Bureaucracy in the Hebrew Bible: A Neglected Source of Public Administration History

Public Voices ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 5 (1-2) ◽  
pp. 79 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mordecai Lee
Keyword(s):  
Public Administration ◽  
Hebrew Bible ◽  
Ethical Dilemmas ◽  
Subject Area ◽  
Unique Role ◽  
The Bible ◽  
Divine Origin ◽  
Administrative Structures ◽  
Scholarly Inquiry

Histories of public administration have tended to give minor attention to the Bible.  This can partly be attributed to the Bible's unique role as a document revered as being of divine origin, which might discourage secular scholarly inquiry.  Another explanation focuses on the lack of originality in Israelite bureaucracy compared to those of other sophisticated empires of that era, such as Egypt.  The limited scholarship in the area focuses on the Bible's unique intellectual contributions, its timeless stories about ethical dilemmas and its interesting details about administrative structures and offices.  This essay seeks to identify and summarize the major descriptions of public administration contained in the Hebrew Bible and to encourage additional inquiries in this subject area.

scholarly journals Love founded in God: The fruits of love in Kierkegaard’s ‘Works of love’

2011 ◽  
Vol 67 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Jos Huls
Keyword(s):  
Direct Relationship ◽  
The Other ◽  
Final Part ◽  
The Bible ◽  
Works Of Love ◽  
Divine Origin ◽  
Loving Relationship

This article discussed the use of the Bible in ‘Love’s hidden life and its recognizability by its fruits’, which is the first reflection of Søren Kierkegaard’s book, Works of love. Firstly, this article discussed Kierkegaard’s lack of clarity about the fruits of love, even though he stresses their divine origin. Secondly, it reflected on his argument that, even though deeds are more important than words, words remain necessary because of the need to express love to others. In a following section he points out that neither specific words nor particular works of love can demonstrate that love exists. One needs to distinguish between works of love and the attitude with which works are done. Thirdly, it pointed out how Kierkegaard argues that the inability to demonstrate love unconditionally does not negate that love is to be known by its fruits. It is rather a personal incitement to love for the sake of love itself. Noting that there is no direct relationship between the fruits of love and the actual effects our love has on others, he points to the fact that the result of love is in the hands of God. He then argues that though fruits of love may be invisible, they become apparent in the strength of our love. The only responsibility we have is to follow love as the divine movement of our heart. In the final part of his reflection, Kierkegaard notes that there is no other way to enter into the reality of love than to believe in it. This implies that one should be careful of making demands on someone in a loving relationship. What is needed is to become rooted in love as the divine source of the heart so that one will understand that this unseen reality is the foundation of existence in which one is known by the Other, whose essence is love.

Clio and Canons: in Search of a Cultural Poetics of the Hebrew Bible

1997 ◽  
Vol 5 (4) ◽  
pp. 300-323 ◽  
Author(s):  
Robert P. Carroll
Keyword(s):  
Hebrew Bible ◽  
Biblical Studies ◽  
New Historicism ◽  
The Bible ◽  
Ancient Israel ◽  
Cultural Poetics ◽  
Leading Edges

AbstractThe enterprise of writing "histories" of "ancient Israel" in which biblical historiography is reproduced by old credulists or critiqued by new nihilists represents one of the leading edges of contemporary biblical studies in relation to the Hebrew Bible. This quest for a cultural poetics or cultural materialist accounts of the Bible is virtually equivalent to a New Historicism in the discipline. In this article analyses of three topics from current debates in biblical studies (historiography of "ancient Israel", the empty land topos, canons and context) are used to provide insights into how new historicist approaches to contextualizing literature may contribute to these current debates about the Bible.

scholarly journals “The Might of My Own Hand Has Gotten Me This Wealth”: Reflections on Wealth and Poverty in the Hebrew Bible and Today

2018 ◽  
Vol 73 (1) ◽  
pp. 7-17
Author(s):  
Joel S. Kaminsky
Keyword(s):  
Minimum Wage ◽  
Hebrew Bible ◽  
Safety Net ◽  
Social Concern ◽  
Social Safety Net ◽  
The Bible ◽  
The Social

