Old Testament Imaginaries of the Nation in German, Dutch, and Anglo-American Protestant Political Thought

Abstract

Abstract This issue draws attention to the importance of Old Testament scholarship to conceptions of nationhood in Protestant political thought. Inclusive of biblical studies, history, theology, and political thought, this issue discusses hermeneutical as well as political tensions that are inherent to the reception of the Old Testament within political theology. These tensions primarily concerned the role of covenant, reason and the natural order, spilling into what would be recognized today as supersessionism, antisemitism and in some cases, even racism. Within that, it remains important to distinguish political contexts as the historical role of Protestant traditions and their current significance to right-wing uses of biblical imaginaries of the nation differs between Germany, the Netherlands as well as Anglo-American countries.