Description:
Representations of the figure of Moses are both central and pervasive in the history of Western political thought. The story of Moses, as depicted in the Books of Exodus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy in the Hebrew Bible, has generated an immensely powerful set of images that have left a lasting mark on both Western and global culture.
Moses and Political Philosophy explores the enduring tropes drawn from this narrative, which continue to shape political discourse up to the present. The book examines why these interpretations retain such a lasting relevance in contemporary debates and explores how an appreciation of them can enrich our engagement with the centuries-long dialogue that has shaped the tradition of Western political theory. Offering a comprehensive analysis of the Moses story, the book investigates various appropriations of the tale, the characterization of the Mosaic regime, the politically charged implications of Moses's authority, and the most intriguing puzzles and paradoxes within the narrative. In doing so, Moses and Political Philosophy sheds new light on the profound and lasting influence of the Moses story on the evolution of political thought.
Review Quotes:
"From Machiavelli's redemptive founder to Hobbes's Hebraic sovereign, from Harrington's democratic visionary to Paine's genocidal imposter, Moses haunts the history of Western political thought. What is it about his story that invites such radically different interpretations? Reading the Mosaic books as works of political philosophy, Beiner and Fluss illuminate old debates while sparking new ones. The result is a provocative and deeply rewarding book."
--Alison McQueen, Associate Professor of Political Science, Stanford University and author of Political Realism in Apocalyptic Times" Moses and Political Philosophy is an engaging, well-written, and comprehensive study of the Five Books of Moses as approached from the distinct lens of the history of political philosophy. The manuscript is written in accessible prose, combining exegetical interpretation and occasional commentary on contemporary political issues, which also will be of interest to a general readership."
--Igor Shoikehdbrod, Assistant Professor of Political Theory, St. Francis Xavier University