On October 20, Professor Liu Ping gave a live lecture entitled “Land of Israel and Palestinian-Israeli Conflicts from the Perspective of Classical Scriptures” through the platform of the Oak Book House, a Christian publication ministry.
In response to the conflict between Hamas and Israel on October 7, he put forward his own opinions based on his decades of research.
Professor Liu Ping graduated from Fudan University with a Ph.D. and is now a professor and doctoral supervisor at the School of Philosophy of Fudan University. He specializes in three main research fields: Jewish philosophy, Chinese Bible studies, and Christian philosophy. He is the author of Chinese Biblical Studies under Construction: the Origin of Chinese Theolog; and Christianity and the Crisis of Modernity in China.
Liu said that most Chinese people learn about Palestine through the news media, but the news reports are in fragments, and the mass does not know much about the background history, religion, and theology that are beneath the events. He stated his belief that “the absence of relevant historical knowledge will result in a fragmented understanding of reality”. There are numerous books on the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, but some of them provide information that conflicts with each other. Therefore, he sorted out the conflict between Palestine and Israel and the strife between Hamas and Israel through a series of classic books (the Hebrew Bible, Maccabees, the New Testament, The Battle of the Jews, the Balfour Declaration, and United Nations Resolution 181). Moreover, he clarified the changes among distinct ethnic groups in the land of Israel. What ran through his lecture was the idea of “land theology”.
Finally, Professor Liu Ping made three responses to the conflict between Hamas and Israel: there are still 20% Arabs in the State of Israel, and Hamas wants to destroy Israel on behalf of Arabs, but it should also be considered the State of Israel and Arabs on the west side of Jordan. Israel can completely destroy Hamas militarily, but the idea behind Hamas cannot disappear, so destroying the other side is not the way. On the same land, the two sides should find a way to coexist with each other.
Secondly, Liu said that the way of life on the land is an important basis for judging who the land belongs to. History has proved that land does not always belong to Israelis. Although Israel is very powerful now, it will be driven away, like being driven out of history, if it fails to abide by the laws of modern civilization. Israel is a country that has activated the factors of Hebrew civilization, respects the protection of citizens’ rights, and fosters creativity. From this perspective, Israel will win this war, but this does not mean that Israel can avoid land issues. If it does not conform to civilizational values, it will still be driven out. This standard applies equally to Hamas and Palestine.
Thirdly, there are two master narratives about Israel: the narrative of Nakba from the Palestinian side and the one of Israel from the perspective of the Holocaust to rebirth. In these two narratives, the saints on one side become terrorists on the other, and the sorrow on one side becomes the source of happiness on the other. He stated that the key point of the life-and-death narrative of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict lies in whether the two ethnic groups show the values of modern civilization on the same land, that is, whether the people in this place have gained and lived dignity as individuals. This is the yardstick to measure the fairness of both sides.
- Translated by Charlie Li
10月20日，刘平教授通过“橡树书屋”进行了一场题为“经典文本中的以色列地与巴以冲突”的直播讲座。针对10月7日发生的哈以冲突，他在他几十年的研究中提出了自己的一家之言。
刘平教授从复旦大学哲学博士毕业，现为复旦大学哲学学院教授、博士生导师。研究方向主要有三大领域：犹太哲学、汉语圣经学和基督教哲学。著有《建构中的汉语圣经学：汉语神学推陈出新之本源》、《基督教与中国现代性危机》等著作。
刘平教授表示，大部分中国人会通过新闻联播和各种媒体等方式了解巴勒斯坦，但看到的大多数都是一些无法连起来的片段，对背后的重大历史、宗教和神学也不太了解。他认为，“对历史的了解的缺席意味着对现实理解的破碎”，然而对于巴以冲突的著书浩如烟海，有的信息之间也彼此冲突。所以他主要通过一些经典文本（希伯来圣经、释经中的马加比书、新约、《犹太战记》、《贝尔福宣言》、《联合国大会181号宣言》）梳理了巴以冲突和哈以冲突，澄清了这片土地上各种族群的变迁，贯穿其中的是“土地神学”这个思想。
最后，刘平教授对哈以冲突做了三点回应：现在的以色列国还有20%的阿拉伯人，哈马斯代表阿拉伯人想灭掉以色列，但是也要考虑到以色列国和约旦河西的阿拉伯人。以色列从军事上讲完全可以消灭哈马斯，但哈马斯背后的观念不能消失，所以消灭对方并不是办法。在同一块土地上双方之间应该是互为他者共存的方式。
