History

The first stop on this leg of our adventure is the city of Istsnbul. This city is literally dripping with history. There are early Roman ruins, Christian churches, Muslim mosques, and a Turkish palace. This rich tradition reminds me to think upon the Biblical Heritage class I am currently taking. How did the Israelites view history?

In some ways it seems like the Israelites have a very linear view of history. History of man begins with the creation, next comes the fall, then the calling of Abraham, and the founding of Israel. In another sense, history is seen as eternal. God has existed forever. There was no beginning and there will be no ending to God. In many ways Jewish history can be seen as cyclical. There are patterns of human behavior that are consistently repeated. Israel is consistently turning from God and God is consistently drawing Israel back to himself. It seems that the Israelites themselves did not always recognize the cyclical nature of their history. They forgot the sins of their past and kept making the same mistakes.

This understanding of history is true in many ways. History is linear, moving from one event to the next. God is eternal. History is repeating itself. This view of history is also relevant for how we live today. We should understand the events and patterns of the past in order to gain a better perspective of the future.