The ‘foreigner in our midst’ and the Hebrew Bible

Loading...
Thumbnail Image

Authors

De Villiers, Gerda

Journal Title

Journal ISSN

Volume Title

Publisher

AOSIS Open Journals

Abstract

On account of xenophobia, which seems to be a worldwide phenomenon, this article examines the issue of the ‘foreigner in our midst’ and approaches the problem from an Old Testament perspective. Firstly an overview is given on the concepts of ethnicity and group identity, and then two opposing groups of texts are briefly analysed: those that convey an exclusivist attitude and those that are more open and inclusive in their outlook. Consequently, the contexts in which these texts originated are examined. It appears that both groups, the exclusivists and the inclusivists, share the same religious convictions, namely the worship of YHWH, the God of Israel. The article concludes by urging caution when using the Bible in order to address complex social and political issues in contemporary societies.

Description

This research is part of the project ‘The Book of Ruth and Contemporary Issues’, directed by Dr Gerda de Villiers, Department of Old Testament Studies, Faculty of Theology and Religion, University of Pretoria.

Keywords

Xenophobia, Foreigner, Religious convictions, Bible, Hebrew Bible, Social inclusion, Ancient Israel, Community

Sustainable Development Goals

Citation

De Villiers, G., 2019, ‘The “foreigner in our midst” and the Hebrew Bible’, HTS Teologiese Studies/ Theological Studies 75(3), a5108. https://DOI.org/10.4102/hts.v75i3.5108.