Code of Hammurabi: Briefly
Moses and the Code of Hammurabi
Bruce Gore
April 15 2015
Quote:
'The most enlightened example of civil legislation prior to Moses comes from the Babylonian ruler Hammurabi, who pre-dates Moses by at least 200 years. In this discussion, a comparison and contrast between the two great law-givers is provided, with a focus on the extent to which the law given through Moses shows a clearly superior approach to jurisprudence. For more free resources, please visit www.brucegore.com.'
---
In his brief lecture, Professor Bruce Gore with reasonable objectivity acknowledges the critiques of higher criticism that aspects at least, of the Mosaic Law, are borrowed from earlier ancient sources. Gore briefly admits a few of the similarities and also briefly explains a few crucial differences that counter claims from higher criticism and modern critiques that the Mosaic Law is 'other' ancient mythology. In other words, with no divine source.
Not surprisingly for me, based on Canadian Christian, bible school and seminary training, and British secular education, ancient morality, ethics and law is documented in non-biblical, religious and non-religious contexts. From non-biblical sources, the morality, practical ethics and law would be presented from significantly different worldview perspectives. As I have noted in another recent post, rather than making the Hebrew Bible a 'rip-off' of older versions of world events, and therefore just different mythology, the Hebrew Bible versions claim and present as legitimate religious history with God that revealed self in several texts through scribes and prophets.
Within Christian tradition, this religious history culminates in New Testament era manuscripts and the New Testament books of the modern Bible.
As my background is British, MPhil/PhD work with both theology (biblical) and philosophy of religion (non-biblical) there are many parallels in regards to reasonable truths for God, humanity and reality. There are also significant differences and the revelatory nature of biblical theology and the bible on philosophical theology, as God communicates to humanity in reason, adds the component of God 'speaking for self' through scribes, prophets and apostles. This is different to philosophy of religion that on points can equally be God's truth, but relies on philosophy both religious and secular, with human reason, apart from revelation, in regards to God, humanity and reality.
---
COURSON, JON (2005) Application Commentary, Thomas Nelson, Nashville.
ELLISON, H.L. (1986) ‘Genesis’, in F.F. Bruce (ed.), The International Bible Commentary, Grand Rapids, Zondervan.
ELWELL, WALTER AND YARBROUGH, ROBERT W., Third Edition (2013) Encountering The New Testament, Grand Rapids, Baker Academic.
FRETHEIM, TERENCE E. (1985)(2005) ‘The Suffering of God: An Old Testament Perspective’, in Theology Today, Volume 1, Number 1, Bookreview17. Princeton, Princeton Theological Seminary. http://theologytoday.ptsem.edu/apr1985/v42-1-bookreview17.htm
FRETHEIM, TERENCE E. (1994) ‘Is Genesis 3 a Fall Story?’, in Word and World, Luther Seminary, pp. 144-153. Saint Paul, Luther Seminary.
GORE, BRUCE (2015) Moses and the Code of Hammurabi, April 15 2015, You Tube.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eWXbt667Y6U&t=2s
HAMILTON, VICTOR P. (1988) Handbook on the Pentateuch, Grand Rapids, Baker Book House.
JACKSON, JOHN G. (1941)(2006) Pagan Origins of the Christ Myth, New York, Truth Seeker Co. http://www.nbufront.org/html/MastersMuseums/JGJackson/ChristMyth/ChristMythPart1.html
LA SOR, WILLIAM SANFORD, DAVID ALLAN HUBBARD, AND FREDERIC WILLIAM BUSH. (1987) Old Testament Survey, Grand Rapids, William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company.
MCDONALD, H.D. (1996) ‘Bible, Authority of', in Walter A. Elwell (ed.), Evangelical Dictionary of Theology, Grand Rapids, Baker Books.
MCRAY, J.R. (1996) ‘Bible, Canon of', in Walter A. Elwell (ed.), Evangelical Dictionary of Theology, Grand Rapids, Baker Books.
PAILIN, DAVID A. (1999) ‘Deism’, in Alan Richardson and John Bowden (eds.), A New Dictionary of Christian Theology, Kent, SCM Press Ltd.
PAILIN, DAVID A. (1999) ‘Enlightenment’, in Alan Richardson and John Bowden (eds.), A New Dictionary of Christian Theology, Kent, SCM Press Ltd.
PAILIN, DAVID A. (1999) ‘Process Theology’, in Alan Richardson and John Bowden (eds.), A New Dictionary of Christian Theology, Kent, SCM Press Ltd.
SCHULTZ SMAUEL J, AND GARY V. SMITH, (2001) Exploring the Old Testament, Wheaton, Illinois, Crossway Books.
Interesting video. An Atheist mentioned the same idea years ago on my old blog site. God gives everyone a conscience, so knowledge of right and wrong are imbedded within us; therefore, even if Hammurabi wrote his code before Moses, his God-given conscience directed it in general. As far as the similarities, there may be more to the story/history that we are unaware of today that, if discovered, would blow away any notion of Moses copying Hammurabi.
ReplyDelete-Jeff J.
Romans 1-3 supports that there is intrinsic general, human knowledge of God, which is not equal to scriptural revelation of knowing God in regeneration (Titus 3, John 3) for salvation.
DeleteEnglish Standard Version (ESV) 1: 18-24
18 For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth. 19 For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them. 20 For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world,[g] in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse. 21 For although they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him, but they became futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened. 22 Claiming to be wise, they became fools, 23 and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images resembling mortal man and birds and animals and creeping things.24 Therefore God gave them up in the lusts of their hearts to impurity, to the dishonoring of their bodies among themselves, 25 because they exchanged the truth about God for a lie and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever! Amen.
When I researched some Wikipedia entries for this general topic, I was alerted by the slight emotional appeals by some opponents to the bible in historical context. Red flags in regards to objectivity.