The Hebrew Republic

Petrus Cunaeus discovered in the ancient Hebrew Republic a society founded on virtue and designed to cultivate virtue. Through its mechanisms for the preservation of basic social equality, shown to be superior to their counterparts in Roman law, the ancient Israelite commonwealth made justice the instrument of political longevity. By enabling every individual to provide for his own necessities, the Hebrew Republic succeeded in lasting because its constituents were not eager for a change of regime. Cunaeus encouraged the leaders of the Dutch Republic to look to the preservation of their own great commonwealth, and to guard against the failure which ultimately brought down the Hebrews - political fragmentation as the result of religious sectarianism. The Hebrew Republic was the first study of ancient Jewish polity by a Christian author to make extensive use of Maimonides' Mishneh Torah. As such it is an important milestone in the history of Jewish text study, and a testimony to the role played by Judaism in the shaping of Western political thought. This edition is the first complete English translation from the Latin.