A major dimension of modern Jewish life has been the revival of conscious political activity on the part of the Jewish people, whether through reestablishment of the State of Israel, new forms of diaspora community organization, or the common Jewish fight against anti-Semitism. Precisely because contemporary Jewry has moved increasingly toward self-definition in political terms, a significant part of the search for roots and meaning must take place within the political realm.

At the very beginning of the history of the covenant idea, human beings were conceived as entering into a morally grounded and informal pact with God. Politically, this pact, or covenant, involves the coming together of basically equal humans who consent with one another through a morally binding pact, setting the partners on the road to a new task. As a theological and political concept, covenant is designed to keep the peace in the face of conflicting human interests, needs, and demands. This pioneering continuation of Daniel J. Elazar's work is concerned with political uses of the idea...