in the year twentyfive twentysix twentyseven twen

One
of the
tasks taken up
by ShaulPaulinism
and other movements in early Christianity
was the creation of an ideological framework
based upon this concept
of freedom from
the law.

In
the course
of Christianity's history,
the superstructure has changed.
On the whole, however, it has had to remain because this "liberalism"
is an intrinsic characteristic of European civilization. Had Christianity spread first to the eastern
Asiatic regions, it would have developed specific ritual & ceremonial practices based on the Jewish law in
order to become a genuine religion in that part of the world. It would be a mistake, therefore, not to re-cognize the unease experienced by many Christian thinkers and scholars. They have felt obliged to deal with the fact that the founder of their religion was a Jew, faithful to the law,
who never had to face the necessity
of adapting his Judaism
to the European
way of
life.

For
Yeshu there
was, of course,
the peculiar problem
of his relationship to the law
and its precepts, but
this arises for every
believing Jew
who takes his
Judaism
seriously.

There
are rabbinic
texts that enter into
the same contest ~ not, of course,
the contest between the "orthodox" and
the "heretics" in Christendom, but between the rabbinic Jews,
the "orthodox," & the Christian "heretics," precisely on the question of martyrdom.
Martyrdom was taken as a sign of divine grace and favor, and both rabbinic Jews and Christians contended for the martyr's crown. In rabbinic tradition, these texts seem to center
on the emblematic figure of Rabbi Akiva, the first and model martyr.
Here is another text that, depicting a scene of shared martyrdom,
like that of the Phrygians and the orthodox in Eusebius,
portrays a confrontation between Rabbi Akiva
and a certain Papos
ben Yehuda:
[Shamma
Boyarin has
demonstrated convincingly
that although Rabbi Akiva objects strenuously
to certain midrashic interpretations of this figure,
there seem to be no doctrinal or even hermeneutical reasons for his objections.
Indeed, from version to version of the stories, the stances are sometimes reversed,
suggesting that the only objection to Papos's arguments were that he was some sort of heretical figure,
rendering his midrash as suspect, eo ipso, as that of the disciple of Yeshu who met Rabbi Eli'ezer.
This conclusion, idependently reached, supports the interpretation
of this figure that we suggest here.
Shamma Boyarin,
"No Horseplay
Allowed!?"]

Rabbi
Akiva says:
"With all your soul":
Even if he takes
your soul!

Our Rabbis
have taught: Once
the wicked kingdom made a decree
that people should not be occupied with Torah,
and anyone who occupies
himself with Torah
will be stabbed
with a sword.

Papos
the son of Yehudah
came and found Rabbi Akiva sitting and teaching,
gathering crowds in public, [This detail may help suggest further a dating for our narrative:
for it was only after 300 that public assemblies were prohibited!]
& a scroll of the Torah
in his lap!

Papos
said to him:
Akiva, Aren't you afraid of this nation?
He said to him:
You are Papos ben Yehudah of whom they say: "great sage?!"
You are nothing but a dunce.
I will say for you
a parable.

To what
is the matter similar -
to a fox who was walking
on the banks of the sea, and he saw
the fish gathering together. He said to them,
"Why are you gathering?" They said to him,
"Because of the nets and the weirs that people bring to catch us!"
He said to them, "Come up onto the land,
and we will dwell together, I and you,
just as our ancestors
dwelled together!"

They
said to him,
"You are the fox of whom
they say that you are the wisest of animals? You are nothing but a dunce!
If now that we stand in the place of our life it is so [that we are
endangered], in the place of
our death even
more and
more!"

And you also:
If now we sit and study Torah
about which is written,
"FOR IT IS YOUR LIFE
& THE LENGTH OF YOUR DAYS TO DWELL ON THE LAND" [Deut. 30:20]
- and it is so [that we are endangered], if we go and become idle frm it, all the more so!
They have said: Not many days passed before they arrested Rabbi Akiva & chained him in the prison.And they arrested Papos the son of Yehuda
and chained him with him.
He said:
Papos!
What brought you to here?
He said to him:
BLESSED ART THOU, RABBI AKIVA,
FOR YOU HAVE BEEN ARRESTED FOR THE WORDS OF TORAH!
WOE TO PAPOS, WHO HAS BEEN
ARRESTED FOR
superstitio!

The Hebrew
is dvarim batalim "idle matters."
It is used here and in the babylonian talmudic version of the story of Rabbi Eli'ezer
as the name of a charge of which the Romans would accuse one.
There, the charge clearly
consists of Christianity.
The application of the parable
follows in the form of the continuation of the story.
Both the Jewish "fish" and the Roman "fox" end up being hunted and caught by the "men."
The fox, however, now confesses to the fish that he is in worde shape than they,
for his death is meaningless, while
theirs in momentous!

EN HIER
ZITTEN WE GELIJK
ALWEER IN ONZE EIGEN TIJD:
wie de meest belangrijke 'heilige' geschriften
van anderen wil verbieden, verbannen, verscheuren,
verbranden, vernietigen & 'terroriseren' [van wat voor religie,
filosofie, overtuiging of politieke richting dan ook], eindigt met 't martelen & doden van mensen.
"Ze" hebben 'de' joden, christenen & moslims [e.d.] er niet 'onder' gekregen via diaspora's, 'kruistochten'
& allerhande godsdienstoorlogen vele eeuwen lang, niet met slavernij, kolonialisme of gekte dan ook:
wat moeten idioten als Gekke Geertje & Malle Rita {e.v.a.!} zich dan wel niet verbeelden
met hun racistische/fascistische kletspraat a la 'knettergek', 'van de gekken' &
'van de pot gerukt', 'volkomen geschift', Donald Duckerigheid & zotheid
van de Grote Boze Wolf, Oom Dagobert & de Zware Jongens met hun
Walletjes voor de loslopende hele en halve criminele balletjes,
legale & illegale terroristische eenheden van skinheads,
klootjesvolk, janmaat & z'n hiphoppende rappers,
glibbervenen, moonies, rost van tonningen's
zwarte weduwen, KKK/white power~
westerlingen, de musserts & de
mentens, trotse trutten & hun
parmantige pimmetjes vol
eigendunk & waanzin?

Of je nu toevallig
"Volkert of Moe-
hammad" heet
"George W. of
Saddamn H."
............

Let it be
better in
stead of
worse
...


Over
blah
& sui
zeg ik
maar niks
meer net zo
min als over 'n
joeri, rabbij, sop of
patrice, bendelid, anjaa,
floddertokkie flauwekul &
oproepen tot achterdocht &
moord & doodslag, vervloeking
en verdoemenis op duistere gronden,
vuilstortplaatsen, hoogovenkankers en
autosnelwegen, hogesnelheidstreinen, betuwelijnen,
ontpolderingen, vaargeulverdiepingen, nieuwe vliegvelden,
banaal sekstoerisme, vertroste pornozenders, zenuwenmobieltjes,
superthrillers, ramboismes & al die andere van hoge torens blazenden & springers,
zuipketen, puberscheten, veryupte adolescentjes, verrechtste bejaarden, goudenhanddrukkers & hun jarenlange verse vette bolussen, bonussen, voetbalhooligans, koninklijke hoogheden, koopsompolussen & achtbaanswegen, parkeerterreinen, kolossale leegstaande kantoorflats, industrieterreinen
& komende verkiezingen van populistische hamsterend voorthijgende
Big Brothers & Little Sisters, zwarte
markten, witwasserijen
& hoere~
cavia's
...