Created Equal- a New Biblical Study

Created Equal, Dr. Joshua Berman, Oxford University Press, 2008.

Having earned a doctorate in Biblical studies I have read a lot of books about the Bible. One of the things that I learned along the way is that you are often better off reading the Bible itself! Scholarly books can tend to be very dry and too specialized to be of any interest or value to anyone but the “experts.” Unfortunately, every academic field is like that as we tend to produce studies that are more and more specialized. With that said, Dr. Berman’s book is more than a breath of fresh air—it is a windstorm of fresh ideas that will interest the general reader. Moreover, it presents a fresh and very important way for us to look at the history of our people. Perhaps most importantly, while this book discusses Biblical society and politics it is a book that demonstrates just how very much we need to hear the message of the Bible for the twenty-first century.
In Created Equal Berman uses his broad knowledge of the Bible and Ancient Near Eastern studies to demonstrate that along with the Bible’s radical theology (monotheism) there existed a radical view of humanity- that all men are equal. (yes, the usual caveat, women are not included nor are slaves or minors.) That caveat aside, the Bible presents a world view in which all people are created in the image of the Divine. It creates a plan for a society in which all people have an equal economic basis and equal value. Berman makes a cogent case for suggesting that Biblical Israel was to be a classless society.
When entering the world of politics Berman looks at other near eastern societies. He documents the view of other societies in which the king reigned by divine rule. The citizens existed for the sake of the king who represented the gods or (as in Egypt) actually was worshipped as a god. This meant that the citizen existed for the sake of the state. All his efforts, his very body and soul, were the king’s property. In contrast, the Israelites worshiped no king- in fact the first experiment in kingship with Saul was a terrible disaster. Even with the rise of David the king is nothing more than a leader who can be openly chastised when needed. More than this when Solomon would inherit the throne the vast majority of the kingdom would turn their backs to him and the nation that David had forged would become the split kingdoms of Israel and Judah. By today’s standards these may sound like small things but in their historical setting they were of monumental importance. In ancient Israel all men were created equal by the act of God’s creation- their lives were to be equal by their ability to care for and rule themselves. Even those who fell short of this goal were to be helped “back to their feet” according to the social theory of the Bible.
Again, the critic would say that this “equality” is an illusion because it did not embrace woman or children, but I remind you that as recent as the founding of this country equality was a relative term. Even the founding fathers of this country some four thousand years later would have, in our eyes, a very limited view of equality. What remains for us to appreciate is that Berman’s short and easily read study gives us a whole new insight into the history of our faith and culture. People were no longer to be the “mules” of the state but the full partners in a creative process.
I can’t imagine a time in which a study such as Created Equal could speak with more authority to our present moment. We still debate social theory. We still are in the process of trying to create a society based on equality. The current social and political debates are still revolving around some basic questions that we have yet to answer. Created Equal is certainly an affirmation of the Jewish worldview- the worth of the individual can never be compromised. Neither societies nor governments exist for their own sake- they exist as the common will of the individual and for the sake of the individual who is created in God’s image as we all are.