Greetings fellow Wook users! Today, I am going to do a comparison between the Bible and the Mandalorian. Here is some backstory as to why I am doing this: So, a while back I was discussing on here about the Mandalorian Creed/Code and somewhere along the lines, I said “I am a Christian ✝️ , but after looking at how the Mandalorians lived and that is how I decided to live my life, both as a Christian and as a Mando’ade (Child of Mandalore, or in my case a Son of Mandalore) per se.” The user I was discussing with was curious as to how such a thing was possible, to which I responded, “It just works. Living a life full of honor and living for something greater than my very own existence.” Though the question was in the back burner of my mind.
Anywho, on to the topic at hand. This article is by Reverend Gordon Tubbs. The link is at the bottom of this thread, so if you want to, I’d suggest that you read it.
TO BE A MANDALORIAN
“But Ruth said, “Do not plead with me to leave you or to turn back from following you; for where you go, I will go, and where you sleep, I will sleep. Your people shall be my people, and your God, my God.” ~ Ruth 1:16 (NASB)”
Gordon says that “In the Bible, the Jews are referred to as God’s chosen people, the exemplary society that God will use and shape in order to influence the rest of the world. The necessary condition of being Jewish is to enter into the covenant that God made with Moses. Preceding covenants made with Noah, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob are all consummated in the covenant with Moses. There are three ways you can enter into this covenant; the first is by birth, the second is by volition, and the third is by adoption. Although I am simplifying the nuances of what it means to be Jewish, it is possible to be a Jew by heritage and/or a Jew by religion.
We discover in the first season that Din Djarin — the title character of The Mandalorian — was a “foundling,” one who was adopted. Apparently it was customary for Mandalorians to collect children who were made orphans by war, as this is what happened when Din was rescued by Mandalorians after his village was attacked by droids during the Clone Wars. But even those born Mandalorian or adopted by Mandalorians still have to profess their creed before they can be truly called Mandalorian. In biblical terms, Din was a Gentile (a non-Jewish person), who was adopted, but later professed the Mandalorian Creed.”
Even in today’s times, those who belong to a religious community are foundlings. I find it interesting that no matter what religion you came from (Muslim, Jew, etc.), that if they found God through family, friends, or on their own that they are one of His foundlings.
“One well known character from the Bible who is similar to Din is Ruth. Like Din, Ruth has lost some family and does not have anything tying her down, save her relationship with her mother-in-law Naomi. Although Ruth was a Moabite, and thus a Gentile, she chose to be more than mere family to Naomi, she chose to be a part of Naomi’s people and to worship her God — the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Later on Ruth also chose to marry an Israelite, thus becoming one for all intents and purposes.”
Like how Din became a true Mando’ade for a majority of his life. Honestly, it’s rather amazing how in the past a Gentile could be a part of a completely different people and be acceptable as on of their own people.
“In the episode “The Tragedy” from season 2 of The Mandalorian, we see the importance of Mandalorian identity come up again after Boba Fett tracks down Din and demands that his armor (that Din had acquired earlier in the season) be given back to him. Din is willing to return the armor, but is skeptical of Boba Fett’s claim. Din even asks if Boba Fett has “taken the Creed” — signifying that he is in fact a Mandalorian — which would give him immediate rights to reclaim the armor. Boba Fett responds that he has not taken the Creed, and in fact owes his allegiance to no one (which in the spirit of the Mandalorian people definitely qualifies him, but I digress).
At the end of “The Tragedy” episode, Boba Fett is brandishing his armor and reveals that it was coded to him. More than this, Boba also reveals to Din that his “father” Jango Fett was a foundling that later fought in the Mandalorian Civil War. And so even though Boba Fett has not taken the Creed, he proves to Din that he is very much Mandalorian by heritage.”
“Like the Jews, the Mandalorians strike a healthy balance between how inclusive and exclusive they are. In one sense, anyone can be adopted or simply join by taking the Creed. In another sense, to remain a Mandalorian requires your faithfulness to Mandalorian values.”
Which is self explanatory, but something to think about.
