The Impact of Jewish Theology on Strauss’s Political Philosophy

The present research aims to investigate Strauss’s political philosophy with a focus on elements of Jewish theology. What is crucial in his thought is that he reread theological concepts in a philosophical sense, particularly in terms of a political philosophy. While Strauss’s critique of Machiavelli’s notion of virtue is a critique of “modern man’s autonomy,” it still defends the notion of “divine providence” and “predestination” as an essentially theological principle. Although Strauss does not explicitly state that his political philosophy is founded upon the principles of Jewish theology, his political philosophy is indeed grounded in elements of such theology. This is reflected in two dimensions of Strauss’s philosophy: the impact of Strauss’s lifeworld as a Jew on his methodology when reading the texts of classic political philosophy; and the impact of elements of Jewish theology on the main concepts of Strauss’s political philosophy. The present research claims that Strauss’s proposed method and concepts arise from his lifeworld as a person in a Jewish community