The Law of God

The Philosophical History of an Idea

Rémi Brague author Lydia G Cochrane translator

Format:Hardback

Publisher:The University of Chicago Press

Published:15th May '07

Currently unavailable, and unfortunately no date known when it will be back

The Law of God cover

The law of God: these words conjure an image of Moses breaking the tablets at Mount Sinai, but the history of the alliance between law and divinity is so much longer, and its scope so much broader, than a single Judeo-Christian scene can possibly suggest. In his stunningly ambitious history, Remi Brague goes back three thousand years to trace this idea of divine law in the West from prehistoric religions to modern times - giving new depth to today's discussions about the role of God in worldly affairs.Brague masterfully describes the differing conceptions of divine law in Judaic, Islamic, and Christian traditions and illuminates these ideas with a wide range of philosophical, political, and religious sources. In conclusion, he addresses the recent break in the alliance between law and divinity - when modern societies, far from connecting the tow, started to think of law simply as the rule human community gives itself. Exploring what this disconnection means for the contemporary world, Brague reengages readers in a millennia-long intellectual tradition, ultimately arriving at a better comprehension of our own modernity.

"Brague's sense of intellectual adventure is what makes his work genuinely exciting to read. The Law of God offers a challenge that anyone concerned with today's religious struggles ought to take up." - Adam Kirsch, New York Sun "Scholars and students of contemporary world events, to the extent that these may be viewed as a clash of rival fundamentalisms, will have much to gain from Brague's study. Ideally, in that case, the book seems to be both an obvious primer and launching pad for further scholarship." - Times Higher Education Supplement"

ISBN: 9780226070780

Dimensions: 23mm x 16mm x 3mm

Weight: 624g

384 pages