Intellectual History

"Natural Theology (1802) is the classic statement of the argument for the existence and goodness of God from the world He has created. It begins with the famous analogy of the world, and the various creatures in it, to a watch: clearly the fruit of design and contrivance. Using memorably clear language, Paley took examples especially from medicine, natural history and Newtonian physics to establish how organisms were beautifully adapted for their environment, and how enjoyable life was. Although Paley died two hundred years ago his book is frequently mentioned by modern authors. It is even sometimes supposed that Paley invented the argument from Design to a Designer; and that when Charles Darwin published the Origin of Species in 1859 Paley's book became obsolete. In fact, he was part of a long, successful tradition of British natural theology that stretched from the seventeenth to the nineteenth century. But his approach did have critics, within the churches as well as from opponents of organised religion: the book was always controversial.

In this new edition based on the original 1802 text, Matthew D Eddy and David Knight consider what made the book so effective, and tie it to key issues in evolutionary science, theology, and philosophy. It provides a helpful introductory essay that explains the relationship between nature and religion with reference to the social, literary, scientific and theological context of the Enlightenment and Victorian era. It also contains a chronology of Paley’s life, a bibliography of critical studies and over 20,000 words of explanatory notes that identify and unpack key concepts, authors, and publications that Paley used to build his argument.

This edition has now gone through a number of reprintings and will be published in Chinese in 2014."

"RÉSUMÉ

Dans cet article, nous cherchons à penser les enjeux philosophiques et politiques de l’application des méthodes interprétatives en histoire de la philosophie politique. À partir d’une étude de l’interprétation de Machiavel développée par Quentin Skinner, nous interrogeons la relation entre l’exposition théorique de sa méthodologie et son application effective à la pensée machiavélienne. Dans un premier temps, nous exposons les fondements du contextualisme skinnérien, en insistant d’une part sur sa critique des méthodes orthodoxes en histoire des idées, et d’autre part, sur sa conception de l’intentionnalité d’un auteur du passé et sur la relation étroite entre théorie politique et vie politique qu’elle présuppose. Dans un second temps, nous analysons la mise en œuvre de cette méthode à partir du cas Machiavel, en illustrant les résultats féconds ainsi que les limites d’une telle théorie interprétative. Nous terminons par une analyse critique du projet politique qui sous-tend l’application de cette herméneutique. La thèse défendue est que la relation entre la dimension méthodologique et la dimension proprement politique de l’entreprise skinnérienne est marquée par une certaine tension. D’un côté, Skinner affirme que l’historien ne peut, et ne doit, retirer de leçons intemporelles de l’étude des auteurs du passé; la notion même de continuité entre les époques – l’idée d’une « grande Tradition » – serait un leurre. De l’autre, il critique la conception négative de la liberté mise de l’avant par des auteurs tels que John Rawls ou Isaiah Berlin, et propose une vision renouvelée du républicanisme qui puiserait à la source machiavélienne et permettrait de réconcilier liberté individuelle et participation citoyenne. En explorant tour à tour ces deux volets et l’articulation parfois problématique entre les deux, nous interrogeons la nature de cette équivoque entre les visées méthodologiques de Skinner en tant qu’historien des idées et son propos en tant que théoricien politique.

ABSTRACT

This article examines several recurring philosophical and political questions regarding interpretive methods in the history of political philosophy. It does so through a study of the theoretical premises and practical application of Quentin Skinner’s interpretation of Machiavelli’s thought. The aim is to interrogate the relationship between the methodological principles of Skinner’s hermeneutics and the concrete application of such principles in the attempt to recover Machiavelli’s fundamental intention. In other words, is Skinner actually doing what he says one should do as a historian of ideas? Does his interpretation of Machiavelli’s intention correspond to his approach as an historian of ideas, or is it rather derived from an attempt to reflect on contemporary political issues? To address this question, I proceed in three steps. In the first section, I outline the foundations of Skinner’s contextualist approach by focusing mainly on his critique of traditional methods of historical investigation and on his renewed conception of intentionality. In the second section, I turn to the analysis of Skinner’s reading of Machiavelli in order to illustrate both the fruitful results and the limits of his interpretive theory when applied to a concrete example. The last section sets forth a critical analysis of the political project underlying Skinner’s interpretation of Machiavelli. I attempt to demonstrate that the relationship between the methodological and political dimensions of the Skinnerian project is marked by a tension. On the one hand, Skinner argues that the historian of ideas cannot – and should not – study the writings of political thinkers for the purposes of retrieving lessons from the past. According to him, the very notion of perennial problems in the history of political thought, exemplified by the idea of a « Great Tradition », is illusory. On the other hand, he claims that the study of Machiavelli’s thought allows for a renewed understanding of the concept of liberty, against the contemporary perspectives of negative freedom put foward by authors such as John Rawls or Isaiah Berlin. Skinner suggests that, in reading Machiavelli, it is possible to revive a forgotten conception of republicanism rooted in the tradition of Italian civic humanism, in which individual liberty is inseparable from active citizenship. Exploring both the methodological and political aspects of Skinner’s approach, I seek to interrogate the nature of the ambiguity between his position as a historian of political ideas and his more normative claim as a theorist interested in present-day political problems."

