Two American cultural titans share thoughts about the Bible

By: RICHARD OSTLING - Associated Press | Wednesday, July 21, 2004 9:33 PM PDT ∞

They are titans in their respective fields who have taught within miles of each other. But they never met until a journalist brought them together to talk about the Bible.

The talkers were Frank Moore Cross, 82, the distinguished professor of Hebrew literature at Harvard University since 1957 (now emeritus); and Boston University's Elie Wiesel, 75, Holocaust survivor, author and winner of the 1986 Nobel Peace Prize. Their chat was arranged by Hershel Shanks for the magazine he edits, Biblical Archaeology Review.

What attracts Wiesel to the Bible?

"I see history in it. I see revealed truth in it. I see in it human holiness as much as divine inspiration. Whenever you open it, any page, you know you are in the presence of something that exists nowhere else."

And Cross?

He said in the classroom and writings he takes a strictly "scientific" approach. "I attempt to deal with the Bible as I would with any work of literature," and to treat the history of Israel the same as that of England or China.

But along with that there's a private aspect Cross doesn't teach or write about publicly. "The Bible is a book that has shaped my life, my beliefs, my ethics, my moral concerns, my religious outlook."

The origins of their interest in the Bible are quite different.

Wiesel said "it's been my passion almost from my youth." He was raised in Sighet, Romania, a Jewish village where all preschoolers study the Pentateuch (the Bible's first five books, which carry paramount importance in traditional Judaism).

At age 10 or 12, he had some free time before a worship service and looked through a Bible commentary by liberal Moses Mendelssohn in the synagogue library. An old man saw what he was reading and slapped him on the face to show contempt for liberal "biblical criticism."

In later life, Wiesel became tolerant toward critical scholarship, "but in truth, it doesn't touch me. It doesn't change my attitude toward the text. I say to myself, if the text was good enough for my father and my grandfather, it must be good enough for me."

By contrast, such technical analysis is central to Cross' work. He was raised a Presbyterian minister's son but "the Bible played very little role" in his upbringing because his father was "a Social Gospel, far-left liberal" whose "religious life was not biblically centered."

Cross began serious involvement with the Scriptures only as a graduate student. It turned out to be his lifelong vocation and passion.

For Wiesel, as a Jew, the Scriptures are what Christians call the Old Testament. Cross acknowledges he prefers the Old Testament and is "a little uncomfortable in the New Testament environment." Too many spirits, demons and what he considers "magic."

The two are fans of neither fundamentalism nor of the radical skepticism ("minimalism") regarding whether there's reliable history in the Old Testament.

"I personally have no doubt that the Exodus occurred," Wiesel said. "For nearly 3,500 years it has left such an imprint on people's memories that I cannot imagine it had been invented just as a legend or a tale."

Cross generally agreed, but indicated some parts of the biblical story are more mythological than others.

Moving backward, were Abraham and the other patriarchs real people or fictional characters?

"I have no doubt of their existence," said Wiesel, though he doesn't necessarily accept every story about them as literal truth.

Cross, similarly, believes "there are real people behind the stories." In general, he thinks the best that historians can obtain is "likelihood" about what happened, not "certitude."

In Shanks' summary, Wiesel's public interest is the inspired text while historical problems have some private interest, whereas Cross publicly dissects the history and keeps the inspiration private.

Note: Biblical Archaeology Review has produced "An Archaeological Search for Jesus" ($149.95), a set of five visually attractive, nonsectarian video documentaries produced in Israel. Shanks interviews top scholars on what's known and not known about Jesus' era.

First name only. Comments including last names, contact addresses, e-mail addresses or phone numbers will be deleted. Attempts to misrepresent your identity or impersonate any person will not be approved. All comments are screened before they appear online, so please keep them brief. Comments reflect the views of those commenting and not necessarily those of the North County Times or its staff writers. Click here to view additional comment policies.