Synopses & Reviews
Like Spinoza in his Theological-Political Treatise, Schweid helps us grasp the potential for seeing radically new messages in this oldest of books, the Bible. The American Founding Fathers realized that the Bible offers strong support for the doctrine of popular sovereignty. Socially, it offers a message of egalitarianism, especially in the provisions of the Jubilee. It is hardly an accident that two modern political movements found mottos ready at hand from the 25th chapter of Leviticus: Proclaim liberty throughout the land unto all the inhabitants thereof (engraved on the Liberty Bell), and The land shall not be sold in perpetuity (motto of the Jewish National Fund). Schweid helps us to appreciate the broader message of the narrative of creation and settlement of the land in its ecumenical and planetary dimensions. The world is God's creation, and its resources are to be deployed as necessary for the sustenance and need-fulfillment of all peoples and all creatures equally--a message very much relevant to the ecological crisis facing us all at the present time.
Synopsis
The Hebrew Bible forms the central point from which all Jewish philosophers begin their task of coming to terms with our present day society. This is the bedrock upon which Israeli philosopher Eliezer Schweid bases his two-volume book, newly translated from the original Hebrew. Each generation of thinkers has reimagined and reinterpreted the Bible's lessons. Schweid traces the intellectual footsteps of some of history's most preeminent Jewish philosophers, beginning with Spinoza and Mendelssohn, down through early twentieth century thinkers such as Franz Rosenzweig. Then, contemplating a post-war world cut away from its philosophical moorings, Schweid comes to grips with the crossroads at which our society finds itself today, and bends his own intellect to the time-honored task of reminding his contemporaries of the Bible's continued relevance in guiding our moral and ethical outlook. Eliezer Schweid is Professor Emeritus of Jewish Thought at the Hebrew University. He has published 40 books in both general and specific areas of Jewish thought of all periods, and has commented frequently on the relevance of the legacy of Jewish thought to contemporary issues of Jewish and universal human concern. He is the recipient of the distinguished Israel Prize and two honorary doctorates.