During the 1960s, the University of Puerto Rico at Río Piedras saw an exponential increase in student political activism, with multiple clashes between student organizations, the government, and the ROTC. This period was also marked by the radical political role of university professors in the United States and Puerto Rico, who inserted themselves as political subjects and advocates of social responsibility. United State’s involvement in the Vietnam War escalated in this decade and Puerto Rican men were increasingly drafted into the military. In 1965 a group of UPR professors organized a teach-in, directed at groups of students on campus, from the top of a wooden ladder. From that direct action came the magazine La Escalera. The first issue published February 1, 1966, claimed it would provide a radical space for open intellectual debate about current local and foreign affairs. This marked an important step towards the configuration of the radical intellectual in Puerto Rico’s public. This paper centers on a close reading of La Escalera, investigating how Puerto Rican intellectuals shaped new ideas about the role of professors as political subjects and advocates of social justice. Unraveling the networks of collaborations that went into the production of La Escalera reveals the transnational conversations with which Puerto Rican activists were engaged. This perspective reveals the global scale of Puerto Rican activism against the Vietnam War, imperialism, and violence that developed during this period. This close reading also reveals how movements constructed an idea of the radical intellectual that was largely gendered as male, and that operated in a space that was male dominated. The paper pays close attention to the gendered contours of these identities and debates, showing how masculinity was constructed.

Very few people know that a possibility of reconstructing protolanguages or protoforms was probably first suggested as early as in the 16th century by Miechowita while discussing the origin of the name of Hungarians and that of Yugra. Miechowita’s “Treatise on the Two Sarmatias” was once an extremely important source of knowledge of the geography and history of East Europe. Although much was written on its significance in correcting more or less unlikely information concerning these subjects his linguistic material was actually ignored. The aim of this study is to examine what was known about East European languages in the early sixteenth century.

""Labour Law in the Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia – a few remarks

Immediately after the constitution of the Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia, the Nazis began with interventions on the labour law. However, during the period of the so called second republic, there already had been some fascist tendencies in the labour law – above all, creating of the forced labour system. Labour law was one of branches of law, which were influenced very much during the German occupation (compared, the civil law remained practically unaffected).
Changes of the labour law during the Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia involved both, the situation of public servants and elimination of “inconvenient” servants (above all, the Jews) from the public service, and the so called individual labour law.
This article involves following sections: introduction, labour law according to the Nazi ideology, creating of the forced and controlled labour system, regulations in labour relations and situations of Jewish employees.
""

"ABSTRACT
This book examines the doctrine of transgenerational punishment found in the Decalogue: the idea that God punishes sinners vicariously and extends the punishment due them to three or four generations of their progeny. Already in ancient Israel, even though it was a “God-given” law, the unfairness of punishing innocent people merely for being the children or grandchildren of wrongdoers was clearly recognized. A series of inner-biblical and post-biblical responses to the rule demonstrates that later writers were able to criticize, reject, and replace this problematic doctrine with the alternative notion of individual retribution. From this perspective, the formative canon is the source of its own renewal: it fosters critical reflection upon the textual tradition and sponsors intellectual freedom.

To round out the volume, a final chapter provides a valuable bibliographical essay on the distinctive approach of “inner-biblical exegesis.” This resource will support further study and shows the contributions of European, Israeli, and North American scholars. The volume opens new perspectives on current debates within the humanities about canonicity, textual authority, and authorship. There is an extended discussion of the formation of the German literary canon (Mme de Stael; Heinrich Heine and the "portatives Kanon") and of German intellectual history (Immanuel Kant).

