O’Gorman, The Origins of Hospitality and Tourism, Goodfellow Publishing © 2010 Judaeo-Christian Origins The Origins of Hospitality and Tourism

O’Gorman, The Origins of Hospitality and Tourism, Goodfellow Publishing © 2010 Oldest texts referring to hospitality are from a literary genre known as Ancient Near East Texts  These belong to Eastern Mediterranean traditions from Mesopotamia, Asia Minor, Syria-Palestine, and Egypt  Provide examples of Ancient Near East hospitality, where the host is attentive to those they have found in their house  More readily and universally available is the compilation known as the Old and New Testaments of the Bible

O’Gorman, The Origins of Hospitality and Tourism, Goodfellow Publishing © 2010 THE OLD TESTAMENT

O’Gorman, The Origins of Hospitality and Tourism, Goodfellow Publishing © 2010 Old Testament Writings (800 BC to 120 BC)  Numerous references exist to the practice of hospitality, serving as hosts, and to treating human life with respect and dignity  Many laws specifically require hospitality and concern for strangers  Other laws, often associated with those concerning strangers, also assure good treatment of weak members of society, and laws concerning redemption are framed in accordance with the spirit of hospitality

O’Gorman, The Origins of Hospitality and Tourism, Goodfellow Publishing © 2010 Central figure to Old Testament hospitality is Abraham  He showed unreserved hospitality to the strangers, only later seeing the true nature of his guests  Hospitality, and in particular the treatment of strangers is enshrined in the Old Testament: strangers have to be well treated, because the people themselves were strangers in a foreign lands  Clear parallels between the hospitality that Odysseus seeks, and the other hospitality scenes portrayed by Homer and those described by Ovid

O’Gorman, The Origins of Hospitality and Tourism, Goodfellow Publishing © 2010 Centrality of Hospitality  In the Old Testament, hospitality is central to virtually all of Old Testament ethics; God, the Great Host, invites His guests into His house, the created world, to enjoy its riches and blessings.  However, the duties of the guest are clear too, the host expects these guests to follow His example and share their livelihood and their life, with their fellow guests on His earth.

O’Gorman, The Origins of Hospitality and Tourism, Goodfellow Publishing © 2010 The Prophet Isaiah looks ahead to the end of time  He describes the coming of God in his glory as God’s eschatological banquet: “On this mountain, for all peoples, Yahweh Sabaoth is preparing a banquet of rich food, a banquet of fine wines, of succulent food, of well-strained wines.” (Isaiah 25:6–9)  Thus, a banquet is used as the image of a redeemed humanity, which is entertained at the Lord’s Table in a mood of fulfilment and rejoicing.

O’Gorman, The Origins of Hospitality and Tourism, Goodfellow Publishing © 2010 THE NEW TESTAMENT

O’Gorman, The Origins of Hospitality and Tourism, Goodfellow Publishing © 2010 Jesus’ birth was a betrayal of ancient codes of hospitality He was dependant on the hospitality of others Cannot depend on others to be hospitable for you Rewards for good hospitality are eternal

O’Gorman, The Origins of Hospitality and Tourism, Goodfellow Publishing © 2010 Even when He came to be born, there was no one who would take the family in  This, in a land where hospitality was considered so important; mankind turned their backs and showed no hospitality to a pregnant woman.  No room at the ‘inn’ is a bad translation - probably ‘dwelling’. The manger, where the animals ate, was probably fixed to a wall of the poor living space, which was so crowded, that there was no better place for the child to safely lie.

O’Gorman, The Origins of Hospitality and Tourism, Goodfellow Publishing © 2010 Centrality of Hospitality  Within the New Testament, there are also many references to the practice of hospitality, to serving as hosts, and to treating human life with respect and dignity.  The followers of Jesus did not expect earthly rewards for their hospitable actions, but expected metaphysical advantages after death.

O’Gorman, The Origins of Hospitality and Tourism, Goodfellow Publishing © 2010 Hospitality held to be a moral practice  In which personal sacrifice was required for the sake of the guest, it was not enough to rely on third parties to carry out hospitable acts.  The treatment of guests often followed a ritualised pattern of welcome (not unusual in classical literature), and after the welcome, the stranger became the guest and then the guest became a friend.

O’Gorman, The Origins of Hospitality and Tourism, Goodfellow Publishing © 2010 Judeo-Christian philosophy  Hospitality was necessary for the well being of mankind and essential to the protection of vulnerable strangers.  It was to become a distinctive feature of the early Christian church: in keeping with the general continuity with Hebrew understandings of hospitality that associated it with God, covenant, and blessing.

O’Gorman, The Origins of Hospitality and Tourism, Goodfellow Publishing © 2010 Some contrast to Hellenistic and Roman practices  The Greek and Roman views of benevolence and hospitality stressed formal reciprocal obligations between benefactor and recipient.  Because a grateful response from the beneficiary was key to the ongoing relationship, the Greek and Roman tradition emphasized the worthiness and goodness of recipients rather than their need; relations were often calculated to benefit the benefactor.

