Arkeoloji ve Misyonerlik: On Dokuzuncu Yüzyıl Kudüs’ünde İngiliz Varlığı

Abstract

Kendisini öncelikle Katoliklik gibi Hıristiyanlığın “yozlaşmış” biçimleriyle rekabet halinde gören bu Evanjelik (Müjdeci) Protestanlık, on dokuzuncu yüzyılın büyük bölümünde Filistin’deki ve özellikle Kudüs’teki İngiliz faaliyetlerinin arkasındaki itici gücü temsil ediyordu. Bu güç, özellikle iki alanda kendini göstermiştir: misyonerlik faaliyetleri ve arkeolojik çalışmalar. On dokuzuncu yüzyıl boyunca misyonerlik çalışmaları, arkeolojik araştırmalar ya da her ikisini birden üstlenerek Filistin’e akın eden İngilizler, kendilerini Katolikliğin ve dolayısıyla Doğu Hıristiyan kiliselerinin ritüelistik uygulamalarına ve hiyerarşik örgütlenmesine doğrudan karşıt olarak konumlandıran Protestan Evanjelik teolojisini, temel referans çerçevesi olarak aldılar. Bu teolojik yaklaşım, İngilizlerin enerjilerini, Filistin’deki Müslüman toplumunu neredeyse tamamen dışlayarak, bölgedeki Hıristiyan ve Yahudilerden oluşan küçük yerel nüfuslara odaklamalarına yol açtı. Bu yaklaşım aynı zamanda, başta Amerika ve Almanya olmak üzere, Evanjelik Protestan bakış açısını paylaşan diğer Batılı güçlerle işbirliği modelini ve başta Fransa ve Rusya olmak üzere Katolik ve Ortodoks güçlerle düşmanca ilişkilerin geliştirilmesini de belirlemiştir. Bu durum Batılı arkeologların Filistin’in İncil’deki geçmişine odaklanmasına ve Osmanlı ve Müslüman tarihini ciddiye alınmaya değmeyecek küçük ve geçici bir sapma olarak görmesine yol açtı. Ve son olarak, Britanya’nın “saf (Pure)” Hıristiyanlığının ve “Kutsal Topraklar (Holy Land)”ın gerçek önemine dair anlayışının Filistin üzerinde siyasi bir iddiayı meşrulaştırabileceği görüşünün ortaya çıkmasını sağladı.

Keywords

• Filistin
• Kudüs
• Protestan
• Misyonerlik
• Osmanlı
• Arkeoloji

Archeology and Mission: The British Presence in Nineteenth-Century Jerusalem

Abstract

This brand of evangelical Protestantism, which viewed itself as competing primarily with “degenerate” forms of Christianity like Catholicism, represented the driving force behind British activity in Palestine, and especially in Jerusalem, for much of the nineteenth century. It manifested itself especially in two fields: missionary activity and archeological pursuits. The British who poured into Palestine during the nineteenth century, undertaking missionary work, archeological research, or both, and took as their primary frame of reference a Protestant evangelical theology that situated itself in direct opposition to the ritualistic practices and hierarchical organization of Catholicism and, by extension, the Eastern Christian churches. This theological approach led the British to focus their energies on the small local populations of Christians and Jews, to the almost total exclusion of the Muslim community. It also determined a pattern of cooperation with other Western powers who shared an evangelical Protestant outlook, especially America and Germany, and the development of hostile relations with Catholic and Orthodox powers, notably France and Russia. It led archeologists to focus on Palestine’s biblical past, and to view its Ottoman and Muslim history as a minor and temporary aberrance not worthy of serious consideration. And finally, it allowed for the emergence of the view that Britain’s “pure” Christianity and understanding of the true significance of the “Holy Land” could legitimize a political claim to Palestine.

Keywords

• Palestine
• Jarusalem
• Protestant
• Missionary
• Ottoman
• Archeology

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