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To Whom Does the Land Belong?
March 07, 2025
The Interfaith Peace Working Group (IPWG) of Wisconsin invites you to a presentation - “To Whom Does the Land of Israel/Palestine Belong: A Biblical Perspective” with Dr. Dennis Olson.
Tuesday, April 1, 2025 at 7 pm CT via Zoom
As the scene of important encounters with God at the origin of their religions, Jews, Christians, and Muslims all claim a special relationship with the land of Canaan/Palestine. This raises a theological question: "To whom does this land belong?”
This question has become an important dimension of the political debate about Israel’s treatment of Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank. Based on their understanding of certain texts from Jewish scriptures, some biblical scholars claim that God gave this land to the Jews, and they have the right to remove all non-Jewish inhabitants. Many others interpret these texts differently and reject that claim. In this Bible Study, Dr. Olson examines and evaluates this interpretation with reference to the debate between Palestinian theologian Mitri Raheb and Old Testament scholar Walter Brueggeman. This study will also examine biblical texts that appear to encourage work for a peaceful or multi-state solution for this conflicted land and suffering land and People.
Following the presentation, participants will be able to engage in conversation with Dr. Olson and one another about the use of these biblical texts to support political violence in the Middle East struggle and how other texts might be used to support peace-making going forward.
Dennis T. Olson served as Charles T. Haley Professor of Old Testament Theology and Chair of the Biblical Studies Department at Princeton Theological Seminary. He is currently the Pentateuch general editor for a thirty-volume project titled The Encyclopedia of the Bible and Its Reception (Walter de Gruyter).
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Peace & Nonviolence