– St. Francis de Sales *
* Although this quotation is commonly attributed to him, I can’t actually track down any primary source with this quotation. Still, it’s good advice 🙂
Catholic Answers Summer
As many of you know, I recently moved back from Seattle to my old stomping ground of sunny San Diego. Unfortunately, I didn’t manage to get back in time for the Catholic Answers Summer Series where the speakers from the local apologetics apostolate give talks at different parishes around the Diocese. Fortunately, they’re available online!
Tim Staples: Behold your mother, Defending your faith
Jimmy Akin: Understanding the Book of Revelation
Karlo Broussard: Defending truth in a relativastic culture, God still matters
Patrick Coffin: Apologetics for chickens
Christopher Check: The Galileo Affair