al and bureaucratic leadership" (Simmons 57). Their own organization may be "very loose, unstructured, and unstable, usually working through the activities of a few disciples or intermediaries" (Morgan 277).
A cursory review of the origins of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam suggests that the biographies of the founders of each religion conform to Weber's analysis. Each of the three major monotheistic religions that came out of the Middle East is identified in its origins with a charismatic and/or prophetic leader. While each achieved institutionally authoritative status in matters of social organization, that status was not solidified during the founder's lifetime but became part of his legacy. Bound up with that dynamic is the fact that each of these religions is distinguished by foundational texts, which supply both the history of the respective cult and articulations of the faith that the leaders elicited from adherents.
Chronologically, the earliest religion relevant to this research is Judaism, and the biography of its founding charismatic leader, Moses, is embedded in the first five books of the Hebrew Bible, called by Christians the Pentateuch--specifically in the books of Exodus, Numbers, Leviticus, and Deuteronomy. The first book of the Bible, Genesis, deals with the ancient origins of the people who eventually became known as the Jews, closing with the information that the last founding patriarch, Joseph, died in Egypt. The four books that follow track the development of Moses' religious consciousness and career as a leader of the Hebrew people.
Exodus opens with the information that Joseph's people in Egypt came under rulership of a new king and were enslaved; threatened by the population of Hebrews, Pharaoh orders all male Hebrew children killed. In the familiar story (Exod. 2), one of these, Moses, is spared when his mother and sister put him in sight of Pharaoh's daughter, who adopts him and nurtures him to young...