KEYWORDS
Decalogue, Divine Justice, Canon, Intertextuality, Allusion, Immanuel Kant, inner-biblical exegesis, relecture, Fortschreibung, Kanon, Textuality, Literary Theory, Hammurabi, Vassal Treaty of Esarhaddon, scribal curriculum, Ruth, Authorship, Ezekiel 18, Hittite Laws, Lamentations 5:7; Exodus 20; Deuteronomy 7, Deuteronomy 5; Targum; Deut 24; individual responsibility; repentance; transgenerational punishment; vicarious punishment, Kanonformel, Mme de Stael, Land der Dichter und Denker; Heinrich Heine; portatives Kanon; portable canon; Immanuel Kant; literary approach to Bible; legal hermeneutics; interdisciplinary.


REVIEWS

"This just might be the best book I’ve read in a long time. It’s challenged my assumptions about the development of the Hebrew Bible and the role of innovation alongside preservation. . . . All in all, I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in the issues of early biblical interpretation and the formation of the biblical canon. Specialists across the board in religious studies and biblical studies would profit from a closer look at Levinson’s book. I’m recommending it to everyone I know—NT students, rabbinics experts, early Christian studies people, Hebrew Bible colleagues—you know who you are—read this book!"
—Douglas Mangum, Biblia Hebraica: A Blog about the Hebrew Bible; http://bibliahebraica.blogspot.com (2009)

"The book deserves a wide readership. It would serve well as a text for advanced undergraduate or graduate courses that deal with inner-biblical exegesis. One can also hope that scholars in other fields will read it and take to heart Levinson’s argument for the reintegration of biblical studies into the core of academic work in the humanities. In addition, there are faith communities that would be encouraged by Levinson’s insight into the nature of canon and the necessity for ongoing reinterpretation of tradition. The book’s research is thorough, its argument forceful, its writing elegant, and it is blessedly short. If books can be placed into tribes, may this one’s increase."
—Bruce Wells, Review of Biblical Literature; http://www.bookreviews.org (2010)

"Biblical studies were once integrated into the center of scholarship and even its moving agent. With this study Levinson wants to reintegrate the study of the Hebrew Bible into the overall humanities discourse. The religious canon of the Hebrew Bible is not an inflexible collection of books that stands in the way of innovation. Levinson analyses the phenomenon of the rewriting of texts both inside (e.g. legal change) and outside the Hebrew Bible (e.g. Targum) to demonstrate the opposite. The example of transgenerational punishment shows, the exegetical processes involved in this rewriting point not only to dynamic and creative processes inside the canon of the Hebrew Bible but show how a canon initiated and initiates innovation as its driving engine. Levinson points e.g. to a nexus between the emergence of the German literary canon and academic biblical studies. With this study Levinson demonstrates again how he masterfully integrates his own exegetical brilliance into larger theoretical frameworks beyond the constraints of biblical studies. Especially helpful to the specialist and colleagues from other fields is a long essay on the history of research about rewriting processes inside the Hebrew Bible (91–181)."
—Armin Lange, Journal of Ancient Judaism 1:2 (2010)

"The bibliographical essay is an excellent overview of research on what is now often called ‘inner-biblical exegesis,’ and it will serve as a superb tool for beginners and seasoned researchers alike. The other essays span a vast array of methodological problems and exegetical insights and are at the forefront of current research into legal traditions in the HB. A highly welcome volume."
—Joachim Schaper, SOTS Book List 2009 =JSOT 33 (2009)

"Perhaps I am biased, but it seems to me to be beyond any reasonable doubt that, behind the final form of the canonical, biblical text lies evidence of a lively, imaginative, and creative use of interpretation, reinterpretation, and reapplication of earlier texts. It is a complex, living, creative achievement which, for just this reason, invites constant, continuing invention, as Levinson maintains. I certainly find this book itself a delightful, informative, and stimulating one to read."
—Rex Mason, Journal of Theological Studies 60 (2009)

"The book’s most innovative contribution lies in its first . . . half, which explores the relation between biblical studies and the humanities. . . . As L. notes—rightly in my judgment—this deeply rooted separation of Jerusalem from Athens has been to no one’s advantage. His discussion of the relationship between the concept of ethics in Kant and in Ezekiel demonstrates how much both disciplines might gain from such a conversation. The secularization of the liberal arts has left them largely uninformed about contemporary ways of reading the Bible. Recent discussions in the humanities could find much of value in biblical studies’ sophisticated ways of thinking about canonicity. . . .

