by
Damien F. Mackey
The names Gamaliel and Galileo (Galilei) may perhaps
be
a fit even better than were Achitophel and
Machiavelli.
1.
Machiavelli and the Prince
mirror Achitophel and Absalom
The story of King David’s shrewd counsellor, Jonadab, as recounted in 2
Samuel 13, can seem to come to a disappointingly abrupt conclusion, just when
it was getting really interesting. We would like to know more. How did it all
play out in the end?
Andrew
E. Hill had, in the course of his terrific commentary, “A Jonadab Connection in
the Absalom Conspiracy?” (JETS 30/4,
December, 1987, 387-390), expressed a certain frustration due to what he called
“the almost annoying paucity of material for careful analysis” regarding
Jonadab.
Well, appropriately, the Grand Master of Intrigue, Jonadab - most ably
abetted by David’s conspiratorial son, Absalom - has yet another trick up his
sleeve, as he continues to operate later, in 2 Samuel 16-17, but now under the
name of Achitophel, so that the story does become complete. There is no abrupt
termination, except for Achitophel, who “put his house in order and then hanged
himself” (2 Samuel 17:23).
What really struck me, when following this fascinating web of intrigue,
through, now Jonadab, and now, Achitophel, is how much the shrewd counsellor of
such high reputation mirrored Machiavelli – (and how Absalom mirrored Machiavelli’s
Prince).
I
am not alone here.
Melamed (see below) recognised in this intrigue “the House of Borgia in
the ancient ... land of Israel”.
One
of the articles that I subsequently wrote on this subject was:
Achitophel and
Machiavelli
(4) Achitophel and Machiavelli
….
Jonadab
and Achitophel are comparable, then, as to general chronology; expert
counsel - though with a malicious edge; counsellor to the king
and his sons; but (if Hill is right about Jonadab) siding with Absalom
(no doubt with the intention of becoming the power behind the throne after the
passing of David); possible Egyptian influence.
Furthermore,
just as Jonadab’s counsel will involve the exercise of Amnon’s lust, so will
Achitophel’s counsel require Absalom’s sleeping with his father’s concubines.
Ahithophel
is Part of the Conspiracy (II Samuel 15:10-12)
I Chronicles 27:33 says that
Ahithophel was the king’s counselor. He must have been a very gifted and
recognized personality. David and Ahithophel not only worshipped God together;
they were the best of friends who shared their hearts. Yea, mine own familiar
friend, in whom I trusted, which did eat of my bread, hath lifted up his heel
against me. (Psalm 41:9)
For it was
not an enemy that reproached me; then I could have borne it: neither was it he
that hated me that did magnify himself against me; then I would have hid myself
from him:
But it was
thou, a man mine equal, my guide, and mine acquaintance. We took sweet counsel
together, and walked unto the house of God in company. (Psalm 55:12-14)
Ahithophel
becomes a traitor! It is apparent from the above verses that many of the people
were not aware of what Absalom intended to do, but Ahithophel seems to have
been part of the conspiracy. It is possible that Ahithophel even suggested such
an act to Absalom. Whatever the case may have been, Ahithophel, who was
offering sacrifices in Gilo, didn’t hesitate to join Absalom in his plan to
violently dethrone his father (II Samuel 15:12).
Achitophel and Machiavelli
W. Thomas
has a keen eye to Machiavelli as he describes Dryden’s Achitophel, in The Crafting of Absalom and Achitophel:
Dryden’s Pen for a Party, pp. 57-58:
Certainly in tradition ever afterwards
Achitophel has been the archetype of the evil counsellor.
To this archetype Dryden
has added the figure of Machiavelli, the courtier who, for himself and for the person he advises, gives counsel
aimed, in however devious and underhanded a way, at promoting the advancement of personal political ambition.
It is this double figure that
Dryden first introduces. He takes the Biblical Achitophel,
Of these
the false Achitophel was first:
A Name
to all succeeding Ages Curst.
fastens on his “Counsell” in the next line, but makes
it “crooked” in the manner of
Machiavelli and equates it with something else Machiavellian, saying that he is "For close Designs, and
crooked Counsell fit”.
