#323 The Politics of Samuel

Program #323 “The Politics of Samuel” – 1-7-2018 – Synopsis

This week’s program is a book review of The Beginning of Politics – Power in the Biblical Book of Samuel by two Jewish NYU professors. World Magazine, in a recent book review, recommended this book as one of their political books of the year. I have to admit I was skeptical at first. I could just imagine the higher criticism coming from two liberal professors. To my surprise, they were quite accommodating to a divine authorship. By and large, their insights were orthodox.

In evangelicalism, we are accustomed to hearing Old Testament narratives applied to personal spiritual battles. It was refreshing to read the political dimension that evangelical commentators often ignore. Samuel was writing a treatise on the causes, the procedures and the results of human government. Long before Plato wrote The Republic, and Rutherford wrote
Lex Rex and Locke wrote
A Treatise on Civil Government, Samuel had every important political though written in 1000BC.

In the program, I cover some of the salient points made by the authors.