Saturday, June 27, 2020
A Hypothetical Peace Natural Philosophy as the Solution to the Jewish-Christian Conflict in New Atlantis - Literature Essay Samples
It was 1627 when Sir Francis Bacon published his utopic treatise New Atlantis and Europe was polluted by religious tension, much of which revolving around the recent surge of science but some having existed since long before. Of course, one could enumerate these conflicts, citing the Protestant Reformation as many of their catalyst, but guided by New Atlantis one should focus on the ever-fraught Jewish-Christian dynamic insofar as it informs Baconââ¬â¢s construction of his utopia Bensalem. Before beginning, it should be made clear that the Jewish-Christian conflict much predates Baconââ¬â¢s writing and plants its roots most saliently in the Jewish decide, ascribing to which many a Christian has blamed Jesusââ¬â¢ crucifixion on the Jewish people and cited the bible as evidence. (King James Bible, Matt., 27:24-25). This, combined with myriad other complications, imbued anti-Semitism throughout the European continent, translating it into various crusades and pogroms that result ed in the massacre of countless Jews. Now given this brief history of the Jewish-Christian tension, one can contrast it to New Atlantis, wherein Bacon provides his reader with a utopia in which Jews and Christians tolerate each other. But, it is not as though Bensalem resembles Europe in all aspects aside from religious harmony; indeed, Bensalem is a stark departure from European, for if it werenââ¬â¢t, its Jews and Christians wouldnââ¬â¢t coexist. As a chief difference, Bensalem is very much a scientific society, dedicating itself to the pursuit of natural philosophy, here described as knowledge and understanding of Godââ¬â¢s creations. (Bacon, 20). Devotion to natural philosophy, as it exists in Bensalem, can be understood as the transcendent solution to Europeââ¬â¢s incessant Jewish-Christian conflict; such is to say, through his utopia, Bacon hopes to argue that science, and the objective mindset it employs, promotes toleration and peace. To this end, Bacon weaves Jewish tradition throughout the otherwise Christian Bensalem and ultimately personifies such fusion in the storyââ¬â¢s only Jewish character, Joabin, in whom he at once dramatizes and rectifies the Jewish-Christian conflict. Before unpacking Bensalemââ¬â¢s implications and Baconââ¬â¢s intentions, it stands to reason that one need understand both the utopiaââ¬â¢s history and institutions. For an explanation of the former, one can look to Joabin, who recalls Bensalemââ¬â¢s original Jewish ancestry: ââ¬Å"being desirous by tradition among the Jews there to have it believed that the people thereof were of the generations of Abrahamâ⬠¦and that Moses by a secret cabala ordained the laws of Bensalem which they now useâ⬠¦Ã¢â¬ (26). Yet, Bensalem has since moved past its Jewish roots, having Christianized itself after Jesusââ¬â¢ crucifixion and the subsequent revelation of the ark by the apostle Bartholomew. (13). Meant to deliver ââ¬Å"salvation and peace,â⬠this ark contained books of both the Old and New Testamentsââ¬âthe former pertaining solely to Judaism but both to Christianityââ¬âand so saved Bensalem from ââ¬Å"infidelity,â⬠obviating the flood that would wa sh over the rest of the old world. (13). In spite of this Christianization, Bensalem still retains ââ¬Å"some few stirps of Jewsâ⬠(25), like Joabin, who are free to practice their religion. Indeed, the utopia will never truly be rid of its Jewish roots: its name translates from the Hebrew to mean ââ¬Å"peaceful son,â⬠and perhaps Bacon chose this to remind the now-Christian state of its heritage. In any case, the Jews that remain, Bacon points out, are ââ¬Å"of a far different dispositionâ⬠(25) from the European Jews, who ââ¬Å"hate the name of Christ, and have a secret inbred rancor against the people among whom they liveâ⬠(26). By contrast, the ââ¬Å"good Jewâ⬠of Bensalem would acknowledge ââ¬Å"Christ was born a Virgin; and that he was more than a man,â⬠and such beliefs jive with the