wise normal evolution. Our new comprehension of this evolution is naturally of great value for the just evaluation of the work of the prophets. It cannot be accidental that the great prophetic activity of the eighth century B. C. was coeval with a burst of commercial and industrial activity. This new life brought with it a great extension of the bounds of Hebrew thought, both cosmically and politically, but it also involved a transformation of the old, relatively democratic social organization of the early monarchy into a more complex industrial system, where the upper classes oppressed the lower classes.
POOR FELT OPPRESSED
“Even where there was no real oppression, the introduction of new luxuries, enjoyed only by the rich, and the formation of caste barriers gave the poor a feeling that they were being oppressed. The prophets tried to bring about a social reformation; some of them even tried to bring back the primitive semi-nomadic life of early Israel, much as Mahatma Gandhi is endeavoring to do in India today. It was this reaction to simplicity of life and law which was probably responsible for the collection in writing of the Hebrew traditions which we find in the J and E documents, from the eighth and early seventh centuries, as well as in Deuteronomy, which represents an effort to restore the primitive Mosaic legislation at the end of the commercialized seventh century, where it appears oddly anachronistic, despite certain modern touches, especially in cult legislation.”
JTA has documented Jewish history in real-time for over a century. Keep our journalism strong by joining us in supporting independent, award-winning reporting.
The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