….
But it is more from Machiavelli
that Dryden draws, than from the
Bible, when he elaborates further on his Achitophel (lines 173-174):
In Friendship
False, Implacable in Hate.
Resolv’d
to Ruine or to Rule the State.
And it is to Machiavelli that he
looks when he makes his Achitophel, in a reversal of the
Biblical situation, invite his Absalom to
join him in rebellion against
David.
Throughout, in this fictitious construct, Dryden has added, to his Biblical and traitorous Achitophel,
the ambitious and scheming Machiavelli.
Behind both Machiavelli and Achitophel is, of
course, the earlier and larger archetype, Satan, whose name means
“the adversary”. ….
In Bringing the Hidden to
Light: The Process of Interpretation (edited by Kathryn F. Kravitz, Diane M.
Sharon), we find the requisite (if Achitophel is Machiavelli) comparison now
between Absalom and the Prince, Cesare Borgia (p. 181):
….
As Melamed pointed out, although Luzzatto's interpretation
followed
the literal meaning
of the text
and traditional Jewish
commentators such as Kimḥi
and Abrabanel, nevertheless he expressed
it
in the spirit and vocabulary
of Machiavelli
and the tradition of raison d’état;
in Melamed's most
felicitous formulation,
“the House of Borgia in the ancient ... land of Israel”, Ahitophel plays
Machiavelli to Absalom – his Cesare Borgia”.
….
However, it should be observed that
Luzzatto
was not endorsing the behaviour of Absalom but only indicating, in the
context of his refutation of the allegation of Tacitus that the Jews were
sexually immoral, how in the spirit of Machiavelli and raison d’état, a prince might acquire power. ….
“The
House of Borgia in the ancient land of Israel …”. Hmmmm.
Nor are my suspicions of historical dubiousness lessened to any extent
when I perceive that the name, Machiavelli, exists in the name, Achitophel,
with some slight tweaking. Thus:
ACHI[T]OPHEL
[M]ACHI AVELL[I]
2. Galileo Galilei mirrors Gamaliel and his
telescope
After it had occurred to me yesterday (7th February, 2026)
that there was an amazing likeness between the names Galileo and Gamaliel
(Gamliel), as formerly I had found to have been the case with Machiavelli and
Achitophel (1. above),
I then wondered if – as in the case of the latter pair – there may also be character
and career likenesses.
While comparing a C16th-C17th Italian Catholic professor with a C1st
Jewish Rabbi did not immediately seem to me like a promising prospect, one
might, however, recall “Melamed's
most felicitous formulation, “the House of Borgia in the
ancient ... land of Israel”.”
Both Machiavelli and Galileo purportedly lived during the era of the Medici
family.
Machiavelli
and the Medici (Chapter 4) - The Cambridge Companion to Machiavelli
“The
Medici played a central role in Machiavelli's life and works. Until 1494 he
lived in a city dominated by them, and from 1498 to 1512 he was employed by a
government to which they represented a threat and an alternative focus of
allegiance for discontented Florentines. When, after eighteen years of exile,
they returned to Florence in 1512, the Medici removed Machiavelli from the
chancery and his other posts, but he strove subsequently to win their favor,
most famously by dedicating The Prince first to Giuliano de'
Medici, an idea he had to abandon, and subsequently to Giuliano's nephew, the
younger Lorenzo”.
The
Galileo Project | Galileo | Patrons | Medici Family
“In the year of his accession, Ferdinand married Christina of Lorraine
(1565-1637), who was the grand daughter of Catherine de' Medici, Queen of
France. Christina was well-disposed to Galileo and as a favor in return for
some services rendered by Galileo when he was still in Padua found a position
for his brother in law Benedetto Landucci. It was to Christina that Galileo
later wrote his letter on science and scripture, "Letter to the Grand
Duchess Christina of Lorraine".”
