Description

Book Synopsis
Theocratic movements are on the rise. But what does it actually mean for God to rule? This study offers one answer by recovering the theocratic project of medieval Judaism''s most important thinker, Moses Maimonides. Theocracy is often thought to quash human agency, evoking an overpowering deity and clerical domination. Yet, by reconsidering Maimonides'' debt to the Islamic philosopher al-Fåaråabåi, and challenging Leo Strauss'' influential reading, I argue that among Maimonides'' aims was to elevate humanity''s role in divine rule. In its highest form, reason is identical with revelation, action with providence. God''s governance is delegated: Theocracy requires human agency - the imitation of God. Maimonides focuses on philosophical religious leaders. But he also broadens imitatio dei to anyone whose knowledge of God inspires love of God: By emulating God''s goodness, we can become agents of divine rule. In this way, Maimonides'' ideas suggest ways by which theocracy and democracy might, counterintuitively, be reconciled--

Maimonides and Jewish Theocracy

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    A Paperback by Charles H. T. Lesch

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      Publisher: Cambridge University Press
      Publication Date: Publication Date: 11/30/2024
      ISBN13: 9781108793421, 978-1108793421
      ISBN10: 1108793428
      Also in:
      Political science and theory

      Description

      Book Synopsis
      Theocratic movements are on the rise. But what does it actually mean for God to rule? This study offers one answer by recovering the theocratic project of medieval Judaism''s most important thinker, Moses Maimonides. Theocracy is often thought to quash human agency, evoking an overpowering deity and clerical domination. Yet, by reconsidering Maimonides'' debt to the Islamic philosopher al-Fåaråabåi, and challenging Leo Strauss'' influential reading, I argue that among Maimonides'' aims was to elevate humanity''s role in divine rule. In its highest form, reason is identical with revelation, action with providence. God''s governance is delegated: Theocracy requires human agency - the imitation of God. Maimonides focuses on philosophical religious leaders. But he also broadens imitatio dei to anyone whose knowledge of God inspires love of God: By emulating God''s goodness, we can become agents of divine rule. In this way, Maimonides'' ideas suggest ways by which theocracy and democracy might, counterintuitively, be reconciled--

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