Editing Amalek (section)

==Abrahamic traditions==

=== Jewish traditions ===
Amalek is the archetypal enemy of the Jews and the symbol of evil in [[Jewish religion]] and [[Jewish folklore|folklore]].<ref>{{Cite book |last1=Britt |first1=Brian |chapter-url=https://www.academia.edu/37317042 |title=Encyclopedia of the Bible and its Reception |chapter=Amalek, Amalekites. II. Judaism |last2=Lipton |first2=Diana |last3=Soltes |first3=Ori Z. |last4=Walfish |first4=Barry Dov |date=2010 |publisher=De Gruyter |isbn=978-3-11-018355-9}}</ref> [[Nur Masalha]], Elliot Horowitz, and Josef Stern suggest that the Amalekites represent an "eternally irreconciliable enemy" that wants to murder Jews. In post-biblical times, Jews associated contemporary enemies with Amalek or Haman and, occasionally, believed pre-emptive violence is acceptable against such enemies.<ref name="Masalha-2000">* {{cite book |last=Masalha |first=Nur |title=Imperial Israel and the Palestinians: the politics of expansion |date=2000 |publisher=Pluto Press |pages=129–131}}
* {{cite book |last=Stern |first=Josef |title=Judaism and modernity: the religious philosophy of David Hartman |date=2004 |publisher=Ashgate Publishing, Ltd. |editor1-last=Hartman |editor1-first=David |pages=360–362 |chapter=Maimonides on Amalek, Self-Corrective Mechanisms, and the War against Idolatry" |editor2-last=Malino |editor2-first=Jonathan W.}}
* {{cite book |last=Hunter |first=Alastair G. |title=Sanctified aggression: legacies of biblical and post-biblical vocabularies |date=2003 |publisher=Continuum International Publishing Group |editor1-last=Bekkenkamp |editor1-first=Jonneke |pages=99–105 |chapter=Denominating Amalek: Racist stereotyping in the Bible and the Justification of Discrimination |editor2-last=Sherwood |editor2-first=Yvonne}}</ref> Groups identified with Amalek include the [[ancient Rome|Romans]], [[Nazis]], [[Stalinism|Stalinists]], [[Islamic State]],<ref>{{cite book |last=Horowitz |first=Elliott |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=x4ZeDwAAQBAJ |title=Reckless Rites: Purim and the Legacy of Jewish Violence |publisher=[[Princeton University Press]] |year=2018 |isbn=978-0-691-19039-6 |pages=1–7}}</ref> and bellicose Iranian leaders such as [[Mahmoud Ahmadinejad]].<ref>Roth, Daniel. [https://elmad.pardes.org/2018/02/shabbat-zachor-remember-what-amalek-did-to-you-but-why-did-he-do-it-can-we-reconcile-with-our-eternal-sworn-enemies/ "Shabbat Zachor: "Remember what Amalek did to you!" But why did he do it? Can we reconcile with our eternal sworn enemies?"] ''Pardes from Jerusalem'', 18 Feb. 2018. ''Elmad by Pardes''.</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Zaimov |first=Stoyan |date=April 29, 2017 |title=ISIS a Reenactment of Biblical War Between Israel and the Amalekites, Military Analysts Say |url=https://www.christianpost.com/news/isis-reenactment-biblical-war-israel-amalekites.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210416093336/https://www.christianpost.com/news/isis-reenactment-biblical-war-israel-amalekites.html |archive-date=2021-04-16 |website=Christian Post}}</ref> More metaphorically, to some [[Hasidic Judaism|Hasidic]] [[rabbi]]s (particularly the [[Baal Shem Tov]]), Amalek represents [[atheism]] or the [[cynical]] rejection of God, which leads to [[Libertine|unethical hedonism]]. This is sometimes known as the "Amalekite doctrine".<ref name=":62">{{Cite web |last=Koperwas |first=Josh |title=Destroying Amalek: Removing Doubt & Insecurity |url=https://www.sefaria.org/sheets/8012?lang=bi |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240123050025/https://www.sefaria.org/sheets/8012?lang=bi |archive-date=January 23, 2024 |website=Sefaria}}</ref> In contemporary times, religious Jews associate Amalek with [[Antisemitic terrorism|violent antisemites]],<ref name="Masalha-2000" /><ref name="Biblehub">{{Cite web |title=Esther 3 Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges |url=https://biblehub.com/commentaries/cambridge/esther/3.htm |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230702205114/https://biblehub.com/commentaries/cambridge/esther/3.htm |archive-date=Jul 2, 2023 |access-date= |website=Biblehub}}</ref> [[nihilism]] and [[Jewish skeptics|Jewish doubt in God]].<ref name=":62" />

