Scepter Shall Not Depart From Judah
The title of political theorist Alan L. Mittleman's captivating new book is drawn from the patriarch Jacob's blessing to his children and grandchildren. The blessing contains the promise that Judah will become a royal house, perhaps forever. Kings, of course, ceased in Israel, but politics did not. Regime replaced regime. National independence was compromised and lost, regained and lost again. Yet the attention to things political was never lost. Old texts were applied to new political...
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In The Scepter Shall Not Depart from Judah, Alan Mittleman looks at some of the central problems of political philosophy—such as fundamental rights and the common good—from the point of view of rabbinic Judaism. At the same time, he considers conceptual issues in Judaism—such as covenant and tradition—from the perspective of political philosophy. Mittleman's sources range from the ancient rabbis to contemporary political theorists, making this volume an important one for courses and research in both Jewish studies and political theory.
AcknowledgmentsIntroduction11Paradigm Lost: The Decline of the Jews As a Polity192The Recovery of Covenant: The Politicization of Jewish Origins473Covenant and Tradition: The Dynamics of Consent714The Emergence of the Polity915Persons and Rights1076The Dilemma of Modern Judaism As a Problem of Political Obligation1317Individuals and the Common Good1458The Constitution of a Jewish State: The Thought of R. Shimon Federbush157Afterword175Index179About the Author185
\ Religious Studies ReviewRaises a vital issue in an impartial manner and is sure to advance the ongoing debate on the Jewish political tradition.\ \
