Historically, the conscious creation of new orders arose primarily from prophecy and was legitimated as holy revelation; under strong traditionalism, innovations had to present themselves as ancient norms either newly recognized or restored, showing that charismatic and traditional legitimacy shaped early legal change.

By Max Weber, from Economy and Society

Key Arguments

  • Weber states that early new orders are tied to prophecy: '2. Conscious formation of new orders originally resulted almost exclusively from prophesy, or at least sanctioned by prophecy and as such thought of as holy, right down to the statutes of the Greek aisymnetai. Conformity depended on belief in the legitimation of the prophet.'
  • He explains how, in periods of 'rigorous traditionalism', recognizable novelty was only accepted if rhetorically presented as ancient: 'In the absence of new revelations, during the period in which a rigorous traditionalism prevailed, the formation of new orders, those that would be perceived to be new, was only possible if it was claimed that they had always been valid though not hitherto properly recognised as such, or that they had been obscured for a long time and were now for the first time restored to their rightful place.'
  • This shows that both prophetic charisma and traditional sanctity functioned as necessary vehicles for normative change in early societies.

Source Quotes

2. Conscious formation of new orders originally resulted almost exclusively from prophesy, or at least sanctioned by prophecy and as such thought of as holy, right down to the statutes of the Greek aisymnetai. Conformity depended on belief in the legitimation of the prophet.
Conscious formation of new orders originally resulted almost exclusively from prophesy, or at least sanctioned by prophecy and as such thought of as holy, right down to the statutes of the Greek aisymnetai. Conformity depended on belief in the legitimation of the prophet. In the absence of new revelations, during the period in which a rigorous traditionalism prevailed, the formation of new orders, those that would be perceived to be new, was only possible if it was claimed that they had always been valid though not hitherto properly recognised as such, or that they had been obscured for a long time and were now for the first time restored to their rightful place.
Conformity depended on belief in the legitimation of the prophet. In the absence of new revelations, during the period in which a rigorous traditionalism prevailed, the formation of new orders, those that would be perceived to be new, was only possible if it was claimed that they had always been valid though not hitherto properly recognised as such, or that they had been obscured for a long time and were now for the first time restored to their rightful place. 3.

Key Concepts

  • Conscious formation of new orders originally resulted almost exclusively from prophesy, or at least sanctioned by prophecy and as such thought of as holy, right down to the statutes of the Greek aisymnetai.
  • Conformity depended on belief in the legitimation of the prophet.
  • the formation of new orders, those that would be perceived to be new, was only possible if it was claimed that they had always been valid though not hitherto properly recognised as such, or that they had been obscured for a long time and were now for the first time restored to their rightful place.

Context

§7, point 2, where Weber describes the role of prophecy and traditionalism in the historical genesis of new orders.