{"product_id":"the-hebrew-republic-eric-nelson-9780674062139","title":"The Hebrew Republic: Jewish Sources and the Transformation of European Political Thought","description":"\u003cp\u003eAccording to a commonplace narrative, the rise of modern political thought in the West resulted from secularization--the exclusion of religious arguments from political discourse. But in this pathbreaking work, Eric Nelson argues that this familiar story is wrong. Instead, he contends, political thought in early-modern Europe became less, not more, secular with time, and it was the Christian encounter with Hebrew sources that provoked this radical transformation. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eDuring the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, Christian scholars began to regard the Hebrew Bible as a political constitution designed by God for the children of Israel. Newly available rabbinic materials became authoritative guides to the institutions and practices of the perfect republic. This thinking resulted in a sweeping reorientation of political commitments. In the book's central chapters, Nelson identifies three transformative claims introduced into European political theory by the Hebrew revival: the argument that republics are the only legitimate regimes; the idea that the state should coercively maintain an egalitarian distribution of property; and the belief that a godly republic would tolerate religious diversity. One major consequence of Nelson's work is that the revolutionary politics of John Milton, James Harrington, and Thomas Hobbes appear in a brand-new light. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eNelson demonstrates that central features of modern political thought emerged from an attempt to emulate a constitution designed by God. This paradox, a reminder that while we may live in a secular age, we owe our politics to an age of religious fervor, in turn illuminates fault lines in contemporary political discourse.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAuthor:\u003c\/b\u003e Eric Nelson\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN-10:\u003c\/b\u003e 0674062132\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN-13:\u003c\/b\u003e 9780674062139\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublisher:\u003c\/b\u003e Harvard University Press\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eLanguage:\u003c\/b\u003e English\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublished:\u003c\/b\u003e 10\/15\/2011\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePages:\u003c\/b\u003e 240\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eFormat:\u003c\/b\u003e Paperback\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eWeight:\u003c\/b\u003e 0.60lbs\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eSize:\u003c\/b\u003e 9.10h x 6.00w x 0.70d","brand":"Eric Nelson","offers":[{"title":"Paperback","offer_id":43925551677695,"sku":"9780674062139","price":26.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0662\/2982\/9887\/products\/img_b40aa6f5-7672-4b91-884d-b09c66160587.jpg?v=1681077945","url":"https:\/\/www.whiterainbookhouse.com\/products\/the-hebrew-republic-eric-nelson-9780674062139","provider":"WR Book House","version":"1.0","type":"link"}