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The Biblical Basis of Democracy

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Ancient Israel's prophetic tradition and social laws laid crucial groundwork for modern democratic thought, despite never developing formal democratic political structures. Through hermeneutical analysis of biblical texts, historical contextualization, and cross-civilizational comparison, three pivotal factors emerge as shapers of Israel's democratic consciousness: the collective memory of Egyptian bondage, which cultivated empathy for the oppressed; the egalitarian social structures of the nomadic period; and the prophetic tradition that elevated tribal ethics into universal moral principles. Hebrew prophets functioned as institutionalized dissenters, establishing early precedents for freedom of speech and minority rights within communal governance. Biblical legislation incorporated distinctly democratic elements: limitations on monarchical power, social welfare systems, economic justice mechanisms like sabbatical debt forgiveness and jubilee land redistribution, and universal educational mandates. While these principles emerged within a non-democratic political framework, their moral and philosophical underpinnings - transmitted through the Judeo-Christian tradition - profoundly influenced modern democratic institutions. This biblical heritage continues to offer insights for expanding democratic participation beyond political spheres into social and economic dimensions of human society.

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    Published 1948

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  • Publication Credits

    Robert Gordis