The Hebrew Bible’s Ethical Revolution

Drawing on the extensive knowledge now available to scholars of the ancient Middle East, Jeremiah Unterman explains how the biblical moral vision differs dramatically from that of contemporary civilizations: in its idea of human equality, in its emphasis on compassion for the stranger, in its idea of a covenant between God and the people of Israel as a whole rather than some subordinate ruler, and much else. At the heart of these differences is the distinction between the pagan deities, who were naturalist beings prone to selfishness, passions, and unethical behavior, and the omnipotent and beneficent Israelite God, Who stands above nature. (Audio, 45 minutes.)