Christian remainder of the population, nullifying any would-be conflict between the two groups. Now, one could argue that in Baconââ¬â¢s Bensalem it is not science that quells religious tension but this more flexible breed of Judaism that is inherently less at odds with Christianity and thereby less controversial. But, it is crucial to remember that Bensalem exists only in the hypothetical and that the Jewish-Christian conflict did indeed exist and inform Baconââ¬â¢s writings. Irrespective of the differences between real, contemporary European Jews and Baconââ¬â¢s, there is no Jewish-Christian conflict in Bensalem, and the reasons thereof have yet to be understood. As mentioned, Bensalem is a scientific society, bolstered at its core by the institution of ââ¬Å"Solomonââ¬â¢s House,â⬠whose implications are at once complex and vital to understanding New Atlantisââ¬â¢s deeper allegories. Sonically, ââ¬Å"Solomonââ¬â¢s Houseâ⬠reminds of two figures: the first, Solomona, was Bensalemââ¬â¢s first King (18), and the second, the biblical Solomon, was son of David and King of Israel. According to the Bible, God gave King Solomon ââ¬Å"wisdom and understanding exceeding much, and largeness of heartâ⬠(1 Kings, 4:29), a description that undeniably guides Baconââ¬â¢s construction of King Solomona, who has a similar ââ¬Å"large heartâ⬠(18). More, the biblical Solomonââ¬â¢s crowning achievement was his construction of ââ¬Å"a house of the Lord at Jerusalemâ⬠(2 Chron., 3:1); this first Jewish temple, or ââ¬Å"Solomonââ¬â¢s Temple,â⬠was the contemporary mecca for Jewish worship, housing the Ark of the Covenant and drawing as its crowd ââ¬Å"all the men of Israelâ⬠(1 Kings, 8:2). Just as the Bible remembers King Solomon for his temple, so too do the Bensalemites remember King Solomona for his own, similarly named ââ¬Å"Solomonââ¬â¢s House,â⬠and deemed the ââ¬Å"noblest foundationâ⬠¦that was ever upon the earth, and the lantern of [Bensalem]â⬠(Bacon, 20). Indeed, the sonic si milarity between the two respective institutions is by no means accidental, for Bensalemââ¬â¢s ââ¬Å"Solomonââ¬â¢s Houseâ⬠can be taken to ââ¬Å"denominate the King of the Hebrewsâ⬠whom King Solomona ââ¬Å"finds himself to symbolizeâ⬠and from whose works he seems to have been influenced. (20). As it turns out, King Solomon actually advanced the natural philosophy, leaving remnants of his studies not with the Europeans but with the Bensalemites: ââ¬Å"for we have some parts of his works which with you are lost; namely, that natural history which he wrote of all plantsâ⬠¦.and of all things that have life and motionâ⬠(20). Then, being acutely and undeniably aware of the connection between the natural science and King Solomon, these Bensalemites sometimes refer to ââ¬Å"Solomonââ¬â¢s Houseâ⬠by another name, ââ¬Å"The College of Six Dayââ¬â¢s Works,â⬠a nomenclature that admits their ââ¬Å"excellent King had learned from the Hebrew s that God created the world and all that therein is within six daysâ⬠(20). As should come of no surprise, this second name also nods to the Bible, in which God is said to have created the world in six days, with the seventh being deemed the Sabbath (Ex., 20: 11). No doubt privy to this infamous six-day timeframe and its centrality to the Jewish tradition, Bacon employs the number throughout the work, mentioning ââ¬Å"six of the clockâ⬠and ââ¬Å"six [travellers]â⬠(6-7). Although subtle, Baconââ¬â¢s repetition of the number six speaks more greatly to the infusion of the Jewish tradition in an otherwise Christian narrative, which can be more specifically and fruitfully observed in Joabin. Joabinââ¬â¢s role in both Bensalem and New Atlantis is an absolutely crucial one, for he is at once a figurative parable and a literal example of Bensalemââ¬â¢s religious tolerations. For evidence of the former, one should start by understanding the derivations of his name, which comes from the biblical Joab. As the Bible tells it, Joab was King Davidââ¬â¢s nephewââ¬âand so Solomonââ¬â¢s cousinââ¬âand the murderous commander of his uncleââ¬â¢s army. Time and time again, Joab murdered