Israel and the Nations: A Structuralist Survey

Abstract

Structuralist analysis of genealogies in Genesis demonstrates that ideological closeness is indirectly proportional to genealogical closeness. Thus, those nations which are most closely related to Israel are portrayed as being the most ideologically negative. This article examines how these nations are portrayed in Talmudic texts. Structuralist theory suggests that while there may be transformations in ideological content due to changes in cultural context, the basic underlying structure of relations and categorization should remain constant. It is demonstrated here that the ideological understanding of other nations found in the Talmud reflects the same underlying structure. The most strongly negative nations in the Talmud are Edom and Amalek who are genealogically closest to Israel (being brother and brother's son, respectively). These terms, however, are no longer attached to their original peoples. Edom is used to represent Rome and Amalek represents archetypal evil. Other more genealogically distant nations are progressively less ideologically negative. One additional point is the transformation of the attitude toward Ishmael. Ishmael becomes more ideologically negative, in line with his additional cultural significance. It is suggested that with this transformation in ideology there is a concurrent transformation in genealogical position.