The Origins of Hospitality and Tourism
Judaeo-Christian Origins
O’Gorman, The Origins of Hospitality and Tourism, Goodfellow Publishing © 2010
Oldest texts referring to hospitality are
from a literary genre known as Ancient
Near East Texts
 These belong to Eastern Mediterranean traditions from
Mesopotamia, Asia Minor, Syria-Palestine, and Egypt
 Provide examples of Ancient Near East hospitality, where
the host is attentive to those they have found in their house
 More readily and universally available is the compilation
known as the Old and New Testaments of the Bible
O’Gorman, The Origins of Hospitality and Tourism, Goodfellow Publishing © 2010
THE OLD TESTAMENT
O’Gorman, The Origins of Hospitality and Tourism, Goodfellow Publishing © 2010
Old Testament Writings
(800 BC to 120 BC)
 Numerous references exist to the practice of hospitality,
serving as hosts, and to treating human life with respect and
dignity
 Many laws specifically require hospitality and concern for
strangers
 Other laws, often associated with those concerning
strangers, also assure good treatment of weak members of
society, and laws concerning redemption are framed in
accordance with the spirit of hospitality
O’Gorman, The Origins of Hospitality and Tourism, Goodfellow Publishing © 2010
Central figure to Old Testament
hospitality is Abraham
 He showed unreserved hospitality to the strangers, only later
seeing the true nature of his guests
 Hospitality, and in particular the treatment of strangers is
enshrined in the Old Testament: strangers have to be well
treated, because the people themselves were strangers in a
foreign lands
 Clear parallels between the hospitality that Odysseus seeks,
and the other hospitality scenes portrayed by Homer and
those described by Ovid
O’Gorman, The Origins of Hospitality and Tourism, Goodfellow Publishing © 2010
Centrality of Hospitality
 In the Old Testament, hospitality is central to virtually all of
Old Testament ethics; God, the Great Host, invites His
guests into His house, the created world, to enjoy its riches
and blessings.
 However, the duties of the guest are clear too, the host
expects these guests to follow His example and share their
livelihood and their life, with their fellow guests on His
earth.
O’Gorman, The Origins of Hospitality and Tourism, Goodfellow Publishing © 2010
The Prophet Isaiah looks ahead to the
end of time
 He describes the coming of God in his glory as God’s
eschatological banquet:
“On this mountain, for all peoples, Yahweh Sabaoth is
preparing a banquet of rich food, a banquet of fine wines,
of succulent food, of well-strained wines.”
(Isaiah 25:6–9)
 Thus, a banquet is used as the image of a redeemed
humanity, which is entertained at the Lord’s Table in a mood
of fulfilment and rejoicing.
O’Gorman, The Origins of Hospitality and Tourism, Goodfellow Publishing © 2010
THE NEW TESTAMENT
O’Gorman, The Origins of Hospitality and Tourism, Goodfellow Publishing © 2010
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Jesus’ birth was a betrayal of ancient codes of hospitality
He was dependant on the hospitality of others
Cannot depend on others to be hospitable for you
Rewards for good hospitality are eternal
O’Gorman, The Origins of Hospitality and Tourism, Goodfellow Publishing © 2010
Even when He came to be born, there
was no one who would take the family in
 This, in a land where hospitality was considered so
important; mankind turned their backs and showed no
hospitality to a pregnant woman.
 No room at the ‘inn’ is a bad translation - probably
‘dwelling’. The manger, where the animals ate, was
probably fixed to a wall of the poor living space, which was
so crowded, that there was no better place for the child to
safely lie.
O’Gorman, The Origins of Hospitality and Tourism, Goodfellow Publishing © 2010
Centrality of Hospitality
 Within the New Testament, there are also many references to
the practice of hospitality, to serving as hosts, and to treating
human life with respect and dignity.
 The followers of Jesus did not expect earthly rewards for
their hospitable actions, but expected metaphysical
advantages after death.
O’Gorman, The Origins of Hospitality and Tourism, Goodfellow Publishing © 2010
Hospitality held to be a moral practice
 In which personal sacrifice was required for the sake of the
guest, it was not enough to rely on third parties to carry out
hospitable acts.
 The treatment of guests often followed a ritualised pattern of
welcome (not unusual in classical literature), and after the
welcome, the stranger became the guest and then the guest
became a friend.
O’Gorman, The Origins of Hospitality and Tourism, Goodfellow Publishing © 2010
Judeo-Christian philosophy
 Hospitality was necessary for the well being of mankind and
essential to the protection of vulnerable strangers.
 It was to become a distinctive feature of the early Christian
church: in keeping with the general continuity with Hebrew
understandings of hospitality that associated it with God,
covenant, and blessing.
O’Gorman, The Origins of Hospitality and Tourism, Goodfellow Publishing © 2010
Some contrast to Hellenistic and
Roman practices
 The Greek and Roman views of benevolence and hospitality
stressed formal reciprocal obligations between benefactor
and recipient.
 Because a grateful response from the beneficiary was key to
the ongoing relationship, the Greek and Roman tradition
emphasized the worthiness and goodness of recipients rather
than their need; relations were often calculated to benefit the
benefactor.
