Interlude

Just as there can be a Protestant work ethic without attachment to Protestantism there can be a tribal ethos that is not fully engaged in a tribally organized society As a test of the concept of a tribal ethos the question is raised whether Judaism is a tribal religion. By focusing on a set of distinctive characteristics one can see that tribal qualities are not linked to singular structures but may continue to suffuse a culture despite major structural alterations. This has implications for many tribally infused states in the Middle East and elsewhere, and serves as a reminder that social forms are not to be treated as hard and fast structures but as open-textured cultural forms.