Law of Moses
The Law of Moses (Hebrew: תֹּורַת מֹשֶׁה Torat Moshe), also called the Mosaic Law, is the law said to have been revealed to Moses by God. The term primarily refers to the Torah or the first five books of the Hebrew Bible.
Terminology
The Law of Moses or
And afterward he read all the words of the teachings, the blessings and cursings, according to all that is written in the book of the Torah.
— Joshua 8:34[2]
The term occurs 15 times in the
The Hebrew word for the first five books of the Hebrew Bible, Torah (which means "law" and was translated into Greek as "nomos" or "Law") refers to the same five books termed in English "Pentateuch" (from Latinised Greek "five books", implying the five books of Moses). According to some scholars, use of the name "Torah" to designate the "Five Books of Moses" of the Hebrew Bible is clearly documented only from the 2nd century BCE.[4]
In modern usage, Torah can refer to the first five books of the Tanakh, as the Hebrew Bible is commonly called, to the instructions and
Law in the Ancient Near East
The "Law of Moses" in ancient Israel was different from other legal codes in the
However, the influence of the ancient Near Eastern legal tradition on the Law of ancient Israel is recognised and well documented,
Hebrew Bible
Moses and authorship of the Law
According to the Hebrew Bible, Moses was the
The Book of Deuteronomy (
Later references to the Law in the Hebrew Bible
The Book of Kings relates how a "law of Moses" was discovered in the Temple during the reign of king Josiah (r. 641–609 BCE).
Another mention of the "Book of the Law of Moses" is found in Joshua 8:30–31.
Content
The content of the Law is spread among the books of
- The Ten Commandments
- Moral laws – on murder, theft, honesty, adultery, homosexuality, etc.
- Social laws – on property, inheritance, marriage and divorce.
- Food laws – on what is clean and unclean, on cooking and storing food.
- Purity laws – on menstruation, seminal emissions, skin disease and mildew, etc.
- Feasts – the Feast of Weeksetc.
- Sacrifices and offerings – the first fruits, etc.
- Instructions for the high priest, including tithes.
- Instructions regarding the various altars.
- Forward looking instructions for time when Israel would demand a king.
Rabbinical Interpretation
The content of the instructions and its interpretations, the Oral Torah, was passed down orally, excerpted and codified in
Christian interpretation
Orthodox Christians[who?] regard the Law of Moses as still fully in effect but transformed and fulfilled in a number of ways. Other Christians believe that only parts dealing with the moral law (as opposed to ceremonial law) are still applicable, others believe that none apply, dual-covenant theologians believe that the Old Covenant remains valid only for Jews, and a minority have the view that all parts still apply to believers in Jesus and in the New Covenant without any transformation in their character. Hebrew Catholics believe that the Law of Moses is not obligatory for Christians, but yet beneficial to preserve the Jewish identity of those Jews who have become Catholic, and as a devotional.[citation needed]
During the Enlightenment, European society transitioned from the religious traditional social order of the Middle Ages into the modern Age of Reason. Anti-semitism, once driven by religious conviction and the persistent belief that Jews should be blamed for the death of Jesus, was reconfigured. The influence of Hebrew scripture and authoritarian ritual practice on Christian orthodoxy (including the
In Islam
Muslims believe Moses was one of the major
How do they (the Jews) make you (Muhammad) judge when [they have] the Law ("Torah") with them, wherein are the commandments of God? Even then they turn away [from God], after all that. They are no believers. Indeed have We sent down the Law ("Torah"), wherein was guidance and light, by which the prophets, who submitted to God, used to govern ("judge") those who [now] are of the Jewish folk. So did the Rabbis and religious scribes by what of the Scripture of God they were entrusted with and were witnesses to. So fear not the men but fear Me and trade not My verses (commandments) for a petty price [of this worldly life]. Whoever governs ("judges") not by what God has sent down: they are those [who are] the unbelievers. We ordained for them therein: life for life, eye for eye, nose for nose, ear for ear, tooth for tooth and an [equal] retribution [for] wounds. But whoever is charitable with it, then be it [counted as] his atonement. And whoever governs not by what God has sent down: they are those [who are] the wrong-doers. And We followed up upon their footsteps Jesus the son of Mary verifying what was before him of the Law. And We gave him the Gospel ("Evangel"), wherein was guidance and light, verifying what was before him of the Law, a guidance and an admonition for the pious.
See also
References
- ^ e.g. New Century Version, Joshua 8:32
- ^ Kristin De Troyer, Armin Lange Reading the present in the Qumran library 2005 p158: "Both at the beginning and at the ending of the Gibeonites' story there is now a reference to the law of Moses and to the fact that ... The building of the altar happens on Mount Ebal, not in Gilgal — Joshua gets to Gilgal only in 9:6."
- ^ 'the Law of Moses' - John 7:23; Luke 2:22; 22:44; Acts 15:5, 21; 24:14; 28:23
- ^ Frank Crüsemann, Allan W. Mahnke (1996). The Torah: theology and social history of Old Testament law, p. 331. "... there is only clear evidence for the use of the term Torah to describe the Pentateuch as a ..."
- ^ John Van Seters (2004). The Pentateuch: a social-science commentary, p. 16 "Furthermore, the Hebrew term Torah, 'Law', is a little misleading as a description of the content of the Pentateuch, since it consists of about one half law and the other half narrative."
- ^ John H. Walton (1994). Ancient Israelite Literature in Its Cultural Context, p. 233. "The ancient Near Eastern collections do not include cultic law; rather, their focus is on civil law. As a generalization, in the ancient Near East violation of law is an offense against society. In Israel a violation of law is an ..."
- ^ Andrew E. Hill, John H. Walton (2000). A survey of the Old Testament, p. 52. "The influence of the ancient Near Eastern legal tradition on the form and function of Hebrew law is undeniable and widely documented. Along with this contemporary cultural influence, the Old Testament affirms the divine origin of ..."
- ISBN 9780195304756
- ISBN 9780691176352
- ^ Jimmy Jack McBee Roberts (2002). The Bible and the ancient Near East: collected essays, p. 46. "The Israelite Sabbatical Year, which seems to have the same purpose and recurs at about the same interval, appears to be an Israelite adaptation of this mesharum-edict tradition."
- ^ Curtis, Adrian (1988). "Chapter 1. God as 'judge' in Ugaritic and Hebrew thought". In Lindars, Barnabas (ed.). Law and religion: essays on the place of the law in Israel. p. 3.
The many legal texts discovered at Ugarit make it clear that the king played an important legal role; although legal transactions could be carried out before witnesses, ...
- ISBN 9780664256524.
- ^ Jewish Encyclopedia: Gentiles: Gentiles May Not Be Taught the Torah
External links
- Media related to Law of Moses at Wikimedia Commons
- Jewish Encyclopedia: Torah: Laws of the Torah