"The essays that constitute the first half of this book are the product of more than a decade and a half of research and deliberation. Their sustained and fluent reflection on important issues will reward contemplation by biblical scholars, while the bibliographic essay that makes up the second half will be a useful tool for those interested in exploring the growing body of work on inner-biblical exegesis."
—Frederick E. Greenspahn, Catholic Biblical Quarterly 71 (2009)

"This is a revised and expanded essay first published in French in 2005. The concern is inner-biblical exegesis, an important area of recent Old Testament research and a subject to which Levinson is a significant contributor. The first half of the book sets the subject of inner-biblical exegesis within the context of canon. Levinson rightly observes that biblical exegesis is not a development that emerges after final canonization, but something occurring within the material from an early stage. For him canon is something that tends towards fixity, but yet the texts also attest radical innovation as texts are disputed even within the canon itself. One extended case study occupies a significant part of Levinson’s attention: those texts that deal with intergenerational punishment. Levinson seeks to show that Ezekiel and Deuteronomy 7 deliberately cite the Decalogue in order to subvert its plain meaning and offer a reinterpretation where individuals receive reward and punishment for their own deeds. This reinterpretation of the Decalogue is determinative for later Jewish thinking. The final chapter contributes half of the book’s length and is a bibliographical essay on inner-biblical exegesis. It traces the subject from Wellhausen through the very earliest observers of the biblical literature’s literary (rather than oral) inter-relationships to the most recent works. Pithy and perceptive introductions to all the major literature on inner-biblical exegesis are given and this is an extremely valuable resource for more advanced students. This would be an excellent addition to any theological library and it is to be hoped that the publisher will soon release a paperback version so more students can enjoy the fruits of Levinson’s labours."
—Nathan MacDonald, Theological Book Review 21 (2009)

"The format of this book . . . provides a thorough but brief introduction to inner-biblical exegesis approach, both in method and in theory. Anyone, scholar or student, who is interested in learning more about how the theoretical foundations of this approach as well as how it works will find the text invaluable. Second, for scholars in particular, the footnotes and the bibliographic essay are excellent and up-to-date resources of the field. The bibliographic essay was a particularly delightful read in that Levinson connected many scholars with whom most readers will have at least a passing acquaintance in a new way. Third, the length and style of this text make it very accessible to both upper-level undergraduate students and graduate students working in the area of biblical interpretation or looking more generally at the idea of canon."
—Karla Suomala, Review of Biblical Literature 11 (2009)

"Throughout the text, L.’s careful work leads him to exhort the humanities explicitly to engage in greater interdisciplinary dialogue. Academic biblical studies have engaged and incorporated insights from other disciplines into exegesis, but colleagues in comparative literature, history of religions, and related fields have not reciprocated to the same degree. ‘Unfortunately, many within the broader academic community are woefully uninformed about how to read the Bible critically, historically, and intellectually’ (93)."
—John J. Pilch, Theological Studies 70:4 (2009): 967–68

"In his foray into the topic of the Ten Commandments in history and tradition seen from the vantage point of inner-biblical exegesis, Bernard Levinson zeroes in on the question of moral agency. It is hard to think of a more fundamental topic at the interface of law and theology. Levinson understands Ezekiel 18 to amount to a covert repudiation of the doctrine of cross-generational transfer of the consequences of human behavior as it finds expression in the Decalogue at Exod 20:5–6.1. A brilliant thesis, one I hope receives a wide hearing."
—John Hobbins, Ancient Hebrew Poetry blog; http://ancienthebrewpoetry.typepad.com (2009)

"In this book, Levinson considers the literary and textual authority of scripture and the creative conventions that led to its production. . . . With an extensive bibliographic essay outlining the contributions of renowned scholars, prominent in the field of inner-biblical exegesis, this exhaustive book recognizes the need for a more innovative and intuitive debate within the wider humanities about canonicity, textual authority and authorship. . . . I was inspired by Levinson’s theories and would certainly recommend this book to scholars interested in the textual construction of scripture. . ."
—Benjamin Bury, Reviews in Religion and Theology 17:3 (2010): 279–80