O’Gorman, The Origins of Hospitality and Tourism, Goodfellow Publishing © 2010
BIBLICAL STUDIES
O’Gorman, The Origins of Hospitality and Tourism, Goodfellow Publishing © 2010
Hospitality in scripture has only been
investigated during the last century
 Prior to the Renaissance, Biblical texts were treated as
sacred and inviolable
 With the protestant analysis of the bible and the
development of Humanism, history became a separate
discipline from theology
 This was the first time that Biblical texts were to be
critically evaluated
O’Gorman, The Origins of Hospitality and Tourism, Goodfellow Publishing © 2010
Hospitality is not a simple concept
 There are deeply rooted cultural norms that are not
readily transferable from one culture to another
O’Gorman, The Origins of Hospitality and Tourism, Goodfellow Publishing © 2010
Hospitality must not only be offered to
strangers, but to enemies as well
 Biblical hospitality, like that of ancient Greece, was
embedded in the culture of the community
 Hospitality brought protection from enemies, even to the
extent it was the enemies that also had to offer hospitality
O’Gorman, The Origins of Hospitality and Tourism, Goodfellow Publishing © 2010
PATRISTIC THEOLOGY
O’Gorman, The Origins of Hospitality and Tourism, Goodfellow Publishing © 2010
Patristic theology
 The study of early Christian writers
 Known as the Church Fathers or the Patristic Writers
 The early and influential theologians and writers in the
Christian Church, particularly those of the first five centuries
of Christian history
O’Gorman, The Origins of Hospitality and Tourism, Goodfellow Publishing © 2010
Make specific mention of aspects of
hospitality
 Although there has been very little research undertaken on
hospitality and the patristic writings
O’Gorman, The Origins of Hospitality and Tourism, Goodfellow Publishing © 2010
THE TELEOLOGICAL FALLACY
O’Gorman, The Origins of Hospitality and Tourism, Goodfellow Publishing © 2010
When undertaking any historical
textual analysis
 Care must be taken to avoid what Finley (1983, p.
110) characterised as:
“the Teleological Fallacy”
 The tendency to use ancient documents as:
“a springboard for a modern polemic”
O’Gorman, The Origins of Hospitality and Tourism, Goodfellow Publishing © 2010
Consider this example text:
 “Hospitality is an ethical component of the familial paradigm
that is hard for modern western readers to appreciate in its full
weight and significance. It may help us to remember that travel,
in the ancient world, was only undertaken for grave reasons,
often negative in nature, such as flight from persecution or
search for food and survival. Hospitality, under those
circumstances, has little to do with modern tourism, but
embraces the biblical equivalent to our policies regarding
refugees, immigrants and welfare”
Janzen (1994, p. 43)
O’Gorman, The Origins of Hospitality and Tourism, Goodfellow Publishing © 2010
It incorporates two elements:
Hobbs (2001) identifies:
1. “it has to do with travellers, that is, those who are away
from their houses for one reason or another;
2. it is used as a parallel for modern ethical concerns.”
Hobbs (2001) notes that:
 the reader should be aware of the jump that has been made
in the second point by first discussing a small-scale society
and then comparing it to a western post-industrial society.
O’Gorman, The Origins of Hospitality and Tourism, Goodfellow Publishing © 2010
Potential for Bias
 No interpreter is a valueless interpreter
 Be clear on personal research credo
 Ensure explicit rational for textual selection and translation
methodology
 Treat biblical and other writings simply as literature to be
critically analysed for evidence of hospitality events
O’Gorman, The Origins of Hospitality and Tourism, Goodfellow Publishing © 2010
SUMMARY OF ISSUES IDENTIFIED IN THE
JUDAEO-CHRISTIAN LITERATURE
O’Gorman, The Origins of Hospitality and Tourism, Goodfellow Publishing © 2010
Ethical and Sacred
 Within the Judeo-Christian traditions, biblical hospitality has
an ethical component that is often difficult for modern
western readers to appreciate in its full weight and
significance.
 Hospitality is essentially the process by means of which an
outsider’s status is changed from stranger to guest and the
guest who is under the protection of host and is held as
sacred in nomadic cultures.
O’Gorman, The Origins of Hospitality and Tourism, Goodfellow Publishing © 2010
Established Processes
 Hospitality requires protocols and transforms relationships
and the biblical material shows a discernible pattern to its
development.
 Hospitality is an extended system of friendship and is a
complex concept with deep-rooted cultural norms and
progresses through a stage-by-stage process. However in the
biblical material the stranger rarely, if ever, reciprocates.
O’Gorman, The Origins of Hospitality and Tourism, Goodfellow Publishing © 2010
Gaining Prestige and Honour
 Through giving of hospitality and it is also central to the
self-interest of the host.
 The host operates within a zone of obligation – hospitality
thresholds and the guest is made aware they are on the
territory of the host – not to make them feel at home – and
reinforces the moral superiority of the host.
O’Gorman, The Origins of Hospitality and Tourism, Goodfellow Publishing © 2010
Central factor in the spreading of the
Gospel to the early Christian community
 The first the Apostles and the itinerant Christian ministers
and refugees often finding themselves in need of
sympathetic hosts.
 The claims of the travellers to hospitality are accentuated by
the being bearers of good tidings for the people and the
offering of hospitality to them is recognised as being of high
virtue.
 Rejection of hospitality to one of his followers is equivalent
to the rejection of Jesus himself.
O’Gorman, The Origins of Hospitality and Tourism, Goodfellow Publishing © 2010
Reflections elsewhere:
 The biblical origins of hospitality, which underpin the
Judeo-Christian hospitality traditions, are similarly reflected
in other religions doctrines.
 In all cases the provision of hospitality, and acting
hospitably, is supported by the religious teachings of
whatever denomination.
O’Gorman, The Origins of Hospitality and Tourism, Goodfellow Publishing © 2010