Although my efforts to identify some compelling similarities between
Gamaliel I and Galileo were not remarkably fruitful, Gamaliel II shaped up the better
in this regard.
{Note: Whether or not there
were actually two of them (I and II) would still need to be positively
determined, as we have found that multiplications of same names can sometimes occur
due to chronological flaws. In fact, doubts are expressed at: Gamaliel -
Encyclopedia of The Bible - Bible Gateway “The one mentioned in Acts is known
as Gamaliel ha-zaqen, “Gamaliel the Elder,” and lived during the
first Christian cent. Tradition states that his grandfather was none other than
Hillel the Elder. However, as with many other legends about him, this statement
is unsupported by reliable documents. He often is confused with his grandson
also named Gamaliel, and like the first a patriarch of the Sanhedrin”}.
Zoning in on mathematics and astronomy, considered to have been amongst the
academic specialities of Galileo, I had some immediate success:
“Rabban Gamliel was also versed in the knowledge of
mathematics and astronomy”.
In the next sentence it
got even better:
To derive practical benefits from this knowledge he
had a type of telescope made with which he could discern objects at a distance
of two thousand ells both on land and on sea. In his house he had numerous
drawings of the moon and when ignorant witnesses came to announce the new moon,
they could point to the picture most nearly resembling what they saw.
Now, at last, this reads just like Galileo Galilei!
Isn’t it extraordinary, though, how we (so-called) Westerners like to attribute
to ourselves inventions that we did not actually invent!
Much,
for instance, has been inaccurately accredited to the ancient Greeks:
Beware of Greeks
boasting inventions
(2) Beware of Greeks boasting inventions
See
also my related article:
Beware of Greeks
Bearing Myths
(2) Beware of Greeks Bearing Myths
In a similar vein, Islam likes to think that it was at the forefront of
so many intellectual, cultural and technological (scientific) achievements. But
see my article:
Melting down the
fake Golden Age of Islamic intellectualism
(2) Melting down the fake Golden Age of Islamic intellectualism
The
telescope was not invented, so we are told, until the early C17th AD:
Who
really invented the telescope? - BBC Science Focus Magazine
“Telescopes have been vital to science since Dutch spectacle maker Hans
Lippershey patented the now-familiar arrangement of lenses in 1608”.
Galileo,
for his part, has become known as the “Father of Modern Science” and more:
Why
Is Galileo Considered The Father Of Modern Science
“Galileo
Galilei, born in 1564 in Pisa, Italy, is widely regarded as the Father of
Modern Science due to his groundbreaking contributions in varied fields
including physics, astronomy, and mathematics. Recognized for pioneering the
experimental scientific method, Galileo utilized the refracting telescope to
make groundbreaking astronomical discoveries, significantly altering the
perception of the cosmos. Historians and philosophers agree that his work
marked the inception of modern science, earning him titles such as the “father
of observational astronomy”, “father of modern physics”, and “father of the
scientific method”.”
Astronomy:Galileo affair -
HandWiki
“Galileo
also engaged in a dispute over the reasons that objects float or sink in water,
siding with Archimedes against Aristotle.
The debate was unfriendly, and Galileo's blunt and sometimes sarcastic style,
though not extraordinary in academic debates of the time, made him enemies”.
I,
however, have lately questioned the historicity of this Archimedes:
Did the Greeks
derive their Archimedes from Sargon II’s Akhimiti?
(6) Did the Greeks derive their Archimedes from Sargon II's Akhimiti?
The names Gamaliel and Galileo (Galilei) may perhaps be a fit even better
than were Achitophel and Machiavelli.
GA[M]A
LIE[L]
GA[L] I LEO
What
else, if anything, can be matched?
Apart from the name likenesses, the expertise in mathematics and
astronomy, the use of a telescope and observations of the moon, calendrical considerations,
Gamaliel and Galileo were famous, both then and now, and appear to have shared
the same sort of autocratic, self-opinionated character - though they could
also be kind.
