"The series to which this book belongs is unprecedented. . . . Every one of the chapters enacts a debate that should have a living resonance, not just for Jews, although obviously for them, but for everyone with a historical sense and a political conscience."-Hilary Putnam, Boston Review "A vast and important resource which will be consulted for years to come by all interested in any aspect of Judaism and Jewish history."-Ira Robinson, Journal of Religion & Culture (praise for the series)

This book explores the emergence of the fundamental political concepts of medieval Jewish thought, arguing that alongside the well known theocratic elements of the Bible there exists a vital tradition that conceives of politics as a necessary and legitimate domain of worldly activity that preceded religious law in the ordering of society. Since the Enlightenment, the separation of religion and state has been a central theme in Western political history and thought, a separation that upholds the freedom of conscience of the individual. In medieval political thought, however, the doctrine of...