OPINION: Constitutional monarchy – could it be a Jewish invention? The academic Vernon Bogdanor discusses how Jews have long sought a monarch that 'reigns but does not rule' Perhaps constitutional monarchy – a system in which the king reigns but does not rule – is a Jewish invention. In biblical times, after being defeated by the Philistines, the ancient Jewish tribes asked to be “like other nations” and to be given a king. But the king’s powers were limited by the Mosaic laws; and, according to 2 Kings, monarchs who infringed these laws such as Queen Jezebel or Queen Athaliah...