I read a fascinating book by Yoram Hazony, the Philosophy of Hebrew Scripture. I am neither a scriptural nor a Hebrew scholar. I enjoyed the book. I do know most of the Torah.
Hazony makes several interesting arguments. First that Torah should be taken as philosophy not revelation. He points out, accurately, that Greek writing of the time also invoked God's talking to humans. Second, he argues that the distinction between revelation and reason came 600 years after Torah was redacted because of Christianity.
Third and most importantly he argues that Torah was redacted by Jeremiah and his followers after their exile from Jerusalem.
The ten tribes of Samaria were scattered earlier by the Assyrians and totally assimilated, as was Assyrian practice. When the remaining two tribes in Jerusalem were attacked and defeated they ended up in parts of Egypt and Babylon. Jeremiah, was trying to create their history. He intended to keep the remaining two tribes coherent and functional. (He suceeded.)
Jeremiah is credited with using the Biblical story to explain the reason for the fall of Israel. His contention is that the government first created by Saul, became too lavish with too big a military and extreme local injustices. The high taxes and the luxuriant royalty were an offense to the citizens and resulted in disunity.
Hazony argues that the Torah favors shepherds over farmers. Therefore a shepherd society should have a weak government.
I am aware that many of the founding fathers Madison, Hamilton, Adams and others could read Hebrew and read Torah in the original language.
It seems to me that Torah is pretty explicit about the need for weak non-ostentatious government and that this may have influenced the founding fathers.
Hazony makes an interesting additional point that Greek philosophy may have been influenced by the close contact between Jews and Greeks in Egypt during the Jeremiah period.
Hazony makes several interesting arguments. First that Torah should be taken as philosophy not revelation. He points out, accurately, that Greek writing of the time also invoked God's talking to humans. Second, he argues that the distinction between revelation and reason came 600 years after Torah was redacted because of Christianity.
Third and most importantly he argues that Torah was redacted by Jeremiah and his followers after their exile from Jerusalem.
The ten tribes of Samaria were scattered earlier by the Assyrians and totally assimilated, as was Assyrian practice. When the remaining two tribes in Jerusalem were attacked and defeated they ended up in parts of Egypt and Babylon. Jeremiah, was trying to create their history. He intended to keep the remaining two tribes coherent and functional. (He suceeded.)
Jeremiah is credited with using the Biblical story to explain the reason for the fall of Israel. His contention is that the government first created by Saul, became too lavish with too big a military and extreme local injustices. The high taxes and the luxuriant royalty were an offense to the citizens and resulted in disunity.
Hazony argues that the Torah favors shepherds over farmers. Therefore a shepherd society should have a weak government.
I am aware that many of the founding fathers Madison, Hamilton, Adams and others could read Hebrew and read Torah in the original language.
It seems to me that Torah is pretty explicit about the need for weak non-ostentatious government and that this may have influenced the founding fathers.
Hazony makes an interesting additional point that Greek philosophy may have been influenced by the close contact between Jews and Greeks in Egypt during the Jeremiah period.