King Davidââ¬â¢s political enemies (2 Sam., 3:27), eventually disobeying the Kingââ¬â¢s orders (2 Sam., 18:5), and killing his third son, Absalom (2 Sam., 18:14). As punishment, Joab was demoted from his position of commander and replaced by Amasa, whom he then proceeded to deviously kill, pretending to kiss him as a sign of peace but instead stabbing his stomach. (2 Sam., 20:9). Aware of Joabââ¬â¢s proclivity for blood shed, King David dissociated himself from his nephew and upon his deathbed advised Solomon, his successor, to have him executed (1 Kings 2:9), an order soon thereafter carried out. (1 Kings., 2:29). And so, the Bible remembers Joab as a villain, not just of Kings David and Solomon, but also of the greater Hebrew people against whom he acted in vain. As a point of departure, Baconââ¬â¢s Joabin is no villain; in fact, he is a friend of a state and a participant in ââ¬Å"Solomonââ¬â¢s Temple.â⬠As proven above, there is undeniable connection between King Solomon and his temple and King Solomona and his; and so, by deriving his characterââ¬â¢s name in that of Solomonââ¬â¢s enemy, Bacon allows himself opportunity to rectify the biblical conflict. In New Atlantis, Bacon refers somewhat ambiguously to Joabin as a ââ¬Å"merchantâ⬠(26), though of what in particular it remains unclear, and uses him as a mouthpiece to convey the most narrativeââ¬â¢s most intimate details of Bensalemââ¬â¢s sociological customs (26-29). Alone, these moments donââ¬â¢t yield much consequence, but soon after their occurrence, Joabin is ââ¬Å"commanded away in hasteâ⬠by the father of Solomonââ¬â¢s house who then ââ¬Å"commanded [him] to tell you that he will admit your company to his presenceâ⬠(30). With this, Joabin becomes more than just an ambiguous merchant, but is revealed to be some sort of intermediary between the scientific ââ¬Å"Solomonââ¬â¢s Houseâ⬠and the peoples of Bensalem, ostensibly existing as one of them but reporting directly to the Father. Though it is difficult to say with absolute certainty, perhaps Joabin is one of the twelve ââ¬Å"merchants of lightâ⬠(38) that brings knowledge from abroad back to Bensalem and that he converses with the travelers in such capacity. Indeed, Bacon only uses the term ââ¬Å"merchantâ⬠twice in his story, once using it to describe Joabin and a second time to name the ââ¬Å"merchants of light.â⬠In any case, the allusive and sonic implications of King Solomona and Joabin are intentional, meant as a nod to the fraught relationship of their respective namesakes. As ââ¬Å"Solomonââ¬â¢s Houseâ⬠clearly takes roots in King Solomonââ¬â¢s interest in natural philosophy, by assigning Joabin a role in the order itself and connecting him to the science studied therein, Bacon rectifies the biblical drama. But, itââ¬â¢s dangerous to interpret Joabin as representative of the entire Jewish race; truly, itââ¬â¢s better to understand him as a parable in and of himself. Such is to say, by connecting Joabin to both the Jewish-Christian conflict and to the science, Bacon implies that the latter can help to quell the former. In addition to connecting aspects of Bensalem through religious allusion, Bacon unites the entirety of his utopia around the pursuit of natural philosophy. Firstly, he relates King Solomon as an original natural philosopher, ultimately extracting that the study of the Godââ¬â¢s creations increases manââ¬â¢s appreciation of and utility for them. King Solomona, then, continues this practice, codifying it in ââ¬Å"Solomonââ¬â¢s Houseâ⬠and rendering it absolutely central to Bensalemââ¬â¢s existence. And finally, Bacon includes Joabin, connecting him to both ââ¬Å"Solomonââ¬â¢s Houseâ⬠and to Bensalemââ¬â¢s greater population, ultimately relating him as an intermediary between the two. At the core of Bensalem, it is natural philosophy that allows religious toleration, and to convey this, Bacon relies on religious allusions and homophonic names, using them to rectify age-old religious conflict and to urge his society to a less divided, more objective future.
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