Abstract:
The way in which a nation’s economy is structured is of great importance for the material
welfare of its people as well as the people’s relationship with the state and the operation of the
state itself. It is also important for the proper functioning of a nation as a people and its
psychological welfare. If the gap between rich and poor increases, the structure of an economy,
and therefore the welfare of the state and the nation, is at risk. Two important documents of
antiquity, Plato’s Nomoi and the Book of Deuteronomy, which even today influence life, dealt
intensively with the fissures between rich and poor within society as a danger to political
welfare and harmony. This article will examine these documents to make use of these two
books for improving a societal situation. This will be done by a comparative perspective on
both of these books.
Description:
This research is part of the
project of Prof Jurie le Roux,
Emeritus Professor in the
Department of Old Testament
Studies, Faculty of Theology
and Religion, University of
Pretoria.
