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In God's Image

How Western Civilization Was Shaped by a Revolutionary Idea
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Argues that the idea that all human beings were created in God's image was core to the creation of the modern West In God's Image presents a concise cultural history of the West through the prism of the idea that all people were created in the divine image. In contrast to other cultures in ancient Mesopotamia, early Hebrew civilization applied the idea of creation in the image of God universally, to everyone, embracing an essential equality common to all people, while also emphasizing each human life's singularity and significance. Tomer Persico places the evolution of the individual at the core of Western civilization, explaining the development of liberalism, human rights discourse, and secularization as different conclusions of the same presumption: that all humans are essentially significant autonomous beings. Focusing on five themes-selfhood, freedom, conscience, equality, and meaning-Persico guides the reader through a cultural history of the Judeo-Christian tradition, from biblical times through modernity, explaining how each of these ideals was profoundly influenced by the central notion that every human being was created in the divine image of God. In doing so, he makes the case for a cultural understanding of history, focusing on ideas as agents of change, and challenging the common scholarly emphasis on material conditions. Offering an innovative perspective on the shaping of global modernity, In God's Image posits the fundamental role of the idea of the image of God in the making of the moral ideals and social institutions that we hold dearly today.
Tomer Persico is a Research Fellow at the Shalom Hartman Institute, a Rubinstein Fellow at Reichman University and a Senior Research Scholar at the UC Berkeley Center for Middle Eastern Studies. and author of Liberalism: Its Roots, Values, and Crises (Hebrew).
Persico makes a powerful case that imago Dei is central to the tradition of true liberalism. Those who believe liberalism is in fact human need to ponder and reply. -- Deirdre McCloskey, author of Why Liberalism Works: How True Liberal Values Produce a Freer, More Equal, Prosperous World for All To successfully trace the journey of a central idea through time requires learning, passion and clarity. All three are on display in Tomer Perisco's important and provocative book. -- Rabbi David Wolpe, author of David: The Divided Heart
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