The current issue of Biblical Archaeology Review (Sept./Oct. 2013, Vol. 39 No. 5)  includes an article–“Portraits of Ancient Israelite Kings” by Irit Ziffer–that is fascinating for its depiction of how absolute monarchy turns human beings into groveling nebbishes. Illustrations of ancient monuments show grown men prostrating themselves before kings and actually kissing the ground the … Continue reading A Degrading Form of Government