Holy War in Judaism

Reuven Firestone defines “holy war” as “[O]rganized mass violence directed against rival communities based on what is considered to be God's approval or authority.” His newest work, Holy War in Judaism, is quite different than other books about holy war in religious thought for the very obvious reason that if one were to look at Judaism from a simple historical perspective from the time of the Bible until now, especially as compared to other religions, it is not at all obvious that such a concept actually exists. As the author notes, “[A]mong the religious systems I have studied, Judaism has the least developed and least politicized ideology of holy war, and when it is invoked, it has always applied to an extremely limited geographical scope” (p. vii). He addresses these differences and fills in the blank by demonstrating that the absence of idealized holy war in Judaism was not a lacuna but a purposeful rabbinic contribution in and of itself and no accident. This is what ultimately makes Firestone's book so worthwhile and timely. In taking us through the origins, struggles with, transformation, and renewed relevance of holy war in Jewish thought, he provides the reader with an interesting insight into some of the religious tensions behind the ongoing conflict in the Middle East.

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