O’Gorman, The Origins of Hospitality and Tourism, Goodfellow Publishing © 2010 BIBLICAL STUDIES

O’Gorman, The Origins of Hospitality and Tourism, Goodfellow Publishing © 2010 Hospitality in scripture has only been investigated during the last century  Prior to the Renaissance, Biblical texts were treated as sacred and inviolable  With the protestant analysis of the bible and the development of Humanism, history became a separate discipline from theology  This was the first time that Biblical texts were to be critically evaluated

O’Gorman, The Origins of Hospitality and Tourism, Goodfellow Publishing © 2010 Hospitality is not a simple concept  There are deeply rooted cultural norms that are not readily transferable from one culture to another

O’Gorman, The Origins of Hospitality and Tourism, Goodfellow Publishing © 2010 Hospitality must not only be offered to strangers, but to enemies as well  Biblical hospitality, like that of ancient Greece, was embedded in the culture of the community  Hospitality brought protection from enemies, even to the extent it was the enemies that also had to offer hospitality

O’Gorman, The Origins of Hospitality and Tourism, Goodfellow Publishing © 2010 PATRISTIC THEOLOGY

O’Gorman, The Origins of Hospitality and Tourism, Goodfellow Publishing © 2010 Patristic theology  The study of early Christian writers  Known as the Church Fathers or the Patristic Writers  The early and influential theologians and writers in the Christian Church, particularly those of the first five centuries of Christian history

O’Gorman, The Origins of Hospitality and Tourism, Goodfellow Publishing © 2010 Make specific mention of aspects of hospitality  Although there has been very little research undertaken on hospitality and the patristic writings

O’Gorman, The Origins of Hospitality and Tourism, Goodfellow Publishing © 2010 THE TELEOLOGICAL FALLACY

O’Gorman, The Origins of Hospitality and Tourism, Goodfellow Publishing © 2010 When undertaking any historical textual analysis  Care must be taken to avoid what Finley (1983, p. 110) characterised as: “the Teleological Fallacy”  The tendency to use ancient documents as: “a springboard for a modern polemic”

O’Gorman, The Origins of Hospitality and Tourism, Goodfellow Publishing © 2010 Consider this example text:  “Hospitality is an ethical component of the familial paradigm that is hard for modern western readers to appreciate in its full weight and significance. It may help us to remember that travel, in the ancient world, was only undertaken for grave reasons, often negative in nature, such as flight from persecution or search for food and survival. Hospitality, under those circumstances, has little to do with modern tourism, but embraces the biblical equivalent to our policies regarding refugees, immigrants and welfare” Janzen (1994, p. 43)

O’Gorman, The Origins of Hospitality and Tourism, Goodfellow Publishing © 2010 It incorporates two elements: Hobbs (2001) identifies: 1.“it has to do with travellers, that is, those who are away from their houses for one reason or another; 2.it is used as a parallel for modern ethical concerns.” Hobbs (2001) notes that:  the reader should be aware of the jump that has been made in the second point by first discussing a small-scale society and then comparing it to a western post-industrial society.

O’Gorman, The Origins of Hospitality and Tourism, Goodfellow Publishing © 2010 Potential for Bias  No interpreter is a valueless interpreter  Be clear on personal research credo  Ensure explicit rational for textual selection and translation methodology  Treat biblical and other writings simply as literature to be critically analysed for evidence of hospitality events

O’Gorman, The Origins of Hospitality and Tourism, Goodfellow Publishing © 2010 SUMMARY OF ISSUES IDENTIFIED IN THE JUDAEO-CHRISTIAN LITERATURE

O’Gorman, The Origins of Hospitality and Tourism, Goodfellow Publishing © 2010 Ethical and Sacred  Within the Judeo-Christian traditions, biblical hospitality has an ethical component that is often difficult for modern western readers to appreciate in its full weight and significance.  Hospitality is essentially the process by means of which an outsider’s status is changed from stranger to guest and the guest who is under the protection of host and is held as sacred in nomadic cultures.

O’Gorman, The Origins of Hospitality and Tourism, Goodfellow Publishing © 2010 Established Processes  Hospitality requires protocols and transforms relationships and the biblical material shows a discernible pattern to its development.  Hospitality is an extended system of friendship and is a complex concept with deep-rooted cultural norms and progresses through a stage-by-stage process. However in the biblical material the stranger rarely, if ever, reciprocates.

O’Gorman, The Origins of Hospitality and Tourism, Goodfellow Publishing © 2010 Gaining Prestige and Honour  Through giving of hospitality and it is also central to the self-interest of the host.  The host operates within a zone of obligation – hospitality thresholds and the guest is made aware they are on the territory of the host – not to make them feel at home – and reinforces the moral superiority of the host.

O’Gorman, The Origins of Hospitality and Tourism, Goodfellow Publishing © 2010 Central factor in the spreading of the Gospel to the early Christian community  The first the Apostles and the itinerant Christian ministers and refugees often finding themselves in need of sympathetic hosts.  The claims of the travellers to hospitality are accentuated by the being bearers of good tidings for the people and the offering of hospitality to them is recognised as being of high virtue.  Rejection of hospitality to one of his followers is equivalent to the rejection of Jesus himself.

O’Gorman, The Origins of Hospitality and Tourism, Goodfellow Publishing © 2010 Reflections elsewhere:  The biblical origins of hospitality, which underpin the Judeo-Christian hospitality traditions, are similarly reflected in other religions doctrines.  In all cases the provision of hospitality, and acting hospitably, is supported by the religious teachings of whatever denomination.