As a Driven Leaf

Milton Steinberg

Published in 1939, the novel was written by a conservative Jewish Rabbi. It is written as a novel, but based on the idea of a historical figure Elisha ben Abuyah, of whom there is not actually very much known. The novel is set in the 1st century, moving between Palestine and Antioch (Syria), both under Roman rule. The protagonist Elisha was born to a landowner father who studied Greek philosophy as well as Jewish theology, and as a result, had greek tutors growing up. On his fathers death, he is put in the care of his uncle, and trained in the traditional Jewish scholarship, which eventually leads him to ordination as a Rabbi and as a member of the Sanhedrin. After a time, Elisha then leaves the faith to pursue a course of study in Greek philosophy, with the goal of creating a system of reason and logic that proves from unassailable axioms the existence of God.

The novel is fascinating on many levels. Steinberg paints a picture of 1st century life in two different worlds, the Jewish Palestine and the pagan Antioch. For each of these, he is able to demonstrate the idealism of the world as well as illuminating the underbelly. But this is not a historical narrative, so the idealism and the underbelly are all discovered in the midst of life experience, as each character develops over the course of their lives. Also fascinating is the metaphysical/theological conflict that is the center of Elisha's struggle: "What is the basis of faith?". Approached from the greek philosopher point of view as well as from the Rabbinical tradition, the implications of this study have real world impacts on people. In this world, metaphysical questions have physical realities. Also fascinating is the relationship between mainstream Judaism and the cults of Christianity and Gnosticism that are growing in prevalence. I think the western, christian ethnocentrism often thinks of 1st century as predominately christian. After the first easter, the world was taken over by a tidal wave of belief and conversion. More realistically perhaps, Steinberg shows how fledgling Christianity really is in the grand world of Pax Romana. Also interesting is how Pax Romana, the peace of Empire, is really what allowed this fledgling cult to survive, what allowed the relatively free development and flow of new ideas. So we must ask about the net benefit/cost of the Empire. And we must, of course, extrapolate to benefit/cost analysis of our current Empire.

The list of fascinating things could go on. Loved this novel.
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