P E R S P E C T I VAS - Princeton Theological Seminary

More documents

Recommendations

Info

Perspectivas/Occasional Papers • Fall 2006Perspectivas/Occasional Papers • Fall 2006lacks basic resources and full benefits in the host community.Therefore, they experience economic poverty, social vulnerability,political marginalization, religious subordination, and culturaldistance or non-assimilation. 2Legal traditions in the book of Deuteronomy recognize residentaliens as part of the larger community as one of the vulnerablegroups in society, and expect them to conform to Israelite socialand cultural rules:But the seventh day is a Sabbath to the Lord your God;you shall not do any work- you, or your son or yourdaughter, or your male or female slave, or your ox oryour donkey, or any of your livestock, or the residentalien in your towns, so that your male and female slavemay rest as well as you (Deut. 5:14).Every seventh year, in the scheduled year of remission,during the festival of booths… you shall read this lawbefore all Israel in their hearing. Assemble the peoplemen,women, and children, as well as the aliens residingin your towns, so that they may hear and learn tofear the Lord your God and to observe diligently allthe words of this law… (Deut. 31:10, 12).There are laws that call for social solidarity and promote moralresponsibility to provide for the material needs of resident aliens.(Deut. 14:22-29; 16:9-12, 13-15; 24:17-18, 19-22; and 26:12-15):Every third year you shall bring out the full tithe ofyour produce for that year, and store it within yourtown; the Levites, because they have no allotment orinheritance with you, as well as the resident aliens, theorphans, and the widows in your towns, may come andeat their fill so that the Lord your God may bless you inall the work that you undertake (Deut. 14:28-29).28When you reap your harvest in your field and forget asheaf in the field, you shall not go back to get it; it shallbe left for the alien, the orphan, and the widow, so thatthe Lord your God may bless you in all your undertakings.When you beat your olive trees, do not stripwhat is left; it shall be for the alien, the orphan, and thewidow. When you gather the grapes of your vineyard,do not glean what is left; it shall be for the alien, theorphan, and the widow. Remember that you were aslave in the land of Egypt; therefore I am commandingyou to do this (Deut. 24:19-22).When you have finished paying all the tithe of yourproduce in the third year (which is the year of thetithe), giving it to the Levites, the aliens, the orphans,and the widows, so that they may eat their fill withinyour towns, then you shall say before the Lord yourGod: “I have removed the sacred portion from thehouse, and I have given it to the Levites, the residentaliens, the orphans, and the widows, in accordancewith your entire commandment that you commandedme…” (Deut.26:12-13).These legal traditions also promote a moral consciousness anda public practice that secure some minimal standard for the wellbeing and some minimal rights to resident aliens: 3I charge your judges at that time: “Give the membersof your community a fair hearing, and judge rightlybetween one person and another, whether citizen orresident alien” (Deut. 1:16).You shall not withhold the wages of poor and needylaborers, whether other Israelites or aliens who residein your land in one of your towns. You shall pay them29
Perspectivas/Occasional Papers • Fall 2006Perspectivas/Occasional Papers • Fall 2006their wages daily before sunset, because they are poorand their livelihood depends on them; otherwise theymight cry to the Lord against you, and you wouldincur guilt (Deut. 24:14-15).You shall not deprive a resident alien or an orphan ofjustice; you shall not take a widow’s garment inpledge. Remember that you were a slave in Egypt andthe Lord your God redeemed you from there; thereforeI command you to do this (Deut. 24:17-18).There are at least four incentives given to follow these policiesin relation to the resident aliens: a) first, the love and concern ofGod for the resident alien; b) second, the empathy and solidaritythat former slaves and aliens should have; c) the potential blessingfor obeying God’s law; and finally, d) the avoidance of divinecurse:For the Lord your God is God of gods and Lord oflords, the great God, mighty and awesome, who is notpartial and takes no bribe, who executes justice for theorphan and the widow, and who loves the strangers,providing them food and clothing. You shall also lovethe stranger, for you were strangers in the land ofEgypt (Deut. 10:17-20).“Cursed be anyone who deprives the alien, theorphan, and the widow of justice.” All the people shallsay, “Amen!” (Deut. 27:19).Some aspects of the Deuteronomy’s theological worldview canbe resources for a theological reflection on the dignity and rightsof immigrants. For example, God is concerned with the materialwell-being and physical survival of vulnerable groups, includingresident aliens. God commands fair treatment and justice in legal30and labor matters for them. God loves the strangers and demandsfrom Israel a similar attitude and commitment to them. Israel, ashost society and majority group, is called to integrate, respect andengage in practices that guarantee minimal rights and the life ofvulnerable resident aliens. Israel is expected to exercise an ethicsof solidarity and care for their subordinate and vulnerable groups.But these concerns for resident aliens do not mean that all foreignersand resident aliens are perceived and treated like equals instatus, privileges, rights, and responsibilities. Some foreigners areoff limits but some resident aliens are selectively recognized andrespected:No Ammonite or Moabite shall be admitted to theassembly of the Lord… You shall never promotetheir welfare or their prosperity as long as you live(Deut. 23:2, 6).You shall not abhor any of the Edomites, for they areyour kin. You shall not abhor any of the Egyptians,because you were an alien (ger) residing in their land.The children of the third generation that are born tothem may be admitted to the assembly of the Lord(Deut. 23:7, 8).The justice and care that these laws talk about do not envisiona project of equality and inclusiveness in economic, social, politicaland religious terms. These laws imply the acceptance of thesubordinate and vulnerable status and some of them work with anegative stereotype of these foreigner groups:You shall not eat anything that dies of itself; you maygive it to the aliens residing in your towns for them toeat, or you may sell it to a foreigner. For you are a peopleholy to the Lord your God (Deut. 14: 21).31
Page 1 and 2: H I S P A N I C T H E O L O G I C A
Page 3 and 4: CONTENTSThe 2006 HTI Summer Worksho
Page 5 and 6: FROM THE EDITORU.S. Latina/o theolo
Page 7: Perspectivas/Occasional Papers •
Page 10 and 11: Perspectivas/Occasional Papers •
Page 56 and 57: HTI DISSERTATION SERIES COLLECTIONI
Page 58: Perspectivas/Occasional Papers •

P E R S P E C T I VAS - Princeton Theological Seminary

You also want an ePaper? Increase the reach of your titles

Delete template?

Save as template?