{"product_id":"the-hebrew-republic-jewish-sources-and-the-transformation-of-european-political-thought-9780674062139","title":"The Hebrew Republic: Jewish Sources and the Transformation of European Political Thought","description":"\u003cp\u003e • Author(s): Eric Nelson\u003cbr\u003e • Publisher: Harvard University Press\u003cbr\u003e • Publisher Imprint: Harvard University Press\u003cbr\u003e • BISAC: History \u0026amp; Theory - General\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\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.","brand":"Harvard University Press","offers":[{"title":"Paperback","offer_id":45494637854871,"sku":"9780674062139","price":2051.0,"currency_code":"INR","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0666\/3471\/1191\/files\/9780674062139.webp?v=1767445244","url":"https:\/\/atlanticbooks.com\/products\/the-hebrew-republic-jewish-sources-and-the-transformation-of-european-political-thought-9780674062139","provider":"Atlantic Books","version":"1.0","type":"link"}