Prophecy and Enervation in the American Political Tradition

City University of New York (CUNY) CUNY Academic Works All Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects 10-2014 Right Without Might: Prophecy and Enervation in the American Political Tradition Jonathan Keller Graduate Center, City University of New York How does access to this work benefit ou?y Let us know! More information about this work at: https://academicworks.cuny.edu/gc_etds/358 Discover additional works at: https://academicworks.cuny.edu This work is made publicly available by the City University of New York (CUNY). Contact: [email protected] RIGHT WITHOUT MIGHT: PROPHECY AND ENERVATION IN THE AMERICAN POLITICAL TRADITION by JONATHAN J. KELLER A dissertation submitted to the Graduate Faculty in Political Science in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy, The City University of New York 2014 © 2014 JONATHAN J. KELLER All Rights Reserved ii This manuscript has been read and accepted for the Graduate Faculty in Political Science in satisfaction of the dissertation requirement for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy. PROFESSOR COREY ROBIN _______________ __________________________________________ Date Chair of Examining Committee PROFESSOR ALYSON COLE _______________ __________________________________________ Date Executive Officer PROFESSOR ANDREW J. POLSKY PROFESSOR THOMAS HALPER PROFESSOR BRYAN TURNER PROFESSOR NICHOLAS XENOS __________________________________________ Supervisory Committee THE CITY UNIVERSITY OF NEW YORK iii Abstract RIGHT WITHOUT MIGHT: PROPHECY AND ENERVATION IN THE AMERICAN POLITICAL TRADITION by JONATHAN J. KELLER Adviser: Professor Corey Robin This dissertation examines the ways Old Testament prophecy has influenced American political thought and rhetoric. Although political scientists have long recognized the impact of the Scriptures on the ways Americans express and think about themselves, they have misunderstood this important part of America’s political tradition. I study political sermons by leading Protestant ministers in three historical eras, to demonstrate three claims. First, American prophecy is not a singular but a multiple tradition, consisting of three Old Testament rhetorics. Second, only one of these rhetorics encourages political action while the other two urge political quietism. Third, all three rhetorics thrived until the middle of the twentieth century, when they converged into one type, the activating kind known as the jeremiad. My study recasts our understanding of Biblical rhetoric in the United States, by demonstrating that, while it is often fiercely critical of the status quo, it has encouraged political quietism during significant periods of American history. iv For Dr. Herbert E. Keller (1926-1994) He might have liked it v Acknowledgments Portions of this dissertation first appeared as “Lincoln, Ministers of Religion and the American Jeremiad,” in Bryan S. Turner, ed., War and Peace: Essays on Religion, Violence and Space (2013). I would like to thank the Committee for the Study of Religion for the fellowship that led to its publication. I thank Bryan Turner for his continuing support and his valuable contribution as a member of my dissertation committee. I hope to enjoy the pleasure of his company for many years to come. Nicholas Xenos will always occupy a special place in my life. He introduced me to the great political thinkers, and was my friend at a very difficult time in my life, when it felt like I had very few of them. I am deeply honored that he agreed to join my committee and very proud that we were finally able to finish what we started, coming full circle twenty years later. I also have Nick to thank for introducing me to Andy Polsky. I have learned too much from Andy to do it justice here, so I’ll just add my voice to the chorus of mentees who are fortunate enough to have worked with him. Andy, I will happily provide you with chocolate chip cookies for the rest of my life. It’s the least I can do. Tom Halper was also an outstanding mentor. His steady encouragement and sharp criticism helped me refine the project. I am grateful for how generous he was with his time and energy, and for his ethical commitment to mentorship. I especially enjoyed our talks these past few months, where we discussed the flaws in both my project and the Yankee lineup. My chair Corey Robin is an intellectual force of nature. When one is around him, one cannot help but be inspired. He brings the realm of ideas to life in a way no one else I have ever known does. I am honored to have had the privilege of working with him. Thank you, Corey, for everything you have done for me. vi A special word of thanks to my “kitchen cabinet” – friends who lent a hand, and more importantly, lifted my spirits, anytime