Gordon then brings up the next topic:
THIS IS THE WAY
Whether you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear a voice behind you, saying, “This is the way; walk in it.” ~ Isaiah 30:21
“No doubt even if you were not a fan or watcher of the show, you came across plenty of “this is the Way” memes, or heard “this is the Way” in your conference calls, in addition to all things “baby Yoda.” But for fans and watchers of the show, none of the characters really explain why “this is the Way” is said in the first place. Clearly it is a phrase that is important to the Mandalorians, probably as important as “may the Force be with you” is to the Jedi at least. But what does it mean? The word “way” in biblical Hebrew is derek, and is often used when referring to a road or pathway, but the religious connotation is far deeper. Consider Psalm 25:4–11 (NASB), which reads:
“4 Make me know Your ways, Lord;Teach me Your paths.5 Lead me in Your truth and teach me,For You are the God of my salvation;For You I wait all the day.6 Remember, Lord, Your compassion and Your faithfulness,For they have been from of old.7 Do not remember the sins of my youth or my wrongdoings;Remember me according to Your faithfulness,For Your goodness’ sake, Lord.8 The Lord is good and upright;Therefore He instructs sinners in the way.9 He leads the humble in justice,And He teaches the humble His way.10 All the paths of the Lord are faithfulness and truthTo those who comply with His covenant and His testimonies.11 For the sake of Your name, Lord,Forgive my wrongdoing, for it is great.”
“This passage, as well as many others, are all referring to a biblical concept known as “the Way of the Lord.” Although, to explain what the Way of the Lord is I’ll need to explain another concept first. You do not need to be religious to see all of the injustice in the world, the hate, the violence, the suffering, the corruption, etc. Why do you suspect these things come about? Well, the Bible’s theory as to why the world is broken is related to another concept called “sin.” We sin whenever we do the wrong thing, or fail to do the right thing. Because all of us sin, everything we do (either individually or collectively) will wind up oppressing, exploiting, hurting, or marginalizing somebody or something else. And thus, we can overcome the sin in the world by following the Way of the Lord.”
“The Way of the Lord can be summed up as this: take care of the Earth, and take care of each other. We can do this by seeing the Earth the way the Lord sees it, as a good home he built for us; and by seeing each other the way the Lord sees us, as His children, whom He loves.”
Kind of reminds me of the Legends versions of the Mandalorian Creed: The Resol'nare.
“Of course, another Jew summarized the Way of the Lord best (Matthew 22:36–40, NASB):
36 “Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?”37 Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ (Deuteronomy 6:5)38 This is the first and greatest commandment. 39 And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ (Leviticus 19:18)40 All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.”
“In the episode “The Sin” from the first season of The Mandalorian, the so-called Armorer (who is presumably the tribal leader of the tribe Din Djarin is a part of) says, “When one chooses to walk the Way of the Mandalore, you are both hunter and prey. How can one be a coward if one chooses this way of life?” Afterwards, whenever she said “this is the Way,” it was immediately echoed by everyone else in her presence. The show has yet to reveal to us what precisely the Way of the Mandalore is, but other Star Wars media tell us that “Mandalore” is a title. The Mandalorians have a martial culture that sees the warrior-class at the top of the social hierarchy. So whoever the Mandalore is, that person is “the king of the hill” basically, and their rule can be challenged by force. The honorary weapon that comes with this title is the Darksaber, which fans of The Clone Warsand Rebels had seen before.”
See is this quote that catches my attention: “When one chooses to walk the Way of the Mandalore, you are both hunter and prey. How can one be a coward if one chooses this way of life?” See it goes like this at least from my perspective: When a person walks in God’s footsteps, they are both hunter for God (to try to help out and teach people about the Bible) but that does not mean Christians are perfect, we are human are prey to the Devil and his Agents. So we must keep an eye out and catch temptation and control before it catches and controls us. Like a game of car and mouse, no?
“Part of the Mandalorian mythos is that the first Mandalore led an invasion of the planet in order to exterminate the dominant species, the mythosaurs, and thus made the planet habitable (which is why the skull of the mythosaur is their cultural symbol). The first Mandalorian tribe was known as the Crusaders, and they rampaged across the galaxy, finding new worlds to conquer and settle. It is no wonder they came into conflict with the Jedi Order!”
“The Way of the Lord and the Way of Mandalore are not at all similar in substance, but they are very similar in style. Like Moses for the Jews, Mandalore was the father of Mandalorian society, and through his practices established the norms and values that their society lives by.”
This last part is pretty self explanatory, but the similarities is absolutely evident (from a point of view)
Anyway, that’s about it! I hope you learned something and gained an understanding from this article.
May the Force be with you and as always, For Mandalore!
Check out this Discussion post on Fandom https://starwars.fandom.com/d/p/4400000000003173545
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https://gordontubbs.medium.com/biblical-themes-in-the-mandalorian-6c9b9653591f
