Zealotry in Jewish Mythology

6 myths

Pinchas, the Zealots of the revolt, and the Jewish debate over when righteous anger crosses the line into dangerous fanaticism.
Myth 6 min

Phinehas Reminded Moses of the Law Moses Himself Had Taught

The plague was already moving through the camp. Zimri walked into the assembly with a Midianite princess, and Moses said nothing at all.

PhinehasMosesZimriZealotryWilderness
Parshat Vayishlach 4 min

Levi Crossed a Line at Shechem and Became the Priestly Tribe

Levi and Simeon killed every man in Shechem and Jacob cursed them for it. Within a generation, God chose Levi for the priesthood. Jubilees explains why.

LeviShechemDinahSimeonPriesthoodZealotryJubilees
Myth 5 min

Elijah and the Chair Commanded for Brit Milah

A chair waits beside the child before the knife is lifted. Elijah sits there because he once told God that Israel had thrown the covenant away.

ElijahCircumcisionCovenantZealotryBrit MilahEphraim
Myth 5 min

Elijah Ran to Horeb and Was Sent Back Again

Jezebel's threat drove Elijah into the wilderness, where an angel fed him and God answered his zeal by sending him back.

ElijahHorebCovenantZealotryCircumcisionProphecyPersecution
Myth 7 min

Levi Found the Brass Shield on the Road to Shechem

Levi asked the angel for a name he could cry on a bad day. He woke holding a sword, and found the brass shield lying in the road.

LeviShechemSimeonJacobZealotryDreamsProphecyVisionAngelsPriesthoodDeathbedHeavenTestament
Myth 5 min

Pinchas's Spear Was Reckoned as an Altar Offering

Bodies were already stacking in the camp. Moses and the elders sat weeping. Pinchas ran with a spear while the doorway still held the insult.

PinchasAtonementZealotryAltarOfferings