I asked. William Adler, my academic “partner in crime,” served as an unofficial member of my committee. I will always admire Will’s wisdom and equanimity, but I will never be able to emulate it. Larry Becker and Bob Lacey, the “UMass Boys,” picked me up every time I fell down, and talked me out of quitting more than a few times. I am forever indebted to both of them. Greg Schoenfeld, a gifted writer in his own right, generously edited many of these pages. My dear friend Mark Collier never let me give up. And Mark Halling, it turns out, is more than just a great first baseman and power hitter, but a sharp critic whose contributions proved invaluable. I thank you all for believing in me – or for faking it as well as you did. Another word of thanks to the members of my dissertation writing group. Nick Robbins, Dan McCool and Eli Karetny generously commented on my work over the years. Joanna Tice’s contributions were invaluable down the stretch. And my brother-in-arms Alan Koenig has been there for me, from day one. I can’t wait to see all of the wonderful things the “Robinites” will accomplish in the future. Over the years I have collected many good friends at the Graduate Center. Steve Pludwin, Michael Busch, Dan Skinner, Yekaterina Oziashvili, Patrizia Nobbe, Jamie Aroosi, Asaf Shamis, Jeff Broxmeyer, Rachel Gurstein and Alex Zamalin have taught me so many things, and made me laugh so many times. I’ve also made some wonderful new friends at the GC in recent years. Mike Miller, Josh Sperber, and Young-Hwan Byun helped me close out my time at the GC on a high note. Aaron Shapiro’s sharp wit always makes me laugh, and his encyclopedic knowledge of American politics made my dissertation better. vii I could never have accomplished this without the support of my family – my sister Tamar, my brother-in-law Paul, and my nieces Rachel and Alexandra. But I thank my mother most of all. I know how proud you are, Mom, and I appreciate all of your support. Last but not least, I thank the love of my life, Jacquelyn Baker. I never could have done this without her love and support. viii Table of Contents Introduction …………………………………………………………………….……………...1 Chapter One: Old Testament Prophecy………………………………………………………19 Chapter Two: The Bible in the American Founding Era …………………………………….58 Chapter Three: The Bible in the American Civil War Era…………………………………..108 Chapter Four: The American Jeremiad in the Contemporary Era ………………………….163 Conclusion …………..……………………………………………………………………...197 Bibliography …………………………………………………………………………..........208 ix Introduction In the final public lecture of his storied career, Wilson Carey McWilliams called the Bible “the second voice in the grand dialogue of American political culture.”1 Fueled by ancient modes of thought and hostility to the Enlightenment, the Bible will always collide with the emotionless character of the liberal tradition, as a “rhetorical assault on the complacencies of material power, custom, and law.” Unlike Greek myths, which justify established orders, the Bible – especially the Old Testament – puts readers in conflict with the world. 2 Or, as Herbert Schneidau famously put it, the political message of the Hebrew Bible can be summed up in two words: “sacred discontent.”3 The Bible is often brought to bear on political matters through the language of Old Testament prophecy, the world’s oldest tradition of political rhetoric.4 Spanning a period of more than three hundred years from the eighth to the ﬁfth centuries BCE, the fifteen books of the Navi (the Hebrew word for “prophet,” or more literally, “one who is called” or “one who announces”5) reveal God’s will during periods of social or political crisis, when ﬁrst Assyria and then Babylon threatened to destroy Israel. Scholars of American political thought have a special regard for the prophetic tradition, claiming that Old Testament prophecy in particular has a broad influence on American political rhetoric. They have noted that the raw edges of Amos’ invective and the 1 Quoted in Wilson Carey McWilliams, Patrick Deneen, and Susan J. McWilliams, The Democratic Soul: A Wilson Carey McWilliams Reader (Lexington: University Press of Kentucky, 2011), 11. 2 Wilson Carey McWilliams, “The Bible in the American Political Tradition,” in Religion and Politics, ed. Myron J. Aronoff (New Brunswick, NJ: Transaction Publishers, 1984), 15. 3 Herbert N. Schneidau, Sacred Discontent: The Bible and Western Tradition (Berkeley: University of California Press, 1977). 4 Although Israelite prophecy began before the time of King Saul (eleventh century BCE), it was not until the mid-eighth century BCE that scribes began the process of assembling oracles under the individual prophets’ names and preserving them in written form. 5 Nevi’im is the

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