In God's shadow : politics in the Hebrew Bible / Michael Walzer.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Walzer, Michael.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Bible. Old Testament--Criticism, interpretation, etc.

Bible.

Politics in the Bible.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (320 p.)

Edition:

1st ed.

Place of Publication:

New Haven : Yale University Press, c2012.

Language Note:

English

Summary:

In this eagerly awaited book, political theorist Michael Walzer reports his findings after decades of reading and thinking about the politics of the Hebrew Bible. Attentive to nuance while engagingly straightforward, Walzer examines the commentary of the ancient biblical writers and discusses the implications for such urgent modern topics as the nature of political society, hierarchy and justice, the use of political power, the justification for and rules of warfare, and the responsibilities of clerical figures, monarchs, and their subjects. Because there are many biblical writers, and because they represent different political views, pluralism is a central feature of biblical politics, Walzer observes. Yet pluralism is never explicitly defended in the Bible-indeed it couldn't be defended since God's word is one. There is, however, an anti-political teaching which recurs in biblical texts: if you have faith in God, you have no need for particular political institutions or prudent political leaders or deliberative assemblies or loyal citizens. And, Walzer finds a strong moral teaching common to the Bible's authors. He identifies God's decree for ethics and investigates its implications for just policymaking in our own times.

Contents:

Frontmatter

Contents

Preface

Acknowledgments

1. The Covenants

2. The Legal Codes

3. Conquest And Holy War

4. The Rule Of Kings

5. Prophets And Their Audience

6. Prophecy And International Politics

7. Exile

8. The Priestly Kingdom

9. The Politics Of Wisdom

10. Messianism

11. Where Were The Elders?

12. Politics In The Shadow

Notes

Index

Notes:

Bibliographic Level Mode of Issuance: Monograph

Includes bibliographical references and index.

ISBN:

9786613600936

9781280571336

1280571330

9780300182514

0300182511

OCLC:

784957813