Hillel sponsors bagel lunch, lecture

Herbert Marks, adjunct associate professor of religious and Jewish studies, outlined the major issues concerning kingship in ancient Israel over a bagel lunch at the Helene G. Simon Hillel Center Wednesday afternoon.\nMarks explored the historical problems of kingship in ancient Israel, drawing upon the Bible to illustrate his points, although he pointed out that the book may be historically inaccurate.\n"The Bible is a great literary work," he said. "It is the greatest in Western literature. It is unsurpassed in its sophistication, irony and complexity. However, it was written centuries after the fact by writers who were trying to further ideological agendas, making it difficult to use for historical references."\nThe lecture focused on the biblical justification of kingship, focusing on the three kings of Israel: Saul, Solomon and David. Although the historical accuracy of the Bible can be questioned, the existence of these kings cannot, Marks said.\n"There is little reason to be skeptical that David, Solomon and Saul existed," he said. "Scholars are almost unanimous in that opinion."\nMarks said the primary issue for the authors of the Bible was how to justify kingship. In Jewish tradition prior to the rise of Saul, God was regarded as the king of Israel. \nBut Israel was following the mold of other ancient civilizations when it adopted dynastic rule, Marks said. The increasing complexity of civilizations precluded the social stratification that resulted in monarchy. These rulers claimed divine right, as can be observed in Biblical references.\n"The kings of Israel were anointed, not coronated," Marks said. "This implied a divine right to rule."\nHe added that some biblical texts might have been used in royal proceedings.\n"Psalm 110 may have been used when kings were coronated, or perhaps at an annual ceremony," he said. "It refers to the Lord speaking to the lord, or king, once again referring to divine right to rule."\nMarks concluded that the Bible passages concerned with kingship served both a religious and political purpose.\n"These passages are a compromise between the secular and political," he said. "By justifying kingship while warning of the perils of poor leadership it compromises between God and man as king."\nProfessor of History Irving Katz said Marks' lecture clearly addressed a controversial issue.\n"This was a brilliant encapsulation of information," Katz said. "And it dealt with a very controversial topic among scholars in an informative, unbiased way."\nMarks was not originally slated to deliver the lecture. James Ackerman, professor emeritus of religious studies, was scheduled to lecture but canceled due to illness. \nThe bagel lunches are sponsored by the Jewish Studies Student Association. Senior Jonathan Lipnick, a member of the JSSA, said these events are intended to encourage further learning about Jewish studies and issues.