The Jewish Political Tradition, Vol.1: Authority
Jews were political outsiders from 63 B.C. (when the Romans  took  control) to 1948 (when the state of Israel was founded). Though they  lacked any  state or territory of their own, Jews nevertheless created a  distinctive  political philosophy, one that receives systematic scholarly  attention in a  landmark four-volume series titledThe Jewish Political  Tradition.Authority, the first volume in the series, is an  anthology of writings  for which the central questions are: Who should rule the  community? And how?Authoritybegins by exploring the biblical notion  of covenant, then  considers topics such as the right of kings to rule, the  challenge of both  submitting to God's authority and interpreting His words,  and the question of  whether a Jewish state can be truly democratic. In all,  the book contains 30  topical chapters, each reproducing a range of  documents (from the Bible to  medieval rabbinic commentaries to modern  political pamphlets).  Their  organization mimics the conversational course by  which Jewish political  tradition has developed. Series editor Michael Walzer  (author of the classicOn Toleration)  contributes a lucid introduction  toAuthority; he notes that "the Jews  did not choose, and never  celebrated, the decentered politics of the exile,  but, within the limits set by their relative powerlessness, they made it work."Authoritysets  this brilliant, pragmatic, and vigorous tradition on  paper in an accessible  format for the first time. The project will be salutary  for the study and  practice of politics everywhere.--Michael Joseph  Gross