The Philosophy of Hebrew Scripture

'It would be hard to exaggerate the importance of Hazony's splendid work. This bold attempt to distil the intellectual essence of biblical wisdom deserves the widest possible audience and the most careful attention, regardless of religious denomination or lack of it, from philosophers.' Standpoint Magazine

'Not only is The Philosophy of Hebrew Scripture a must for philosophy scholars, but also for every thinking Jew who wants to understand and appreciate the Torah from an intellectual perspective. Written in an accessible style, it casts new light on biblical characters and narrative, encouraging us to use our minds to understand its psychological and philosophical complexity.' Doreen Wachmann, Jewish Telegraph

'As an approach to the Old Testament as philosophy, worthy to be placed alongside any 'reasoned' later work it is something of a masterpiece.' Church Times

'First, Hazony's work is an important contribution to understanding the dynamic of the biblical story of Cain and Abel. Second, Hazony's argument is important for understanding not just Genesis 4 but as a radical critique of the general understanding of the entire Hebrew Bible.' Steven D. Ealy, Books and Culture

Yoram Hazony is Provost of the Shalem Center in Jerusalem and a Senior Fellow in the Department of Philosophy, Political Theory and Religion (PPR). Hazony's previous books include The Jewish State: The Struggle for Israel's Soul and The Dawn: Political Teachings of the Book of Esther. His essays and articles have appeared in The New York Times, The New Republic, Commentary, Azure and Ha'aretz, among other publications. He is author of a regular blog on philosophy, Judaism, Israel and higher education called Jerusalem Letters. Hazony received a BA from Princeton University in East Asian Studies and a PhD from Rutgers University in Political Theory.

1. Introduction: beyond reason and revelation; Part I: Reading Hebrew Scripture: 2. The structure of the Hebrew Bible; 3. What is the purpose of the Hebrew Bible?; 4. How does the Bible make arguments of a general nature?; Part II: The Philosophy of Hebrew Scripture: Five Studies: 5. The ethics of a shepherd; 6. The history of Israel, Genesis-Kings: a political philosophy; 7. Jeremiah and the problem of knowing; 8. Truth and being in Hebrew scripture; 9. Jerusalem and Carthage; Part III: Conclusion: 10. God's speech after reason and revelation.