|
"For your inspection, most illustrious Members of States, I offer a republic - the holiest ever to have existed in the world, and the richest in examples for us to emulate. It is entirely in your interest to study closely this republic??s origins and growth..." (from The Hebrew Republic)
Alongside the contributions of ancient Greece and Rome to modern political thought, the Jewish literary tradition held a significant place in the minds of the thinkers who laid the foundations of the West. Did the central presence of the Hebrew Bible in the work of Locke, Hobbes and others constitute an essential basis in the development of their ideas, or was it nothing more than a peculiarity of their historical context? How did scholars such as Grotius and Selden make use of later Jewish sources in their political writings? It is with the intent to explore these and similar questions that the Shalem Center has undertaken a series of projects aimed at creating a new field based on the efforts of scholars who previously have been working independently and which will constitute a framework for future studies. These activities include a biannual conference on political Hebraism, a new quarterly journal entitled Hebraic Political Studies, and a series of modern scholarly editions of classics in the field, the first of which is Cunaeus?? Hebrew Republic. The books in this series will facilitate further research in the field, by providing editions that are useful to both experts and educated novices. The present edition of The Hebrew Republic sets a fine precedent for this series, by rendering Cunaeus?? elegant and witty prose in a clear and exact translation by Peter Wyetzner. The introduction by Arthur Eyffinger is an essential entryway through which the reader will be introduced to the 17th century world of Dutch politics, religion, and scholarship in which Cunaeus dwelled. The Hebrew Republic Petrus Cunaeus discovered in the ancient Hebrew Republic a society founded on virtue and designed to cultivate virtue. Through its mechanisms for the preservation of basic social equality, shown to be superior to their counterparts in Roman law, the ancient Israelite commonwealth made justice the instrument of political longevity. By enabling every individual to provide for his own necessities, the Hebrew Republic succeeded in lasting because its constituents were not eager for a change of regime. Cunaeus encouraged the leaders of the Dutch Republic to look to the preservation of their own great commonwealth, and to guard against the failure which ultimately brought down the Hebrews - political fragmentation as the result of religious sectarianism. The Hebrew Republic was the first study of ancient Jewish polity by a Christian author to make extensive use of Maimonides' Mishneh Torah. As such it is an important milestone in the history of Jewish text study, and a testimony to the role played by Judaism in the shaping of Western political thought. This edition is the first complete English translation from the Latin. Arthur Eyffinger is the former head librarian of the International Court of Justice of the United Nations in The Hague and has published extensively on internationalism and Dutch history. Peter Wyetzner holds a PhD in ancient history from the University of California at Berkley. 373 pages, paperback NIS 85, $18.95.
For a free, downloadable catalog of Shalem Press' titles, as well as purchasing options, http://www.shalempress.co.il/download/Products/catal.11.pdf |
