Andrew Doran on Why He Thinks the Roots of Civilization Are Jewish

Traditional readers of the Hebrew Bible, reinforced by rabbinic commentary, condemn the bloodlust, cruelty, exploitation of the weak, and exaltation of the strong that is on display in the Amalekite attack on Israel in the book of Exodus. But it’s not the Amalekites, the nomadic enemies of the Israelites, who are shocking for their senseless violence; it’s the Israelites who are shocking for their ability to quiet that darker, natural impulse, and live out a different moral code.