I have followed the conversation about Purim as history very closely and with great interest. I wish I could be comfortable with either result of the conversation, but I would be deeply troubled by the notion that the story never happened. I remember a number of years ago, Rabbi David Wolpe, a conservative Rabbi & a columnist in the Jewish Week started a firestorm by arguing that archaeologists proved that קריעת ים סוף never happened. Some at the time argued that it didn't really matter; that the biblical messages remain either way. I don't think so. To me the stakes of historical reality are high. Fortunately, I also am pretty confident that they actually did happen. The evidence to the contrary, and Mrs. Kahan noted, is usually pretty spotty. Certainly in this case. The only thing I would add to her case is that the story is not particularly flattering to the Persians & their rulers, and we know who wrote the history (though I concede that it is odd that the Megilla notes that the story was recorded in the Persian historical record).
On a related note, I'm currently reading a fascinating book. It is called "The Dawn", by Yoram Hazony of the Shalem Institute in Israel, and it's an analysis of the Megilla from a political perspective. His approach is novel and convincing. I'm only about half way through it, but so far I highly recommend it.
No comments:
Post a Comment