The Messages Of Israel's Lawgivers Ebook Tooltip Ebooks kunnen worden gelezen op uw computer en op daarvoor geschikte e-readers.

For three or four centuries the Pentateuch has been the battle-field on which have fought the champions of the old and new. The long, bitter conflict has not been in vain, for it has made clear to all seekers for truth the real origin, growth, and relationships of the wonderful collections of laws found in the opening books of the Old Testament; but the din and smoke of battle have hitherto almost completely concealed their content and true significance. Attention has been focused upon questions of date and authorship and the vital messages of the individual laws have been overlooked. The aim in the present volume is not to fight over again a battle which has become a theme for the historian nor to recite the epic of Pentateuchal criticism. Its established results, however, are accepted as the foundation upon which is based the positive reconstruction. In concise form the conclusions of modern scholarship regarding the origin, growth, date, and authorship of the different laws and groups of laws are presented and made accessible to the general Bible student who has neither the time nor inclination to enter the maze of technical Pentateuchal discussion. The chief aim, however (in common with the other volumes of this series), is to bring out into clear relief the great facts and principles which constitute the real message of Israel's lawgivers, and to provide a practical, systematic basis for the study of Old Testament institutions.

Our forefathers were earnest, devoted students of the " Laws of Moses." No portion of the Bible commanded more of their attention. But with the passing of the symbolic method of interpretation, which found in every ceremonial institution a profound spiritual meaning or prediction, and with the advent of scientific biblical criticism, there has come a marked reaction. The prophetic decalogue of Exodus 20 (Dt. 5) still holds a prominent place in the thought of Christianity, but otherwise the Pentateuchal laws are now little studied. In the actual working canon of the ordinary biblical student the majority of them find no recognition. Together with Lamentations, the genealogical lists of Chronicles and the more obscure passages of the prophecies, they are, as a matter of fact, quietly ignored. In general this is as true with those who still jealously guard the traditions of Mosaic authorship as it is with those who accept the more recent conclusions regarding the Pentateuch.

The question may be appropriately raised whether or not the prevailing neglect of the Old Testament laws is justified by the facts. Obviously, as in the case of the Bible as a whole, the question must ultimately be answered on the basis not of any traditional claim to authority but of intrinsic merit. Have they a practical message for the present age and a value unaffected by time and change? In endeavoring to interpret their thought into modern language, I have aimed to give a concrete answer to this vital question. It is manifest that the various laws have different values. Some possess simply an historical interest. They represent the scaffolding reared for the upbuilding of the Israelitish nation and faith, or — to use Paul's figure — they correspond to the pedagogue, the trusty slave, who attended to the moral education of the youthful race. Other laws represent those developing institutions which constitute the flesh and blood of Israelitish history, and therefore possess a perennial interest for all who would know that marvellous history in its true character. The laws, chronologically arranged, furnish a complete epitome of the growth of Israel's moral standards. The institutions and usages of Judaism are also the background of early Christianity. The Old Testament laws will, therefore, never cease to have an ever-present value, because they are the chief guides to a perfect understanding of the two most important religions which have ever touched the heart and moulded the life of humanity. Moreover a large proportion of the laws themselves possess an independent value, for they are the concrete expression of the most profound religious ideas that have ever stirred men to right thought and action. The principles of justice, uprightness, and mercy are applied in direct, practical form to the life of the individual and of organized society. The spirit of devotion and genuine humility, the sense of dependence upon God, the necessity of true and open confession of sin and the craving for forgiveness and perfect harmony with the Divine are all forcibly and constantly emphasized. The practical value of the laws is the greater because they are the outgrowth of universal human experience and therefore marvellously suited to the conditions and needs of humanity. The fact that many of them represent intermediate stages in the process of moral evolution explains their adaptation to the wants of those whose ethical culture is only partially complete. The childhood of each individual is very similar to that of the race. That system which guided the Israelites from gross heathenism to the pure worship of the one God, certainly has a noble mission to-day. Through the Old Testament laws, as well as through the perfect teachings of the Christ, God still speaks to mankind, revealing his will and the definite ways in which it may " be done on earth even as it is in heaven."

In their present form they are like the maxims in the Book of Proverbs, thrown together in perplexing confusion, with only an occasional indication of anything like an attempt at systematic arrangement. This characteristically oriental method of grouping undoubtedly further explains their present neglect. Maimonides, the great Jewish scholar, made a partial classification of the Talmudic laws; but strangely enough no scholar, Jewish or Christian, appears hitherto to have attempted to apply occidental methods of classification to the Old Testament legislation. While the present work has been in preparation, a brief grouping of these laws and institutions has appeared in the appendix (pp. 222-254) to the first volume of The Hexateuch by Carpenter and Harford-Battersby. In the system of codification which I have adopted, kindred laws have first been grouped together and then, in order to bring out the historical development of each institution, those in each group or sub-group have been arranged in chronological order under the three general headings: Primitive, Deuteronomic, and Priestly Codes. Later supplemental additions to each of these main codes have been distinguished by the use of smaller type. Repetitions have as far as possible been avoided; but when it has been found necessary, in order to present a complete conspectus of all the Old Testament enactments, relating to each subject treated, a few laws have been introduced twice and, in certain cases, three times.

The field represented by this volume is in itself vast and leads to many others equally fascinating. Limits of space have made it impossible to realize my original plan of carrying the classification into the still broader territory of rabbinical literature. On the other hand the temptation has constantly been strong to devote much attention to the origin and history of Israel's institutions. In an independent volume I hope some time to make a comparative study of Semitic laws and judicial systems. To my students in Brown and Yale Universities, and especially to the Reverends Frederick Lent, M.A., and Edgar Laing Heermance, M.A., who have critically followed the codification of the laws in connection with class-room Work, I am indebted for valuable suggestions.