HEATHEN.— The title 'Nations' in Scripture (Heb. Guiim, Gr. Ethne), originally covering the nations of the world as a whole, soon comes to desi™ate exclusively the non-Jews, the untircum- eised. Scripture casts its view, and it is a sym- pathetic view, over the whole human race, before It treats of the forefatliers of the Israelites in particular. Though many of the Jews of later times became proudly exclusive in their treatment of those who did not belong to the privileged people, the religion of Scripture gives no warrant lor such an attitude on their part; it is funda- mentally characterized by the spirit of humanity. The .synopsis of the peoples of the earth given in (in 10, by connecting tneni all with Noali, pre- sents them as related to each other like kinsmen. Dillmann {Genesi.t, p. 176) points out how other races too, I'gyptians and Plioinicians, Assyrians and Babylonians, even Indians and Persians, had a certain knowledge of the earth and its inhabit- ants, but usually paid little attention to foreigners, except when iiilliienced by political or commercial reasons, and often despi.sed them a.s mere bar- barians. ' Here in Genesis, on the other hand, all the peoples that were known by repute, most of whom could not have stood in any intimate rela- tion to the countrymen of the writer, are includeii in his survey. All the divisions of mankind are collected in a genealogical tree, and Israel is lield U) be only an ordinary branch on the stock of • Kor ''NTt.T /lar'il, Eik 43'»» (RV 'upper altar'), wo •hould reail oa above Sk'IH.1, or perhaps (hroiiKhoul Sm-kH, aa on the Uoabitc Stone (Smend and Sociu, line* 12, 17).
universal humanity.' The same breadth of out- look is indicated in the announcements that God created mnn in His own image (Gn 1-''), that He blessed Niirih and his sons, and assigned a pcnaltj for the shedding of man's blood (Gn 9'-*). Even in giving the promise of special favour to Abraham and his seed, God showed Himself gracious to the other inhabitants of the world as well. One race was chosen and disciplined for the ultimate good of the whole. In Abraham all the families of the earth were to be blessed (Gn 12^).
At the same time, we see the severest treatment of the heathen approved of in the OT. Eftbrts were made to extirpate the Canaanites after the land of Pal. was entered, and the OT represents that it was a great sin to sjiare them (Ex 2.3'-'"'-, NuSS'-"-, I)t2u""'). The disaster that befell the Canaanites is viewed, however, as the consequence of their utter moral corruption, their grievous sin against the lij^dit of nature ; the reflection stirred by their ruin is comparable to that which is now occasioned by the action of inexorable laws of Providence on demoralized nations of modem times. Israel was commanded to make no mar- riages with the inhabitants of the land that re- mained (Jos 23'-), and to make no league with them (Jg 2-). The prophets had an arduous struggle to keep Israel's worship of J" separate from that whicli was contaminated bv the idola- trous heathen rites as practised on the nigh places. Heathenism, with its distinguishing feature of idolatry, remained a congenital faith, even to the people of God, and spiritual monotheism was a new tiling which was, for obvious reasons, repug- nant to them. The centralization of Jewish wor- shiji at the temple, as enjoined in Ut, was mainly due to the purjio.se of the prophets to isolate the chosen people from all tlieir heathen neigh- bours. The natural, racial, inherited proclivities of the Israelites could not be extinguished, and the nation could not adv.ance in the knowledge and service of the true God otherwise than liy the method of seclusion from the surrounding tribes.
The prophets, however, far from cherishing a spirit of blind hostility towards the heathen, fore- see the day when the nations will be gathered into the one family of God's people, having rest and comfort, and enjoying the blessings of the law that goes forth from Jerusalem. The ''olden age of the world, according to the OT, is in the future, and the heathen will participate in its glory (Is 40-06). The Bk. of Jonah sets forth God s tender regard for the heathen.
Jewish exclusiveness as towards the heathen culminates in the post-exilic age. The Jews being shorn of political influence, became the more con- firmed in their devotion to their faith, and hedged it round with an elaborate system of ritual (the Levitical law). Tlie barrier between them and the heathen thus became more impas.sjible than ever.
As the Greeks spread along the shores of the Mediter., and tlieir speech and customs became more prevalent (2 Mae 4""''), they, as the principal representatives, stood for the lieathen generally (Ko 10'^ 1 Co 10=-^ 12", (;al 3-'; cf. Jn 7").
The Jewish view of the he.ithen is marked by conflicting elements, and needs to be superseded. The heatlien are at once held in repugnance, and called to the highest honour.
Christianity was, in the first instance, a develop- ment and modification of Judaism. As the world had needed preparation for the coming ol Christ, so He took up the work which wa.s begun anuiiig the Jews and completed it. But the principle of universalism is involved in His doctrine of the kingdom of God as a kinirdom of rii/hteousne.-^