TY - BOOK AU - Woody,James TI - Thinking politics to institute freedom. The beginnings of Israelite royalty to the test of freedom PY - 2024///. N1 - 72 N2 - Israelite kingship begins with a debate about freedom (1 Samuel 8). A historical study and a literary analysis reveal that 1 S 8–1 K 12, which narrates the first three reigns (Saul, David, Solomon), was composed at several historical periods. At the time of Josiah, a text is written to support his political program. It is after the exile in Babylon that freedom becomes a goal and a criterion of appreciation of the Jewish society. These elements are used to start a discussion with political philosophers in order to institute freedom. What emerges is a critique of the political which does not have the structural means to preserve freedom. This is why the post-exilic biblical writers developed the law in the sense of the torah which instructs people and makes them responsible for the principles structuring society – in this case, freedom UR - https://shs.cairn.info/journal-etudes-theologiques-et-religieuses-2024-2-page-395?lang=en&redirect-ssocas=7080 ER -