"Best Book on Inner-Biblical Exegesis Ever!
I’m pleased to announce that this thought-provoking volume is now available in an affordable paperback edition. My hope is that it will reach a wider audience in biblical studies, especially graduate students interested in the formation of the Hebrew Bible and inner-biblical exegesis."
—Douglas Mangnum, Biblia Hebraica et Graeca; A Blog about the Hebrew Bible; http://bibliahebraica.blogspot.com (2010)

“The book may claim to be about the dynamics of legal (i.e. halachic) development within the Bible, but the underlying message deals with the viability of theories of halachic change in the contemporary Jewish community. That is why it should be required reading for participants in law committees and students of Jewish law.”
—Rabbi Neil Gillman, in CJ: Voices of Conservative/Masorti Judaism, Summer 2011, p. 9 [online: http://www.wlcj.org/articlenav.php?id=416]

“This slender volume . . . sets out the discipline of “inner-biblical exegesis” by one of its foremost practitioners today. The author, Bernard Levinson, sets himself apart from most other inner-biblical exegetes in two ways. The first is his desire to engage in dialogue with disciplines outside of biblical studies. The second is the scrupulous attention he pays to ancient Near Eastern legal texts as sources for illuminating biblical law. . . . Levinson is to be applauded for this fine volume, which demonstrates his preferred methodology clearly and concisely for a broad academic audience.”
—Sidnie White Crawford, Biblical Theology Bulletin: A Journal of Bible and Theology 40 (2010): 165–166

“Levinson’s book is a gem and deserves a wide readership.”
—Megan Warner, in Australian BiblicalReview 59 (2011);
www.fbs.org.au/reviews/levinson59b.html

"Legal Revision and Religious Renewal concludes with an extensive annotated bibliography (86 pages!) that is primarily populated with books from Biblical Studies. This section will be most helpful for specialists in the fields of Biblical and Judaic Studies. Some of the arguments, however, may prove inspiring for scholars outside the field."
—Michael J. Chan, Shofar: An Interdisciplinary Journal of Jewish Studies 31 (2012); online: http://www.case.edu/artsci/jdst/reviews/Legal.htm"

"December 2010

In Search of Intellectual History: Reflections on Law, Empire, Pirates, and Revolutions

Bruce Buchan, Griffith University

David Armitage and Sanjay Subrahmanyam (eds) The Age of Revolutions in Global Context, c. 1760–1840, Houndmills, Palgrave Macmillan UK, 2010 (336 pp). ISBN 9-78023058-047-3 (paperback) RRP $41.00.

Lauren Benton A Search for Sovereignty Law and Geography in European Empires, 1400–1900, Cambridge, Cambridge University Press, 2010 (356 pp). ISBN 9-78052170-743-5 (paperback) RRP $43.95.

Jane Burbank and Frederick Cooper Empires in World History Power and the Politics of Difference, Princeton, Princeton University Press, 2010 (528 pp). ISBN 9-78069112708-8 (hard cover) RRP $55.95.

Paul D. Halliday Habeas Corpus from England to Empire, Cambridge (Mass.) Belknap Press of Harvard University Press, 2010 (512 pp). ISBN 9-78067404-901-7 (hard cover) RRP $65.95.

Daniel Heller-Roazen The Enemy of All: Piracy and the Law of Nations, New York, Zone Books, 2009 (295 pp). ISBN 9-78189095-194-8 (hard cover) RRP $43.95.

Frederick G. Whelan Enlightenment Political Thought and Non-Western Societies: Sultans and Savages, New York, Routledge, 2009 (228 pp). ISBN 9-78041599-928-1 (hard cover) RRP $151.20.

As we await the commencement of the new National Curriculum in Australian schools, it is timely to reflect on one of the key subjects in that curriculum; one that has attracted its fair share of controversy in recent times, namely, history. In my own schooling, history seemed a rather dusty and uncontroversial subject, and of all the sub-fields of history, that dealing with Australia’s past seemed the least inviting, the most uninteresting. In more recent years however, Australian history has undergone a resurgence of public interest, in part at least due to controversies over supposedly ‘black armband’ or ‘whitewash’ accounts of our colonial past. Inevitably, this resurgence has contributed to a renewed focus on what may be termed the intellectual history of colonisation."