The Law of God: The Philosophical History of an Idea
by Rémi Brague translated by Lydia G. Cochrane
University of Chicago Press, 2007 eISBN: 978-0-226-80805-5 | Paper: 978-0-226-07079-7 | Cloth: 978-0-226-07078-0 Library of Congress Classification BL65.L33B6813 2007 Dewey Decimal Classification 208.4
ABOUT THIS BOOK | AUTHOR BIOGRAPHY | REVIEWS | TOC | REQUEST ACCESSIBLE FILE
ABOUT THIS BOOK
The law of God: these words conjure an image of Moses breaking the tablets at Mount Sinai, but the history of the alliance between law and divinity is so much longer, and its scope so much broader, than a single Judeo-Christian scene can possibly suggest. In his stunningly ambitious new history, Rémi Brague goes back three thousand years to trace this idea of divine law in the West from prehistoric religions to modern times—giving new depth to today’s discussions about the role of God in worldly affairs.
Brague masterfully describes the differing conceptions of divine law in Judaic, Islamic, and Christian traditions and illuminates these ideas with a wide range of philosophical, political, and religious sources. In conclusion, he addresses the recent break in the alliance between law and divinity—when modern societies, far from connecting the two, started to think of law simply as the rule human community gives itself. Exploring what this disconnection means for the contemporary world, Brague—powerfully expanding on the project he began with The Wisdom of the World—re-engages readers in a millennia-long intellectual tradition, ultimately arriving at a better comprehension of our own modernity.
“Brague’s sense of intellectual adventure is what makes his work genuinely exciting to read. The Law of God offers a challenge that anyone concerned with today’s religious struggles ought to take up.”—Adam Kirsch, New YorkSun
“Scholars and students of contemporary world events, to the extent that these may be viewed as a clash of rival fundamentalisms, will have much to gain from Brague’s study. Ideally, in that case, the book seems to be both an obvious primer and launching pad for further scholarship.”—Times Higher Education Supplement
AUTHOR BIOGRAPHY
Rémi Brague is professor of philosophy at the Université de Paris I–Sorbonne and at the University of Munich. He is the author of five previous books, including The Wisdom of the World, also published by the University of Chicago Press, and Eccentric Culture.
REVIEWS
“This new book by Rémi Brague features the same outstanding scholarship and skills that have characterized his previous works: deep knowledge of the languages, as well as an extensive mastery of the theology, philosophy, and religious thought of ancient and medieval Islam, Judaism, and Western and Eastern Christianity. With an impressive genealogy, he traces the roots of modernity back to these three intellectual traditions that have worked together (and fought each other) through history. And we cannot ignore the possibility that this triple origin may frame our future as much as, or even more than, anything postmodernity might allow us to foresee.”<Jean-Luc Marion, author of God without Being>
— Jean-Luc Marion, author of God without Being
"Brague's sense of intellectual adventure is what makes his work genuinely exciting to read. The Law of God offers a challenge that anyone concerned with today's religious struggles ought to take up."
— Adam Kirsch, New York Sun
"Scholars and students of contemporary world events, to the extent that these may be viewed as a clash of rival fundamentalisms, will have much to gain from Brague's study. Ideally, in that case, the book seems to be both an obvious primer and launching pad for further scholarship. In such circles, it is not inconceivable that the book may acquire something of a canonical status."
— Patrick, Mooney, Times Higher Education Supplement
"A brilliant piece of intellectual history. . . . Determining the boundaries and interconnections of natural and revealed law still keeps Christians busy. I applaud the way Brague clarifies what is so often muddled in our own less-than-expert understanding of the history of the law."
— Lawrence S. Cunningham, Commonweal
"Because religion has reemerged as a powerful political force . . . Brague's analysis of the notion of the divine law is an invaluable resource for understanding the underlying dynamic that motivates human beings. . . . Brague offers a fascinating overview of how each scriptural source--the Torah, the New Testament, and the Koran--interprets divine law. Also valuable is his survey of the work of scholars who have tried to discern the practical implications of each faith's understanding of where and how law originates."
— Michael P. Orsi, Touchstone
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Preface
Translator’s Note
Introduction
PART I ORIGINS
1 Prehistory
2 The Greek Idea of Divine Law
3 Historical Conditions of Alliance
PART II THE DIVINE LAW
4 The State and the Law: Ancient Israel
5 The Legislation of the Sacred Books
PART III SUCCESSION THROUGH TIME
6 Mother Religions and Daughter Religions
7 The Law as Enforced
PART IV LAW AND CITIES IN THE MIDDLE AGES
8 Judaism: A Law without a State
9 Christianity: A Conflict of Laws
10 Islam: Law Rules
PART V DIVINE LAW IN MEDIEVAL THOUGHT
11 The Aims of the Law: Islam
12 The Law as an End: Judaism
13 The End of the Law: Christianity
PART VI SANS FOI NI LOI: NEITHER FAITH NOR LAW?
14 The Modern Age: Destruction of the Idea of Divine Law
15 Judaism and Islam in the Modern Age
Conclusion
Notes
Selected Bibliography
Index
REQUEST ACCESSIBLE FILE
If you are a student who cannot use this book in printed form, BiblioVault may be able to supply you
with an electronic file for alternative access.
