Journal: Tyndale Bulletin
Volume: TYNBUL 39:1 (NA 1988)
Article: ‘A Tale Of Two Cities’ - Nationalism In Zion And Babylon
Author: Deryck C. T. Sheriffs

TynBul 39:1 (1988) p. 19

‘A Tale Of Two Cities’ - Nationalism In Zion And Babylon

Deryck C. T. Sheriffs

The Tyndale Old Testament Lecture, 1986

Introduction

There are many forms of nationalism. Johannes Degenaar lists eight varieties of nationalism including constitutional, revolutionary, pan- and racial nationalism in a paper on ‘Philosophical Roots of Nationalism’.1 ‘Nationalism’ thus defies a fixed definition, as does ‘nation’ or ‘race’, and takes on colour from its historical and cultural setting. ‘Nationalism’ is an ideology, that is a set of ideas used to express a nation’s aspirations by an influential group within it. It may draw on feelings of ancestry, kinship, shared history, language, homeland, and sense of destiny. An ideology does not have to be logically consistent or factually true to function. It may be based on myth in both senses of the word.2 On the other hand, an ideology is not necessarily a form of ‘false consciousness’, and I shall attempt to use the words ‘ideology’ and ‘nationalism’ as neutrally as possible in the rest of this paper.

‘Nationalism’ consciously attempts to transcend tribalism. It is not the ideology of separate clans, tribes, villages or cities as such, but an ideology which attempts to unify these elements in a greater whole, the nation-state. In our times, physical objects such as flags, coins, and the central political buildings carry the symbolic message of nationalism, as do rituals such as singing the national anthem, parades carrying the flag, or ceremonies at the opening of government buildings.

The capital city therefore plays a special role in the rituals of nationalism ancient and modern, normally being the

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place where the ruler is invested and acclaimed. Because territory is so important to nationalism, and a nation has to define itself in distinction from other nations and territories, the occupation or aggressive encirclement of a nation-state by others may result in an upsurge of nationalism as a drive for liberation and self-determination gathers momentum. Yet nationalism may move from the defensive to the expansionist as regards territory, and we shall look at both of these phases of nationalism. I shall argue that nationalism is not a modern political phenomenon only, but that, observing due academic caution, we may allow this concept to play a role in the hermeneutical task of relating the ancient context to modern ones.

There is a further item to note at the outset, namely, that we simply do not have access to expressions of Is...