If you read widely in ancient literature - even in English translations
- I think you will find that ancient authors had no worries about
'racial profiling', or even using stereotypes that even then were
probably known to be inaccurate. Objectivity and avoidance of offence
are modern concerns, and are practically absent from most of history.
Even religious literature is filled with such things. Developments in
our own history have made us squeamish about such things, but we should
not project that squeamishness back onto ancient - or medieval or even
early modern - writers. There are still places in the world where
telling blatant untruths about 'the other' is considered good rhetorical
technique.
I believe the context - literary and cultural - of Ezekiel 16 makes the
euphemistic and 'racial profiling' reading the most likely. Israel is,
after all, being likened rather graphically to a prostitute. Sexual
references and innuendo are hardly foreign to such a context.
Kevin Riley
On 11/01/2013 12:37 PM, Norman Cohn wrote:
Hi, Andronic!
Thanks for the reply.
That’s a very interesting reading! I admit I get a bit uncomfortable
with Ezekiel 16:26. If I read “big of flesh” as an euphemism for the
male intimate parts, just like the NIV and other translations do, I
can hardly avoid the feeling that there’s some racial profiling going on.
However, your interesting reading has the advantage of accounting for
the euphemism while also avoiding the possible racial profiling the
passage would suggest if taken to be referring to the Egyptians
themselves instead of their gods.
So thanks for showing me a new way of reading this passage!
Best regards.
Norman Cohn
SP - Brazil
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