Polarization is the inescapable theme of the moment. Yet, the reality is that the US has always struggled through division, with even the Founding Era being a far more fractious time than our own. And yet, time and time again, Americans have united around the principles of government founded on the consent of the people and the natural rights of all as articulated in the Hebrew Bible.
At each perilous stage in our history–from the arrival of the Pilgrims to the Founding, from the Civil War to the fight for Civil Rights–the Hebrew Bible has provided both the principles and the stories upon which Americans could realize a “more perfect union.”
In fact, the Bible’s profound influence can be seen at the very origin of our nation. From May 25, 1787, to September 17, 1787, the Framers wrote our Constitution, which, at 239 years old, is the oldest functioning constitution in the world. It helped that the Founders didn’t have to start from scratch, but instead built off a rich biblical tradition that would shape the colonies’ legal and political structure, directly influencing the Declaration of Independence and Constitution.
First of all, there’s the concept of human equality and dignity. Since “all humans,” according to Genesis 1:27, are “made in the image of God,” what’s in our Declaration of Independence becomes, “all men are created equal,” which then is the basis for the fact they all have equal rights amongst which are the right to, “life liberty and the pursuit of happiness.”
Although the 1776 Virginia Declaration of Rights, primarily authored by George Mason, included a right to “acquiring and possessing property,” when noted Virginian Thomas Jefferson wrote the Declaration of Independence, he omitted any reference to private property. With that, John Locke’s “life, liberty, and property” became “life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.” Although not in the Declaration, the Constitution, particularly the Fourth Amendment, recognizes personal property. This reflects the deep wisdom that the protection of private property is essential to human flourishing.
The Hebrew Bible also warns against the concentration of power, as in 1 Samuel 8:10-18, leading our Founders to include the separation of powers in the Constitution. The idea that leaders must govern according to the interest of the people and not for personal gain is also expressed in Deuteronomy 17:14-20. Conceptually, this is the basis for our constitutional system of checks on executive power as well our leaders’ accountability to the public through the electoral and representative structure.
The Hebrew Bible also emphasizes freedom of worship and the importance of spiritual life, leading the Founders to guarantee religious freedom in the First Amendment. This is reflective of the story of Daniel in the court of King Darius of Persia, who was thrown into a den of lions for being seen praying to God. Daniel is ultimately saved by God and gains the right to practice his religion openly, something all people are entitled to.
Finally, the Hebrew Bible—from Genesis through Exodus, Deuteronomy, Leviticus, Isaiah, and Micah—describes the blessings of justice. This includes the right to prosper and to be secure in our homes. For example, there is the famous verse in Micah 5, “everyone will sit under their own vine and under their own fig tree, and no one will make them afraid.” The Israelites were promised a land of liberty and justice, and that is a perfect description of what America is and should remain.
In a powerful edited volume, Proclaim Liberty Throughout the Land, Yeshiva University’s Rabbi Dr. Meir Soloveichik and other scholars, outline the Hebrew Bible’s influence on the American founding. Though Jews were less than one percent of America in the eighteenth century, the images and stories of the Hebrew Scriptures had a profound impact in providing a distinctive identity to this new nation.
For example, within days of the Continental Congress voting to declare independence in 1776, Benjamin Franklin, John Adams, and Thomas Jefferson were tasked with developing a seal for this aspiring country. Jefferson, though an atheist, proposed, “The children of Israel in the Wilderness, led by a Cloud by day, and a Pillar of Fire by night,” in reference to the Jews being led by God out of Egypt in Exodus. Franklin, also not a conventionally religious man, proposed an image of Moses parting the Red Sea from this same story.
As Soloveichik and his colleagues note, “Turning to the Hebrew Bible for inspiration, solidarity, comfort, and purpose, as the men of the First Continental Congress did is a common theme in American history.” This is especially true in times of crisis. Soloveichik continues: “The biblical lexicon has taught Americans to speak and think about chosenness, exodus, and covenant.” In other words, the Bible gives us a language for thinking in unity about the nation’s purpose.
The danger is that as America becomes more secular and further removed from the Bible, transcendent truth and governing principles will be sought elsewhere. In the process, our country will forget lessons learned over thousands of years. We will lose our common vocabulary for describing America, the good and the bad. It is time we count this cost.
Unfortunately, in both K-12 and higher education, we have eliminated or reduced the teaching of these founding principles and especially their biblical inspiration. If we want to preserve our nation as the Founders imagined it and as informed by both the Jewish and Christian traditions, we must once again make the teaching of these principles and their theological source integral to the education of all young people.
Ultimately, the worst threat is not from a foreign adversary like China or Russia. Instead, the greatest danger is that we as Americans will forget our Founding principles, and in our ignorance lose so much of what made our country a great, free nation. It is only by understanding the American Revolution and the ideas it was fought for that we can ever hope to defend the most precious thing: our liberty.