Re: JEWISH-MUSIC digest 2420

[Fred Blumenthal <xd2fabl...>]

I think it's my doing (fault?) that the listserv (please let's not get 
into a long string if I'm misusing the word "listserv") having to do with 
Jewish music is now discussing Jesus' last name.  The point was that not 
only are there two songs - distinct texts, distinct melodies, distinct 
origins - with the title "Eli, Eli," but also those were among the last 
words of Jesus.  No, as Jews we shouldn't use the word "Christ," although 
as speakers of English that's difficult to avoid.  The relevance is that 
Jesus was tortured to death as an act of anti-Semitism, ("king of the 
Jews," in the sarcasm of the Romans) and quoted a psalm on that occasion. 
The whole reference to Jesus (I believe I made his last name "of 
Nazareth") was intended as an aside, but we do live in a predominantly 
gentile culture, and these associations will come up with even less 
provocation than reading the words "Eli, Eli."

Fred Blumenthal
xd2fabl (at) us(dot)ibm(dot)com