In this episode of Hebrew Voices, Josephus, Theocracy, and Devaluing Freedom, Nehemia Gordon speaks with Dr. Michael Kochin, an Israeli professor of Political Science at Tel Aviv University, about how to live a Torah-life when ruled by pagans. They look at the 1st Century Jewish historian Josephus Flavius who coined the term "theocracy" to describe the rule of Judea by a council of self-appointed Priests and Pharisees. After the Roman conquest, Josephus struggled with the collision of Jewish Torah values with Greek Philosophy that "deliberately and explicitly sets out to devalue freedom". Josephus ultimately argued that it was still possible to live by the Torah despite the tyranny of Roman rule. Continue reading →