This is a delicious Old and New Testament reference. (Both religious Jews and Christians would immediately see the biting error in this comment). "The Prophets" refer to such biblical persons as Isaiah and Amos, both of whom produced severe impending divine judgment upon Israel (and the world) there was there was a severe absence of justice and righteousness. Justice, in this instance, refers to the relationship between humans, while righteousness refers to the relationship between each individual and God. In both the Christianity and Judaism a just relationship with other persons is a necessary condition for being right with God. So, according to both Old Testament prophets and Jesus in the New Testament, all of the Mosaic Code can be summed up in this two part commandment, "Love God with all your heart and soul; love your neighbor as yourself." Amos, Isaiah, and other prophets condemned Israel and its neighbor for loving money - and not loving God and other people. Martin Luther King, Jr. reiterated this point regarding America when he said that in the US profit and property rights are more important than human rights. The same point is made in King's famous statement that "militarism, economic exploitation, and racism" are the "triple evils" of American society and they are all caused by America's "capitalistic economic system." Economic exploitation and the social degradation of the powerless - a total absence of social justice - was the primary charge of all the major prophets of the Old Testament. Marx's statement then is that accumulation is the god of capitalism. The capitalist seeks to build up (accumulate) his capital and he can only do this through an exploitative relationship with other persons and by having no relationship at all to a morally and ethnically righteous God. In more politically loaded language, "Accumulate, Accumulate" is the logic of the "anti-Christ." peace, patrick l mason At 10:04 AM 1/30/02 +0000, Andrew Brown wrote: >Hello all, > >Can anyone help with the following question? > >What is the meaning of the biblical reference in Marx's famous >quote: > >'Accumulate, accumulate! That is Moses and the Prophets!'. > > >Thanks, >andy > >------- End of forwarded message -------
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