But really, this is more than a word, is it not? It is an idea. A concept. A way of living. A path and a destination. An aspiration, perhaps? I kinda like it.
3 comments:
Anonymous
said...
The Jews weren't exactly galavanting. The "Wandering Jew" refers to a Jew who, according to medieval Christian legend, taunted Jesus on the way to the Crucifixion and was then cursed to walk the earth until the Second Coming. The Wandering Jew is also a personification of the Jewish diaspora—the scattering of the Jews throughout the world after the destruction of the Temple of Jerusalem by the Romans in 70 C.E. The two concepts are linked by the Christian perception that the destruction of Jerusalem was divine retribution for Jewish responsibility for the crucifixion of Jesus. The "Wandering Jew" theme has thus been made the vehicle for anti-Semitism. A modern allegorical view claims instead that the "Wandering Jew" personifies any individual who has been made to see the error of his or her wickedness.
Thank you for your comment and clarification of the origin of the term. I must admit, when I first saw both "Jew" and "gypsy" in the definition I was taken back, for the very reason you stated, but also for the misconceptions and stigmatism applied to the term gypsy.
As I was quoting another source ( an online dictionary I believe) I did not edit them out. However, I personally do not harbour negative views of either and do not intent to offend anyone, so have chosen to remove them, along with other examples and just leave the beginning of the quote.
I assure you my post was simply written to share my daydream of the romantic notion of a pleasant nomadic lifestyle.
3 comments:
The Jews weren't exactly galavanting. The "Wandering Jew" refers to a Jew who, according to medieval Christian legend, taunted Jesus on the way to the Crucifixion and was then cursed to walk the earth until the Second Coming. The Wandering Jew is also a personification of the Jewish diaspora—the scattering of the Jews throughout the world after the destruction of the Temple of Jerusalem by the Romans in 70 C.E. The two concepts are linked by the Christian perception that the destruction of Jerusalem was divine retribution for Jewish responsibility for the crucifixion of Jesus. The "Wandering Jew" theme has thus been made the vehicle for anti-Semitism. A modern allegorical view claims instead that the "Wandering Jew" personifies any individual who has been made to see the error of his or her wickedness.
What fun.
Hi Anonymous,
Thank you for your comment and clarification of the origin of the term. I must admit, when I first saw both "Jew" and "gypsy" in the definition I was taken back, for the very reason you stated, but also for the misconceptions and stigmatism applied to the term gypsy.
As I was quoting another source ( an online dictionary I believe) I did not edit them out. However, I personally do not harbour negative views of either and do not intent to offend anyone, so have chosen to remove them, along with other examples and just leave the beginning of the quote.
I assure you my post was simply written to share my daydream of the romantic notion of a pleasant nomadic lifestyle.
I trust your intentions. The lesson here is - don't trust anything called the "Free Dictionary"
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