구약성경으로 재조명해 본 다문화 담론

Abstract

This study aims to provide multilateral view for understanding the discourse of Multi-cultural society. To do so, this study introduces the Old Testament period’s Israel’s welfare contents for foreign or immigrant people, in the context of modern welfare policy. For the purpose of this study, the author re-defined the terms to designate foreign people into four following categories, in the aspect of socio-linguistics: Foreigner, Guest, Refugee and Stranger. Adopting the concepts of the terminologies, the author reviews the lives of immigrants' and social policies for immigrants in the Israel after its formulation of Hebrew kingdom. Then, the study also explores the relationship between Israelites and the social context for the immigrants in the ages. The main findings of this study are summarized as followings: First, according to their code, immigrants were guaranteed their legal rights as same as Israelites. Second, furthermore, Israel accept migrants who moved into Israel for the economy reasons and even treated them as the weak to be protected by society. In Sum, the ancient Israel had not only inclusive attitude but also policy to care foreign immigrants. This might be expanded by the unique identity of Israelites as people of multi-cultural society and their national trait: the sense of belong together with foreigners. The identity of Hebrew people was based on the covenant made with God. Whoever agreed to the law could be a member of this society. Based on this, the Israelite’s Kingdom was established and it aimed for a social-ethical dimension that the covenant has indicated. the Israelite’s society has transcended geneological and ethnological differences. In this aspect this article contributes to the Korean society that stands on the threshold of the multi-cultural society and which is demand to developing of the value in our context.