Please have the accessibility coordinator at your school fill out this form.
The Law of God: The Philosophical History of an Idea
by Rémi Brague translated by Lydia G. Cochrane
University of Chicago Press, 2007 eISBN: 978-0-226-80805-5 Paper: 978-0-226-07079-7 Cloth: 978-0-226-07078-0
The law of God: these words conjure an image of Moses breaking the tablets at Mount Sinai, but the history of the alliance between law and divinity is so much longer, and its scope so much broader, than a single Judeo-Christian scene can possibly suggest. In his stunningly ambitious new history, Rémi Brague goes back three thousand years to trace this idea of divine law in the West from prehistoric religions to modern times—giving new depth to today’s discussions about the role of God in worldly affairs.
Brague masterfully describes the differing conceptions of divine law in Judaic, Islamic, and Christian traditions and illuminates these ideas with a wide range of philosophical, political, and religious sources. In conclusion, he addresses the recent break in the alliance between law and divinity—when modern societies, far from connecting the two, started to think of law simply as the rule human community gives itself. Exploring what this disconnection means for the contemporary world, Brague—powerfully expanding on the project he began with The Wisdom of the World—re-engages readers in a millennia-long intellectual tradition, ultimately arriving at a better comprehension of our own modernity.
“Brague’s sense of intellectual adventure is what makes his work genuinely exciting to read. The Law of God offers a challenge that anyone concerned with today’s religious struggles ought to take up.”—Adam Kirsch, New YorkSun
“Scholars and students of contemporary world events, to the extent that these may be viewed as a clash of rival fundamentalisms, will have much to gain from Brague’s study. Ideally, in that case, the book seems to be both an obvious primer and launching pad for further scholarship.”—Times Higher Education Supplement
AUTHOR BIOGRAPHY
Rémi Brague is professor of philosophy at the Université de Paris I–Sorbonne and at the University of Munich. He is the author of five previous books, including The Wisdom of the World, also published by the University of Chicago Press, and Eccentric Culture.
REVIEWS
“This new book by Rémi Brague features the same outstanding scholarship and skills that have characterized his previous works: deep knowledge of the languages, as well as an extensive mastery of the theology, philosophy, and religious thought of ancient and medieval Islam, Judaism, and Western and Eastern Christianity. With an impressive genealogy, he traces the roots of modernity back to these three intellectual traditions that have worked together (and fought each other) through history. And we cannot ignore the possibility that this triple origin may frame our future as much as, or even more than, anything postmodernity might allow us to foresee.”<Jean-Luc Marion, author of God without Being>
— Jean-Luc Marion, author of God without Being
"Brague's sense of intellectual adventure is what makes his work genuinely exciting to read. The Law of God offers a challenge that anyone concerned with today's religious struggles ought to take up."
— Adam Kirsch, New York Sun
"Scholars and students of contemporary world events, to the extent that these may be viewed as a clash of rival fundamentalisms, will have much to gain from Brague's study. Ideally, in that case, the book seems to be both an obvious primer and launching pad for further scholarship. In such circles, it is not inconceivable that the book may acquire something of a canonical status."
— Patrick, Mooney, Times Higher Education Supplement
"A brilliant piece of intellectual history. . . . Determining the boundaries and interconnections of natural and revealed law still keeps Christians busy. I applaud the way Brague clarifies what is so often muddled in our own less-than-expert understanding of the history of the law."
— Lawrence S. Cunningham, Commonweal
"Because religion has reemerged as a powerful political force . . . Brague's analysis of the notion of the divine law is an invaluable resource for understanding the underlying dynamic that motivates human beings. . . . Brague offers a fascinating overview of how each scriptural source--the Torah, the New Testament, and the Koran--interprets divine law. Also valuable is his survey of the work of scholars who have tried to discern the practical implications of each faith's understanding of where and how law originates."
— Michael P. Orsi, Touchstone
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Preface
Translator’s Note
Introduction
PART I ORIGINS
1 Prehistory
2 The Greek Idea of Divine Law
3 Historical Conditions of Alliance
PART II THE DIVINE LAW
4 The State and the Law: Ancient Israel
5 The Legislation of the Sacred Books
PART III SUCCESSION THROUGH TIME
6 Mother Religions and Daughter Religions
7 The Law as Enforced
PART IV LAW AND CITIES IN THE MIDDLE AGES
8 Judaism: A Law without a State
9 Christianity: A Conflict of Laws
10 Islam: Law Rules
PART V DIVINE LAW IN MEDIEVAL THOUGHT
11 The Aims of the Law: Islam
12 The Law as an End: Judaism
13 The End of the Law: Christianity
PART VI SANS FOI NI LOI: NEITHER FAITH NOR LAW?
14 The Modern Age: Destruction of the Idea of Divine Law
15 Judaism and Islam in the Modern Age
Conclusion
Notes
Selected Bibliography
Index
REQUEST ACCESSIBLE FILE
If you are a student who cannot use this book in printed form, BiblioVault may be able to supply you
with an electronic file for alternative access.
Please have the accessibility coordinator at your school fill out this form.
It can take 2-3 weeks for requests to be filled.
ABOUT THIS BOOK | AUTHOR BIOGRAPHY | REVIEWS | TOC | REQUEST ACCESSIBLE FILE