During the [[Purim|Purim festival]], the [[Book of Esther]] is read in commemoration of the salvation of Jewish people from [[Haman]], who plotted to kill all [[Persian Jews|Jews in Persian Empire]]. It is customary for the audience to make noise and shout whenever "Haman" is mentioned, in order to desecrate his name, based on {{Bibleverse|Exodus|17:14}}. It is also customary to recite {{Bibleverse|Deuteronomy|25:17-18}} on the [[Special Shabbat#Shabbat Zachor|Shabbat before Purim]]. This was because Haman was considered to be an Amalekite although this label is more likely to be symbolic rather than literal.<ref>{{cite web |last=Finley |first=Mordecai |date=21 February 2018 |title=Unmasking Purim, Fighting Amalek: Behind the whimsy of this holiday lie some deep lessons for living |url=http://jewishjournal.com/culture/religion/purim/231046/unmasking-purim-fighting-amalek-behind-whimsy-holiday-lie-deep-lessons-living/ |access-date=22 February 2018 |work=Jewish Journal}}</ref><ref name="Biblehub" /><ref name="jewishencyclopedia.com2">{{Cite Jewish Encyclopedia|title=HAMAN THE AGAGITE|url=http://www.jewishencyclopedia.com/articles/7124-haman-the-agagite|first1=Emil|last1=Hirsch|first2=M.|last2=Seligsohn|first3=Solomon|last3=Schechter|volume=6|page=189&ndash;190}} Retrieved 13 February 2017</ref> Some Iranophilic Jews interpreted Haman's Amalekite background as being anathema to both Jews and 'pure-blooded Iranians'.<ref name="Silverstein-2018"/>

=== Christian traditions ===
Early Church fathers such as [[Justin Martyr]], [[Irenaeus]] and [[Cyprian]] consider the defeat of Amalek in {{Bibleverse|Exodus|17:8-13}} to be reminiscent of [[Jesus]] defeating the powers of the [[devil]] at the [[Crucifixion of Jesus|cross]]. Origen sees the battle as an allegory of the [[Mosaic Law|Law]] mysteriously invoking [[Christ]], who recruits strong people (i.e. [[Christians]]) to defeat the demonic Strong Man, as described in {{Bibleverse|Ephesians|6:12}}.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Paczkowski |first=Mieczysław |date=2014 |title=Amalek and the amalekites in the ancient christian literature |url=https://www.researchgate.net/publication/280211465 |journal=Teologia i Człowiek |volume=26 |issue=2 |pages=137–155 |doi=10.12775/TiCz.2014.021 |via=ResearchGate}}</ref>

John Gill believes that Amalek is a type of [[antichrist]] that 'raises his hand against the throne of God, his tabernacle and his saints'. He believes the phrase "from generation to generation" in {{Bibleverse|Exodus|17:16}} specifically refers to the [[Messianic Age]], where Amalek and other antichristian states are exterminated by the [[Lamb of God|Lamb]].<ref>{{Cite web |date=2024 |title=Exodus 17 Gill's Exposition |url=https://biblehub.com/commentaries/gill/exodus/17.htm |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240212053408/https://biblehub.com/commentaries/gill/exodus/17.htm |archive-date=February 12, 2024 |website=Biblehub.com}}</ref> Likewise, Charles Ellicott notes that the Amalekites were collectively called 'the sinners' in {{Bibleverse|1 Samuel|15:18}}, which was only used elsewhere for the [[Sodom and Gomorrah|Sodomites]] in {{Bibleverse|Genesis|13:13}}.<ref name="ellicott" />

[[Carl Friedrich Keil]] and [[Franz Delitzsch]] state that the Amalekites were extinct by the second half of Hezekiah's reign.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2024 |title=1 Chronicles 4 Keil and Delitzsch OT Commentary |url=https://biblehub.com/commentaries/kad/1_chronicles/4.htm |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240212081010/https://biblehub.com/commentaries/kad/1_chronicles/4.htm |archive-date=February 12, 2024 |website=Biblehub.com}}</ref>

Professor Philip Jenkins notes that Christian extremists have historically labelled enemies such as Native Americans, Protestants, Catholics and Tutsis as Amalekites to justify their genocides.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Jenkins |first=Philip |title=Laying Down the Sword: Why We Can't Ignore the Bible's Violent Verses |date=2013 |publisher=HarperCollins Religious US |isbn=978-0061990724}}</ref> Jews and victims of the Crusades were also called Amalekites. Because of this, modern Christian scholars have re-examined the Biblical narratives that inspired these atrocities using philology, literary analysis, archaeology and historical evidence.{{sfn|Kugler|2020}}

=== Islamic traditions ===
Islamic commentators believe that the Amalekites were an ancient Arabian tribe. The [[Monotheism|monotheistic]] [[Ishmaelites]] evangelized to them in [[Mecca]] and later, they supplanted their population. However, the paganism of the Amalekites and other Arabian tribes negatively influenced the Ishmaelites, including their approach to the [[Kaaba]].<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Athamina |first=Khalil |date=2005 |title=Abraham in Islamic Perspective Reflections on the Development of Monotheism in Pre-Islamic Arabia |url=https://doi.org/10.1515/islm.2004.81.2.184 |journal=Der Islam |volume=81 |issue=2 |pages=193–196 |doi=10.1515/islm.2004.81.2.184 |s2cid=170567885 |via=De Gruyter}}</ref>

Adam J. Silverstein observes that most scholars who lived in the medieval Muslim world ignored the Book of Esther or they modified the details of it, despite their familiarity with the [[Iranian Jews|Persian Jewish community]]. This was caused by their attempt to reconcile the Biblical Esther with the [[Haman (Islam)|Quranic Haman]], who was the antagonist of the [[The Exodus|Exodus narrative]], and Persian mythological historical traditions. Notable exceptions include [[Ibn Khaldun|Ibn Khaldūn]], who affirmed the Amalekite origins of Haman and his [[Antisemitism|antisemitic]] vendetta.<ref name="Silverstein-2018"/>