Without this sort of self-government, no rule of law regime is possible. That liberty is dependent upon the virtue of the people is a lesson stretching to the very roots of Western civilization. In contrast to the Romans' claim that they were descended from gods, the Israelite nation conceives itself as descended from slaves. In contrast to the noble deeds of the Roman fathers, the Hebrew account mainly records the ingratitude of the Hebrew people. Historians say there is a test of embarrassment by which to judge the truth of ancient sources, based on the premise that a people will not pass down untruthful stories that tell embarrassing things about their origins.
Exodus exalts the embarrassing things it has to say about people's origin.
Where other ancient cultures would see a fault to hide, Exodus sees a lesson to be learned. The lesson is that freedom can be as much of a burden as slavery. It is this gift that elevates the Exodus experience above legend and beyond history into the realm of myth. Accordingly, Baron de Montesquieu oft-times repeated the ancient wisdom that no republic can last where the citizenry are not restrained and moral. Unfortunately, in the late twentieth century, the consensus that developed over the need for restraint in the bar and general public has broken down.