Olivier Artus is a doctor, priest, biblical exegete and chancellor of the Catholic University of Lyon. He is a Pentateuch specialist, and his research focuses on the relationship between religion, politics and society.
Sophie Ramond, a member of the Religious of the Assumption, is a doctor in Theology and professor of Sacred Scripture at the Catholic Institute of Paris, where she heads up the Biblical and Ancient East research centre.

- Can the Hebrew Bible speak to everyone today? What does it say in terms of social and ecological justice? What ethical resources can be found to reflect on today’s challenges? Two researchers bring to light the surprising relevance of this founding text to help us answer questions that run through our contemporary society. This book immerses readers into the world of Hebrews, their debates and reflections on the issues of community life and human dignity: inequality, social violence, politics, relationship with the environment, fragility and finitude. Each chapter is completed by a dialogue between the two authors, who show the resonance between ethical Bible research and our questions as 21st century men and women.
- The laws of Israel don’t set norms but draw an ideal of a fraternal society that can be summed up as an anthropology of giving. The denunciation of all forms of social violence promotes a more egalitarian model of society, including women and foreigners, while putting private ownership into perspective. The message for modern readers is that we have a shared responsibility, a duty to one another and to the environment. The Bible already shows the way towards material sobriety and ecological ethics that are still so relevant today.
- Based on the most recent biblical research, the authors help readers (re)discover this founding text, without taking a dogmatic approach. Readers can discover the Near East’s Hebrew society, its history and its traditions.