ABSTRACT
There are two great strands in the idea of liberty, positive and negative. They tug against each other but also intertwine and support each other vitally. Both are biblically and classically rooted, embedded in ancient codes and ethical constructs, but not contrasted as sharply as they are in the colder air and secular light of modernity. Negative liberty is freedom from interference. Positive liberty is freedom to grow and prosper, to find fulfillment, a role and place, recognition and effectiveness-a hand and a name, as Isaiah puts it (56:5).