Sefaria
Library
“Being a descendant of Hillel, Rabban
Gamliel was looked up to as a scion of the Royal House of David, and as long as
one such remained, no one doubted his rights to the office of Nasi”.
Galileo | Biography,
Discoveries, Inventions, & Facts | Britannica
“[Galileo] … obtained the chair of mathematics at the University of Pisa
in 1589”.
We have also read how scientifically significant Galileo is regarded as
being today: “… the Father of Modern Science … the “father of observational
astronomy”, “father of modern physics”, and “father of the scientific method”.”
Gamaliel
II | Pharisee, Rabbi, Talmud | Britannica
“Gamaliel
ended the division of Jewish spiritual leaders—some of whom belonged to the
school of Hillel and
others to that of Shammai—by ruling that Hillel’s more lenient interpretations
of Jewish Law were authoritative.
He devoted special attention to the regulation of prayer ritual,
which had become all-important since the cessation of sacrificial worship. He
gave the principal prayer, the ʿamida,
consisting of 18 (subsequently 19) benedictions,
its final revision and declared that it was every Israelite’s duty to recite it
three times daily.
By
asserting his authority to standardize the Jewish
calendar and thus fix the dates of festivals, Gamaliel
further unified all Jews. He was recognized as patriarch (leader of the people)
by Rome, and his reforms raised the power and prestige of
the patriarchate”.
Astronomical
and scientific disputes
One of the chief opponents of Rabban Gamliel was Rabbi
Joshua ben Chanania. Rabbi Joshua was known as a gentle peace loving man. He
was always dissatisfied with the innovations of Rabban Gamliel but he was
powerless to contradict them because of his great poverty. Rabbi Joshua gained
his livelihood from making needles.
At that time there did not yet exist a definitely
established calendar. Every month messengers were sent out to observe the
appearance of the new moon and even though the scholars could calculate the
exact moment of the appearance of the moon, it was prohibited to decide on the
day of the new month without the testimony of witnesses who saw the new moon.
On the basis of such testimony Rabban Gamliel once determined the day of the
new year and of all the other holidays of the month of Tishri. But even as the
witnesses were testifying to having observed the new moon, Rabbi Joshua felt
convinced that their testimony was false for according to all possible
calculations it was impossible for the new moon to have appeared. Gathering
courage Rabbi Joshua told the Nasi that he was wrong in setting the date of the
holidays on the basis of such testimony. This opinion was also supported by
other scholars but Rabban Gamliel was adamant and refused to alter his
decision. He turned to Rabbi Joshua and said: “If you have another calculation
of the holidays, then I command you to appear before me carrying your cane and
wallet in your hand and your bag on your shoulders on the day which you
consider to be the right Day of Atonement.”
Gamaliel II | Pharisee, Rabbi, Talmud |
Britannica
“During
his administration, Gamaliel frequently became dictatorial toward dissenters;
at one point, he excommunicated his own brother-in-law. Because of his harsh
methods, he was deposed, but he was later restored to power”.
Similarly with Galileo, as we read above: “The debate was unfriendly, and
Galileo's blunt and sometimes sarcastic style, though not extraordinary in
academic debates of the time, made him enemies”.
Just
like Gamaliel, Galileo did not suffer fools gladly:
February
15: The Life and Achievements of Galileo Galilei - 365 Days of Astronomy
“Galileo
was said to anger quickly, but was easily calmed. He was an excellent speaker
and teacher, and had a lot of friends in high places. One thing that can be
said about Galileo is that he did not suffer fools gladly, and he had a
tendency to think that anyone who disagreed with him was a fool. This attitude
would get him in trouble many times, most famously of course, with the Catholic
Church”.
Humiliated
- deposed, excommunicated (summoned to Rome)
Sefaria Library
One of the pupils came to ask whether the reciting of
the evening prayer (מעריב) was obligatory or voluntary. Rabbi Joshua told him
that it was voluntary and one could do as he chose.
