Eric Nelson - The Bible, The Talmud and the American Founding Ep. 66

When we think of the roots of American liberty and attitudes towards monarchy, we usually think of classically trained statesmen pondering the glories of Athens and Rome. But what if I told you that in fact, the two most important sources undergirding the American Founding were: the Bible…and the Talmud?

In today’s episode, Rabbi Ari brought on Harvard’s Eric Nelson to talk about the revival of Hebrew learning among Christians during the Renaissance; the origins of the idea, popular during the American Revolution, that monarchy is idolatry; the role that royalism played in American thought; the benefits and pitfalls of technocracy in contemporary America; how to study important texts that seem inaccessible; and much more!