Learned Ignorance. Chapter Six: Chosenness and the Exclusivity of Truth by Reuven Firestone. This book is written by Rabbi Reuven Firestone, “professor of medieval Judaism and Islam at Hebrew Union College in Los Angeles and founding co-director of the Center for Muslim –Jewish Engagement” (p. X) Author of any books related to the interreligious dialogue between Jews and Muslims. He participated in the third interreligious dialogue it was called Learned Ignorance and was held in Jerusalem in June of 2007. This Chapter six “Chosenness and the Exclusivity of Truth” was the discussed by Rabbi Firestone at the conference. In this conference he is talking about the monotheism and the monotheistic religions that have embraced the concept of chosenness.
Firestone begins this chapter talking about his experience in Jerusalem coexisting with Jews and Muslims together in the early spring of 1970. Then he is talking about “what does it mean to be chosen?” (p. 108). “To chose is to limit in some way. It is an act of identifying, of distinguishing, of separating… The act of choosing immediately establishes a preference. The chosen is different than the others” (ibid). “If being chosen is generally a good thing, consider being chosen by God. This nature of chosenness- its implied superiority- has been glorified by religious civilizations when in positions of imperial power, just as it has sustained religious communities suffering persecution” (ibid). Also, “The special relationship is coupled in virtually every case with responsibilities to engage in certain behaviors, and with prohibitions against other behaviors. Most simply being, chosen restricted freedom” (p. 113). According to Firestone, this chosenness is viewed as a characteristic of the monotheistic religions that believe their gods chose them and for that reason became special people.
Firestone describes the stories of how God chose the Jews and also “a famous story in Islamic tradition about a fateful choice for human sacrifice.” (p. 109). Throughout the story we read how Abdullah the father of the greatest prophet in Islamic tradition Prophet Muhammad, was redeemed. “This story expresses well the ambivalence associated with chosenness” (p. 111). Also I was impacted for the similarities between the stories founded in the Bible and Qur’an: First, the grandfather of Muhammad had the “requirement to sacrifice his son by the authority of the deity parallels that of Abraham (Gen. 22, Q. 37:109-113).” Also the similarities between Abdulla and Isaac or “Muhammad, like his parallel in the Biblical narrative, Jacob was the founder of a great nation” (ibid). We cannot forget the stories of Hagar and Ismael and the divine support to them.
Firestone also, describes the major monotheistic religions that have taken the title of the chosenness or chosen people and describes the reasons why they did. Jewish were chosen according the early Hebrew Biblical expressions of chosenness and the customs of ancient Near Eastern religious. Christians declared they were chosen by God according to teachings of the New Testament. “Rabbinic Jewish chosenness is particularist and elitist… because Rabbinic Jewish never became a religion of empire” (p. 124) through the Talmud. “So the Scriptural nature of the Talmud emerged gradually and only became a doctrinal expectation for most Jews in the seventh and eighth century” (p. 122). And the last group Islamic, “Islamic emerged “claiming its own expressions of chosenness. Islam nevertheless developed its own elitism (p. 125). We cannot forget their prophet is Muhammad and their sacred book is Qur’an.
Firestone gives very good support to his point about monotheism and chosenness. He gives a deep explanation about chosenness and its origin in the ancient world and explained why the gods had the power and authority to choose their people. Another interesting point is the comparison that Firestone does of the best practices and religious success and the business practices, in both worlds, these best practices are imitated, and it could cause anxiety and “the resultant anxiety can grow to the point of violence” (p. 119). That is the reason because I liked how Rabbi Reuven Firestone concluded this chapter. He first describes each of these monotheistic religions and its reasons because they have that position of chosenness and exclusivity. Also he recognizes all the tensions originated for that position of chosenness of each of these religions. What criteria can one distinguish a single ‘real’ truth from among the various truth claims? How is it possible to isolate only one right among the multitudes of wrong? Firestones says: “there is the alternative option, which consists of humbly sharing our unique perspectives and, without discarding our own particular religious systems, listening to and hearing the perspectives of our comrades on the march to the Ultimate” (p. 125). I believe this is a good conclusion to show there is an alternative position: to be humble and respect each other all the time.