The same pupil then asked this question of Rabban
Gamliel who decided that the reciting of the “Maariv” was obligatory. The pupil
then asked: “How is it that Rabbi Joshua declared it to be voluntary?” and
Rabban Gamliel answered: “Wait until all the scholars come to the academy and
we will discuss this matter.”
When all the scholars gathered Rabban Gamliel
declared, “I have ordained that the reciting of the evening prayer is
obligatory”; saying this he turned to the assembled, “is anyone opposed to this
decision?”
“No one is opposed,” Rabbi Joshua answered. Upon
hearing this Rabban Gamliel said, “Joshua, stand up and a witness will testify
that you have ordered otherwise before.”
Rabbi Joshua obeyed and arose; he stood for a long
time before Rabban Gamliel told him to return to his place. The other scholars
could no longer tolerate the overbearing attitude of the Nasi; there was an
uproar of protest against his conduct and the impeachment of Rabban Gamliel
from his office was taken to a vote.
….
Rabban Gamliel remained impeached for only a short
time. It seems that only a few days passed before he was reinstated. The sudden
outburst of the scholars against his severe conduct produced such a change in
him that everyone was moved to pity. When the scholars saw that the
aristocratically reared Rabban Gamliel bowed without complaint before the will
of the people and that he did not break with the academy, from the presidency
of which he was removed, but immediately adapted himself to his new status and
took his place among the other pupils as an equal, they realized that they were
overhasty and immediately considered a reconciliation.
Only then was it realized what noble traits Rabban
Gamliel possessed.
He was terribly humiliated; no one even thought of
sparing the honor of the Nasi’s family which derived, through Hillel, from king
David; only a day before everyone bowed before him, and suddenly the same
people turned against him.
Nevertheless he accepted the verdict of the people and
did not absent himself from the academy for even one hour, although he fully
realized that his situation was a very difficult one, for all his previous
decisions would be reconsidered and all of his disciples of the past would
attempt to prove them to be wrong.
But instead of dwelling on what happened to him he
considered his behavior toward others and realized that he conducted himself
too severely. He then went to Rabbi Joshua to ask his forgiveness. When he saw
the darkened walls of the low narrow house in which Rabbi Joshua lived, he
said, “from the walls of your house one can tell your occupation.” Believing
that this was said with the intent to slight him, Rabbi Joshua answered, “Woe
to the generation which has a leader like you, for you have no understanding
for the suffering of the scholars and you do not know how they gain their
livelihood.”
Rabban Gamliel said to him, “Now that I came to you,
forgive me! Do so for the sake of the honor of my family.”
Rabbi Joshua was deeply touched at these words and
readily became reconciled.
….
Peace was thus re-established in the academy of Jabneh
and Rabban Gamliel remained Nasi until his death. His later conduct also
indicates that he relented some of his severity and if he treated someone more
harshly than the occasion deserved, it evoked no protest. Meantime the decrees
of Rome became more severe and Rabban Gamliel was frequently compelled to
journey to Rome to intercede for the Jews and to effect the revocation of some
decree or, at least, to ameliorate its effects. He was often accompanied by
some of his comrades on these trips and he was invariably successful in the
accomplishment of his mission. His aristocratic bearing and his fluent Greek
speech gained for him the confidence of the court and of the highest officials
of the empire.
Galileo arrives in Rome to
face charges of heresy | February 13, 1633 | HISTORY
“On February 13, 1633, Italian philosopher, astronomer
and mathematician Galileo Galilei
arrives in Rome to face charges of heresy for advocating Copernican theory, which holds that
the Earth revolves around the Sun. Galileo officially faced the Roman Inquisition
in April of that same year and agreed to plead guilty in exchange for a lighter
sentence. Put under house arrest indefinitely by Pope Urban VIII, Galileo spent
the rest of his days at his villa in Arcetri, near Florence, before dying on
January 8, 1642”.
Intelligent daughter
GAMALIEL II -
JewishEncyclopedia.com
“Of Gamaliel's children,
one daughter is known, who answered in a very intelligent fashion two questions
addressed to her father by an unbeliever (Sanh. 34a, 90b)”.
Wikipedia