The growing gap between the wealthiest and poorest members of society is a pressing social concern regularly invoked in discussions surrounding taxation, the minimum wage, and the social safety net. Advocates of particular positions at times reference various biblical passages. This essay examines several relevant themes and passages within the Hebrew Bible in order to explore ways the Bible might be brought into productive conversation with these contemporary issues.

scholarly journals Economic Engagement, Development, and Entrepreneurship: The Role of Applied Public Service Colleges

2019 ◽  
Vol 8 (3) ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Public Administration ◽  
Public Service ◽  
Technical Assistance ◽  
Public Affairs ◽  
Land Grant Universities ◽  
Unique Role ◽  
Partnership Model ◽  
Economic Engagement

This article investigates the unique role of applied public service colleges in engaging with communities through economic development and entrepreneurship-related activities. Schools of public administration, affairs, and service are often distinctively tasked with being public facing, connecting and working with outside agencies, nonprofits, and other stakeholders. Using a case study of Ohio University’s Voinovich School of Leadership and Public Affairs, which employs a public-private partnership model to find solutions to challenges facing communities, the economy, and the environment, the authors discuss the emerging engagement role of these schools using a typology of strategies brought forth by the Association of Public and Land Grant Universities. The authors outline seven specific programs run by the Voinovich School and discuss the activities, services, and intensity of each. As opposed to other forms of civic or community engagement, this article focuses primarily on economic engagement, such as technical assistance, business development, and related activities that drive regional and rural economic growth. Having a deeper comprehension of how such programs operate to enhance engagement and interaction between academics and outside stakeholders can be an important aspect of growing similar connections in other schools to further pursue regional connectivity and development.

E-Government in Public Administration in Africa

2015 ◽  
pp. 56-72
Author(s):  
Guy-Maurille Massamba
Keyword(s):  
Public Administration ◽  
Information And Communication Technologies ◽  
Communication Technologies ◽  
Policy Environment ◽  
Information And Communication ◽  
Illusory Perception ◽  
Technology Policies ◽  
Administrative Structures ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Economic Regime

This chapter is motivated by the need to escape the illusory perception of an incongruous implementation of information and communication technology policies in public administration processes in Africa. The problem is brought to light through an analytical distinction between e-government and e-governance. The analysis deals primarily with the impact of the new techno-economic regime, fostered by the development of information and communication technologies, on business and administrative structures, and shows that the conditions of implementation have varied from one political and policy environment to another. An inquiry into African ICT policies reveals a problem translated into the scantiness of African public administration structures in incorporating the conditions of technological change. The approach to solving the problem derives from the underlying distinction between e-government and e-governance. It shows that the efforts that produced thriving outcomes have tended to instill principled behaviors and actions in the restructuring of public administration structures.

scholarly journals What Makes an Organization Public? Managers’ Perceptions in the Mental Health and Substance Abuse Treatment System

2019 ◽  
Vol 49 (4) ◽  
pp. 411-424 ◽  
Author(s):  
Cullen C. Merritt
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Substance Abuse ◽  
Substance Abuse Treatment ◽  
Public Administration ◽  
Senior Managers ◽  
Public Managers ◽  
Treatment Facilities ◽  
Abuse Treatment ◽  
Depth Interviews ◽  
Scholarly Inquiry

The question “What makes an organization public?” is a leading point of scholarly inquiry in the field of public administration. This study supplements existing theory on publicness by further exploring the primary influences on an organization’s publicness—influences identified by analyzing data from in-depth interviews with senior-level managers of mental health and substance abuse treatment facilities. Results from a grounded theoretical analysis of these managers’ perceptions provide support for a conceptual framework of organizational publicness in which political authority, horizontal engagement, and public engagement are associated with higher levels of publicness. Better understanding of the prism through which senior managers conceptualize publicness may enhance managerial awareness of the most salient structural and institutional mechanisms that empower treatment facilities to effectively support individuals suffering from mental health disorders such as substance abuse, emotional distress, and depression.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document