The Jewish Political Tradition, Vol.1: Authority - Hardcover

Al., Michael Walzer Et

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0300078226 ISBN 13: 9780300078220

Publisher: Yale University Press, 2000

Synopsis

The first volume in a new series that will define an entirely new field within Jewish Studies by identifying a Jewish political tradition. Michael Walzer is the very prominent editor of the series, providing introductions to the volume and project as well as to each chapter. It is based on documents covering a time span over 2000 years.

About this title

Review:

Jews were political outsiders from 63 B.C. (when the Romans took control) to 1948 (when the state of Israel was founded). Though they lacked any state or territory of their own, Jews nevertheless created a distinctive political philosophy, one that receives systematic scholarly attention in a landmark four-volume series titled The Jewish Political Tradition. Authority, the first volume in the series, is an anthology of writings for which the central questions are: Who should rule the community? And how? Authority begins by exploring the biblical notion of covenant, then considers topics such as the right of kings to rule, the challenge of both submitting to God's authority and interpreting His words, and the question of whether a Jewish state can be truly democratic. In all, the book contains 30 topical chapters, each reproducing a range of documents (from the Bible to medieval rabbinic commentaries to modern political pamphlets). Their organization mimics the conversational course by which Jewish political tradition has developed. Series editor Michael Walzer (author of the classic On Toleration) contributes a lucid introduction to Authority; he notes that "the Jews did not choose, and never celebrated, the decentered politics of the exile, but, within the limits set by their relative powerlessness, they made it work." Authority sets this brilliant, pragmatic, and vigorous tradition on paper in an accessible format for the first time. The project will be salutary for the study and practice of politics everywhere. --Michael Joseph Gross

About the Author:

Michael Walzer is UPS Foundation Professor of Social Science at the Institute for Advanced Study in Princeton. Menachem Lorberbaum is lecturer in the department of Jewish philosophy at Tel Aviv University. Noam Zohar is senior lecturer in the department of philosophy at Bar Ilan University. Yair Lorberbaum is lecturer in the faculty of law at Bar Ilan University.

About this edition

• Publisher: Yale University Press
• Publication date: 2000
• ISBN 10: 0300078226
• ISBN 13: 9780300078220
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 592
• Editor: Walzer Michael, Lorberbaum Mr. Menachem, Zohar Mr. Noam J., Loberbaum Yair