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The Hebrew Republic: Jewish Sources and the Transformation of European Political Thought Hardcover – February 16, 2010

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Eric Nelson (Author)
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4.6 out of 5 stars 10 customer reviews
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Product Details

  • Hardcover: 240 pages
  • Publisher: Harvard University Press; First Edition edition (March 30, 2010)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 0674050584
  • ISBN-13: 978-0674050587
  • Product Dimensions: 6.6 x 0.9 x 9.5 inches
  • Shipping Weight: 15.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
  • Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
  • Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,618,944 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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5.0 out of 5 starsCogent, Concise, and Crisp...
By Sceptique500 on July 4, 2010
Format: Hardcover
On a sparingly furnished stage the author conjures and comments with clear and crystalline voice the great Protestant political thinkers of the XVIIth century: Erastus, Grotius, Harrington, Hobbes and, as grand finale, the secularising Spinoza, as they argue their political thoughts. The great Talmudists - from Rabbi Yehudah to Maimonides - form the choir that gives strength to the voices seeking dramatic illumination as to the character of the perfect common-wealth.

Nelson's main point is that the Renaissance did not innovate much in political thought, as it is usually thought - hugging the ancient Romans too closely as well as the Medieval philosophical tradition. The three great novel principles:

* Republican exclusivism (the idea that a Republic is the ONLY possible political system);
* Redistribution of wealth in favour of the poor;
* Religious tolerance;

emerged in the Low Countries as Protestant scholars sought a reading of the Bible not contaminated by 1000 years of Catholic tradition and hit on the Talmudic commentaries, which had arrived with the Jews expelled from Lisbon.

So well is the dramatic representation crafted, so subtle the marshalling of the arguments that I found myself compelled not to put down the pleasingly shortish book - and for sure the subject matter is arcane, and the arguments far from easy to grasp in their subtle differences. This work is an intellectual feast of the prime order - one that is seldom on the academic menu. Mostly one gets contrived and confused cogitations of obtuse minds in desperate search "theory" - as if intellectual life depended on it.
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5.0 out of 5 starsPolitical Science of the Future
By DWalton on September 27, 2012
Format: Paperback Verified Purchase
Eric Nelson at once provides a highly focused look into our political past, while at the same time, unknowingly provides a glimpse into our political future.

The Reformation radically changed the way men approached political science. As Nelson points out, "It became the central ambition of political science to approximate, as closely as possible, the paradigm of what European authors began to call the respublica Hebraeorum (republic of the Hebrews)." Previous authors had looked elsewhere for political guidance, now they would have to look to "the perfect constitution designed by the omniscient God." Old Testament Israel was now seen as the Divine model to imitate in political affairs.

Nelson focuses on three major political areas impacted by the "Hebrew Revival" as he tags it: exclusive republican government, the inseparable link between land distribution and political liberty, and religious toleration. Nelson does not extrapolate his excellent study into the future, but it will become obvious to the student of history that the American colonies were major beneficiaries of the "Hebrew Revival", continuing its trajectory long after European counterparts had jumped ship. The radical politics of Thomas Jefferson can be seen as rooted in the study of God's Law, as Jefferson drank deeply from James Harrington, a major player in the period under Nelson's scope. After reading the Hebrew Republic, it will become apparent where Jefferson got his desire to distribute 50 acres of land to practically every adult male in Virginia in order to secure widespread political liberty.

What happened?

Nelson locates the demise of the "Hebrew Revival" in the demise of faith in the God of the Old Testament Scriptures, a product of the 18th Century Age of Reason.Read more ›
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4.0 out of 5 starsHow the Reformation introduced Hebrew studies, and how Hebrew studies informed our Constitution.
By charlene at Dosido Bookshelf on April 14, 2013
Format: Hardcover Verified Purchase
I have always heard that the founding fathers designed a new form of government drawn from long study of classic sources and debate among learned scholars. But I never questioned who were these sources. Eric Nelson, in this 229-page book (including notes and index), introduced me to many of these classic Greek and Roman sources by way of analysis alongside the introduction of classic Hebrew sources. I agree with others who comment that it is a vast subject to compress in under 300 pages. But Eric Nelson writes well and I appreciated the brevity, since I would not be able to tackle a much larger work. I have tagged a dozen pages with quotes to share with friends; and bracketed many sections to review before I shelve the book. I think it is worth keeping as a good reference work.
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5.0 out of 5 starsWinner of the 2012 Laura Shannon Prize in Contemporary European Studies
By Monica Caro on February 15, 2012
Format: Paperback
This work by Eric Nelson received the 2012 Laura Shannon Prize for European Studies in the Humanities, an award which carries a $10,000 prize and is administered by the Nanovic Institute for European Studies at the University of Notre Dame. The jury statement reads, "An electrifying, bold analysis, Eric Nelson's The Hebrew Republic is a transformative work in political and intellectual history that makes a significant contribution to European studies. Nelson argues persuasively that a European engagement with Jewish political thought was central to the development of modern notions of republican government, the redistribution of wealth, and religious tolerance. Using rabbinical commentaries and examining republican thought, Nelson's careful scholarship offers a wealth of new and counter-intuitive insights. This is a watershed in presenting the history of political thought and is a very important book with which scholars will engage and argue for decades to come." The final jury was composed of Caryl Emerson, A. Watson Armour III University Professor of Slavic Languages and Literatures, Princeton University; Don Howard, Professor of Philosophy and Director of the Reilly Center for Science, Technology, and Values, University of Notre Dame; Suzanne L. Marchand, Professor of History, Louisiana State University; Mark W. Roche, Rev. Edmund P. Joyce, C.S.C. Professor of German Language and Literature, University of Notre Dame; and Paul Woodruff, Professor of Philosophy and inaugural Dean of the School of Undergraduate Studies, University of Texas at Austin.
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