(Deuteronomy 31) Bible’s Heritage
(Translated from Chinese by ChatGPT, modified by Mijiale)
When we realize how limited our achievements are throughout our own lives, we can recognize the importance of “heritage.”
Speaking of the topic of “heritage,” I recall a past event. There was a young brother, Xiao L, who came from China to become a doctor and had recently converted to Christianity. Once, he asked me on WeChat, “Why does Genesis chapter 4 say that Jabal is the ancestor of those who live in tents and raise livestock, while Jubal is the ancestor of all who play the harp and flute? Didn’t their descendants (along with all of Cain’s descendants) perish in the flood? Why are the ancestors of people in these professions, who have long been extinct, still considered ancestors in modern times?”
After pondering it, I thought it was a good question. The physical descendants of Cain did not survive the flood, but their achievements in technology and the arts were passed down through Seth’s descendants. Heritage is another form of reproduction, one that doesn’t require reproductive cells. In ancient China, there was also a master-disciple heritage system, such as under the carpentry master Luban. In science, we also have heritage. Online, my doctoral advisor’s academic lineage can be traced back to the mathematician Euler, who calculated imaginary powers. My students, after graduating, may go on to teach at universities, and I hope they will continue to mentor students. I gave Xiao L an example: his own medical skills were certainly passed down by a teacher.
In fact, the Bible is also a form of heritage. The Creator, in a “one-on-one Bible study” at Mount Sinai, taught His words to Moses through several forty-day “intensive training courses.” Moses taught his student Joshua in the “wilderness academy” for forty years. Now, Moses is almost 120 years old and about to leave this world. He encourages his student Joshua to rise up and continue the mission, leading the Israelites into the Promised Land (Deuteronomy 31:7-8): “Then Moses sent for Joshua, and before the eyes of all Israel said to him, Be strong and take heart: for you are to go with this people into the land which the Lord, by his oath to their fathers, has given them; by your help they will take it for their heritage. It is the Lord who goes before you; he will be with you, he will not take away his help from you or give you up: so have no fear.”
Let’s consider some characteristics of the Bible’s heritage:
- The Bible’s Heritage Goes Beyond Reproduction
The heritage in the Bible is different from the hereditary kingship and priesthood. In the Bible, kingship is hereditary through reproduction, requiring male descendants of David. The priesthood also relies on reproduction, as priests must be male descendants of Aaron. However, the heritage of the Bible is not through reproduction. Moses’ heir in Bible knowledge was not his son but his student.
Heritage beyond reproduction is a significant driving force for human progress, surpassing the influence of hereditary reproduction. For example, Xiao L’s medical skills come from a heritage beyond reproduction; his teacher could pass on his knowledge even before having children or without having children at all. Conversely, even experts with children may not pass on their professional skills to their offspring. Furthermore, this type of heritage can transcend borders and races. For instance, the heritage of Marx, Engels, Lenin, and Mao in communism involves individuals from Germany, Russia, and China who lived in different times without knowing each other. Similarly, in the field of science, the heritage from Tycho Brahe to Johannes Kepler, and then to Isaac Newton, extends across borders and time periods.
The Bible’s heritage, starting with the Creator and passing through Moses, Joshua, elders, and later prophets [1], branches out into various streams. In the New Testament era, it divided into two main branches: one that became modern Judaism and another initiated by Jesus, who became the living Word, passed on to disciples like Peter and Paul, spreading to Europe, the United States, and eventually reaching people like us. We continue to pass it on to our Bible students, who will, in turn, pass it on to people we may never meet.
- Heritage Beyond Reproduction Can Involve Multiple Teachers, and Students Can Absorb Teachings Selectively
Inheritances beyond reproduction, unlike hereditary reproduction, allow a student to have more than one teacher. My doctoral students, from primary school to doctoral studies, did not have only me as their teacher. I, too, learned valuable knowledge from many teachers. Newton’s laws of motion, inherited by Newton, not only came from Kepler’s laws of planetary motion but also included Galileo’s law of inertia. In terms of faith, my knowledge comes not only from church but also from various Jewish sources. A teacher can be compared to an ore; even if it contains 999/1000 impurities, the 1/1000 gold it holds is still worth learning. Jewish tradition teaches that even an enemy who taught you even one word or letter is, in a sense, your teacher and deserves respect [2].
I’ve had personal experiences where a pastor named Pastor Shi visited me during a challenging period in my life. He said something to me during that visit that wasn’t something I formally learned from him during subsequent Bible classes. Nonetheless, his words brought me comfort and encouragement, and I often think back to what he said: “People may fail, but God never fails.” When we teach the Bible, even if one sentence can be used by the Lord to help a student, it’s already something to be grateful for.
- Heritage Beyond Reproduction Doesn’t Require Face-to-Face Interaction
Inheritances beyond reproduction can take the form of face-to-face interactions between teachers and students or through written works. In the Bible, the first instance of writing a book appears in this chapter:
(Deuteronomy 31:9) “Then Moses put all this law in writing, and gave it to the priests, the sons of Levi, who take up the ark of the Lord’s agreement, and to all the responsible men of Israel.“
Book-based heritage doesn’t require face-to-face interaction. For example, Newton’s law of universal gravitation, which inherited part of Kepler’s celestial mechanics, might have been influenced solely by reading Kepler’s writings in the Cambridge University Library, even though Newton had never met Kepler. This demonstrates that both face-to-face teaching and writing are important for spreading the Bible. Different methods are effective in different circumstances, and it’s essential to follow the guidance of the Creator based on individual conditions and circumstances.
- Heritage Beyond Reproduction Doesn’t Exclude Biological Offspring
In the Bible, faith in the Lord is passed down from generation to generation, from Abraham to Isaac, Jacob, and Joseph. In science, there are cases where both father and son have won Nobel Prizes. In music, there are instances of both father and son being musicians. In the United States, there have been father-son presidencies (e.g., the Bushes). Heritage beyond reproduction doesn’t exclude biological children; in fact, the Bible encourages believers to teach their own children the Scriptures, as Deuteronomy 6:7 states: “Teaching them to your children with all care, talking of them when you are at rest in your house or walking by the way, when you go to sleep and when you get up.” Children can be the most basic Bible students.
May readers join this heritage of the Bible that has existed for thousands of years, bring forth many excellent students, and encourage them to pass on the Bible to even more people!
Acknowledgments
This article was previously published on the Yimaneili Community (yimaneili.net). Thanks to the friend “Shouwang” for helpful feedback in improving the presentation of this article.
References
[1] Pirkei Avot 1:1, Sefaria Community Translation
https://www.sefaria.org/Pirkei_Avot.1.1?ven=Sefaria_Community_Translation&with=all&lang=en
[2] Pirkei Avot 6:3, Sefaria Community Translation
https://www.sefaria.org/Pirkei_Avot.6.3?ven=Sefaria_Community_Translation&with=all&lang=en