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Revision as of 07:22, 6 August 2005 by Mkmcconn (talk | contribs) (expand on the oppositeness of ideas)(diff) ← Previous revision | Latest revision (diff) | Newer revision → (diff)The eye of a needle is part of a phrase best known as attributed to Jesus by the synoptic gospels: "...I tell you the truth, it is hard for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven. Again I tell you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God." Matthew 19:24.
The comparison of a rich man's chances of being saved, as being harder than threading a camel through a literal sewing implement, has seemed unlikely to some commentators; and consequently the phrase has inspired various interpretations. The parallel versions appear in Matthew 19:23-24, Mark 10:24-25 and Luke 18:24-25.
The occasion of the saying, according to the gospel writers, was after a rich young man had asked Jesus what he needed to do in order to inherit eternal life. Jesus replied that he should first, keep the commandments (he listed only those concerning duty to men), sell all his possessions, and give the money to the poor, and then to come, follow Jesus. Because of his great wealth, the young man was unwilling to do this. Jesus then turned to his disciples, and spoke this phrase to their astonishment, leading them to doubt that salvation was possible for anyone.
A popular explanation of the figure, dating back at least to the 9th century, was that Jesus was referring to a well-known gate in Jerusalem called Needle's Eye, that was built so low that a camel could only pass if it entered kneeling and unencumbered with baggage. The lessen would then be that, an eternal inheritance awaits those who unburden themselves of sin, and in particular, the things of this world. Although there is no historical evidence that such a gate ever existed, through frequent repetition this idea has attained the status of virtual dogma, in some circles.
Some scholars have suggested that the word camel is in fact a mistranslation of the Greek original, and should instead read rope. On the weight of this, some English versions read "cable" instead of "camel". An obvious advantage of this is that it puts the eye of a needle in less ridiculous proportion compared to the threading material, albeit providing a much less colorful contrast. However, there is no support for this in extant manuscripts; the observation that καμιλος (camel) differs by only one letter from καμηλος (rope), lent credibility to the speculation that the word in surviving texts might be a corruption of a lost version.
The most common Christian interpretation is that Jesus gave the explanation to his disciples, when he told them that for any man looking to himself, salvation is not possible; but for God, all things are possible. The way is open, but it cannot be accessed by any human means, unless God should bring them in by an "impossible" way - impossible that is, for man - meaning, through Christ's death and resurrection. Christians also typically use the account of the rich young ruler, including this phrase, to teach concerning the deceitfulness of wealth and worldly prestige, and the duty of alms.
Interestingly, Islam turns the Christian idea on its head, teaching by the same phrase that paradise is closed to those who reject Islam (the following of which makes salvation acheivable by man). The Qur'an in Al-A'raf (The Heights) 7:40 reads,
- To those who reject Our signs and treat them with arrogance, no opening will there be of the gates of heaven, nor will they enter the garden, until the camel can pass through the eye of the needle: Such is Our reward for those in sin.
If a camel passing through the needle's eye represents the impossible, the Babylonian Talmud goes even farther in applying the aphorism to unthinkable thoughts. To explain that dreams reveal the thoughts of a man's heart, the product of reason rather than the absence of it, the rabbis say:
- They do not show a man a palm tree of gold, nor an elephant going through the eye of a needle.