第二，土地属于谁——土地上的生活方式是重要依据。历史证明，土地不是永远属于以色列人。虽然以色列现在很强大，但如果不能遵守现代文明的法则会像历史上被赶出一样被赶走。以色列国是激活了希伯来文明因素的国家，尊重保护公民的权力，培养公民创造力等，从这个角度看，这次的哈以战争以色列会赢，但这并不意味着以色列能避免土地神学，如果之后不符合文明价值观也依然会被赶出去。这个标准同样适用于哈马斯和巴勒斯坦。
第三，关于以色列有两种宏大叙事：巴勒斯坦人纳克巴的叙事，以色列从大屠杀的浩劫到重生的叙事，在这两种叙事中，一方的圣徒成为另一方的恐怖分子，一方的痛苦成为另一方的快乐来源。巴以冲突你死我活的叙事的关键点在于，同一个土地上，两个族群是否展现出现代文明的价值观，也就是说，这个地方的人作为个体是否获得和活出了尊严。衡量双方公正与否的尺度在于此。
讲座|刘平教授：经典文本视角下的以色列地与巴以冲突
On October 20, Professor Liu Ping gave a live lecture entitled “Land of Israel and Palestinian-Israeli Conflicts from the Perspective of Classical Scriptures” through the platform of the Oak Book House, a Christian publication ministry.
In response to the conflict between Hamas and Israel on October 7, he put forward his own opinions based on his decades of research.
Professor Liu Ping graduated from Fudan University with a Ph.D. and is now a professor and doctoral supervisor at the School of Philosophy of Fudan University. He specializes in three main research fields: Jewish philosophy, Chinese Bible studies, and Christian philosophy. He is the author of Chinese Biblical Studies under Construction: the Origin of Chinese Theolog; and Christianity and the Crisis of Modernity in China.
Liu said that most Chinese people learn about Palestine through the news media, but the news reports are in fragments, and the mass does not know much about the background history, religion, and theology that are beneath the events. He stated his belief that “the absence of relevant historical knowledge will result in a fragmented understanding of reality”. There are numerous books on the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, but some of them provide information that conflicts with each other. Therefore, he sorted out the conflict between Palestine and Israel and the strife between Hamas and Israel through a series of classic books (the Hebrew Bible, Maccabees, the New Testament, The Battle of the Jews, the Balfour Declaration, and United Nations Resolution 181). Moreover, he clarified the changes among distinct ethnic groups in the land of Israel. What ran through his lecture was the idea of “land theology”.
Finally, Professor Liu Ping made three responses to the conflict between Hamas and Israel: there are still 20% Arabs in the State of Israel, and Hamas wants to destroy Israel on behalf of Arabs, but it should also be considered the State of Israel and Arabs on the west side of Jordan. Israel can completely destroy Hamas militarily, but the idea behind Hamas cannot disappear, so destroying the other side is not the way. On the same land, the two sides should find a way to coexist with each other.
Secondly, Liu said that the way of life on the land is an important basis for judging who the land belongs to. History has proved that land does not always belong to Israelis. Although Israel is very powerful now, it will be driven away, like being driven out of history, if it fails to abide by the laws of modern civilization. Israel is a country that has activated the factors of Hebrew civilization, respects the protection of citizens’ rights, and fosters creativity. From this perspective, Israel will win this war, but this does not mean that Israel can avoid land issues. If it does not conform to civilizational values, it will still be driven out. This standard applies equally to Hamas and Palestine.
Thirdly, there are two master narratives about Israel: the narrative of Nakba from the Palestinian side and the one of Israel from the perspective of the Holocaust to rebirth. In these two narratives, the saints on one side become terrorists on the other, and the sorrow on one side becomes the source of happiness on the other. He stated that the key point of the life-and-death narrative of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict lies in whether the two ethnic groups show the values of modern civilization on the same land, that is, whether the people in this place have gained and lived dignity as individuals. This is the yardstick to measure the fairness of both sides.
- Translated by Charlie Li
Professor Lectures on Palestinian-Israeli Conflicts From Classical Scriptures
