Prophecy did not only preserve the nation, but actually drew it towards the desired objective. Historians are amazed at the Jewish People's capacity to have remembered the Land for so many centuries. The credit is due in no small measure to the manner in which our prophets guided us and the vibrant style in which they instructed us; it was this that drew a picture and created the longing in our souls to return and live so naturally in our Land.
Paul advances the idea of preferring an organization, a sect, a particular ideology to the natural framework of family, land, nation, and language. Henceforth, he who joins this movement will be redeemed; non-members are doomed to eternal perdition.
Hellenism's Value and Its Rectification via Judaism
The turning point in Hellenist culture came when classic paganism became a general idea. This happened when they stripped paganism of its religious content and transformed it into a cluster of ideas - purposive, active forces became laws and domains.
The Land's Sanctity from the Perspective of the Exile
Only in the Babylonian exile did our manner of relating to the Land of Israel change. Only there did our desire for the land - our longing, hopes, and special behavior - receive expression by the sages, and hence by the nation itself.