Exodus and Revolution

The Exodus story created the paradigm of a moderate political revolution that enables communities to overcome oppression through political struggle over time and eventually leads to the creation of a new society. But gradually, oppressive forces return and the process repeats itself. In contrast, Walzer argues that the Exodus story also has a second pattern, what he calls an “offspring.” In this messianic paradigm, there is the possibility of a radical end to the slow historical progression of change. Walzer highlights how post-1967 Zionism adopted this messianic politics and, with it, moved toward an absolute politics that clashes with the message of the Exodus narrative.