Sunday Spotlight: Yoram Hazony

On November 2, the political philosopher and biblical scholar Yoram Hazony will deliver the thirty-ninth annual Erasmus Lecture: “Only the Old Testament Can Restore America.” From the archives, three First Things essays by Yoram Hazony.

FROM THE OCTOBER 2012 ISSUE

The Biblical Case for Limited Government

YORAM HAZONY

The theory of dual legitimacy is one aspect of biblical political thought that is less familiar and that could bear further scrutiny and discussion. At a certain level, we all know that the consent of the governed, crucial though it is, cannot stand as the sole basis for the legitimacy of the state.

FROM THE MARCH 2016 ISSUE

The Miracle of Esther

YORAM HAZONY

On the biblical view, the more fully Esther inhabits her capacity as an independent political agent capable of influencing human affairs, the more fully God’s will is brought to bear in history.

FROM THE JANUARY 2019 ISSUE

Conservative Democracy

YORAM HAZONY

Conservative democracy would be concerned to maintain a balance between the principles of limited government and individual liberties, on the one hand, and the principles of religion, nationalism, and historical empiricism that had maintained free government in Britain and America for centuries, on the other.