by Quentin Hess

Violence, zealousness, crusades, conquering; all of these words are heavily or directly associated with conflict in the name of religion. Fighting is indeed an inherent, if barbaric, trait set deep within mankind. We fight for greed, for love, for hatred, for justice, for family, even for fun, and yet there are few forms of conflict that are driven more by passion and emotion than fighting for one’s maker. Throughout history humans have slaughter, pillaged, and dehumanized each other in the name of god or the gods, and we have justified these actions as correct simply because our gods have deemed our foes unworthy heretics. Today people associate many religious conflicts in one particular area of the world, this being the Middle East and Israel. Whether it be the crusades, the Maccabean revolts, or the fighting between Israel and Palestine that rages on even today, the land around Jerusalem has always been soaked in blood. Were these and are these conflicts necessary and how can people continue to justify slaughter in the name of God? I believe texts such as the book of Joshua were made with the intent to raise feelings of zeal and animosity in the hearts of many Jewish people throughout history and continue to this day to justify modern conflicts and genocide.

Describing the taking of Jericho as violent would be somewhat of an understatement.

The book of Joshua begins with God anointing Joshua as the new de facto leader of the Jewish people and promised him any land he set foot on (NIV Study Bible, Joshua 1). Immediately this holds the mindset that Joshua and his people are free to take any land they so please, even land which has already been settled and built upon. This early in the story of the Jewish people and there is already a strong theme of conquering in the name of the divine. Joshua proceeds to gather his people and forces and begins to move and conquer vast area and cities he encounters. One of the first cities he takes is Jericho, a city in current day West Bank, in the Jordan Valley. This city is very close to the location that would become Jerusalem, so it is not shocking that Joshua would set his sights on Jericho as one of his promised conquests. Describing the taking of Jericho as violent would be somewhat of an understatement. God himself instructed Joshua’s priests and followers to march around the city for seven days and on the seventh the whole brigade ‘shouted’, and the walls of the city came crumbling down. The army then proceeded to destroy with the sword “every living thing in it—men and women, young and old, cattle, sheep and donkeys.” (NIV Study Bible, Josh 6). Every single man, woman, child, and even the farm animals were slaughtered indiscriminately.

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by Eliza Shadden

During the 6th century, there was a poet named Sappho from the island of Lesbos. The “Poetess” was known for her lyrical poetry, often accompanied by the musical instrument, the lyre (The New Yorker). Sappho was a prolific writer and is believed to have written about 10,000 lines of poetry; however, only 650 survived. Even though much of her poetry was lost in history, the fragments left are still read, shared, and appreciated by readers and scholars worldwide. Sappho was unique for her time because most, if not all of her poems were about love and, more importantly, her love for women. While often shrouded in religious imagery, the true significance of Sappho’s poetry is her powerful evocation of our shared human experience of love. 

In her eyes, nothing compares to love.

There is only one complete poem left by Sappho, her “Ode to Aphrodite.” In her poem, she is yearning for another woman’s affections but is not receiving them. She calls upon Aphrodite to give her the love she desires from her lover. Aphrodite acts as a cupid in Sappho’s situation. Sappho longs for this woman and feels that she needs a divine force to bring them together. This poem is really about her devotion to her lover. In a way, it is also a poem of devotion to love itself. It really encapsulates the feeling of unrequited love. It is clear that her love for this woman is not reciprocated when Aphrodite says, “if not now loving, soon she’ll even love against her will” (Rayor). Sappho desperately wants her lover to love her back, even if it means forcing her. Sappho’s feelings are very understandable and can speak to many readers. When one really loves someone, all one wants is for them to feel the same way. Unrequited love is a very painful experience, but most people can say they have had a taste of it. This poem of Sappho’s is so honest and familiar that it does not feel hard to understand, unlike many other ancient Greek poets. Sappho was not afraid to talk about both the highs and the lows of love. Her poetry was also unique in that it was not written in “homage to the gods or for political reasons…rather her work was of a personal nature and is celebrated for its passionate descriptions of emotion and simple lyrical beauty” (Keehnen). Sappho speaks to the universality of love in her “Lyre”: She argues that it is not an army of men or a fleet that is the fairest thing on earth, “it is whatever one loves.” In her eyes, nothing compares to love. 

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