Laws

The Covenant Code, The Holiness Code and The Deuteronomic Code

The Covenant Code (Exodus 21-23) is a code of laws set forth in Exodus that provides guidelines for punishments for the following types of crime: Servants, Personal Injury, Protection of Property, Social Responsibility, Justice & Mercy, Sabbath  Laws, and Annual Festivals.

The Holiness Code (Leviticus 17-26) is a code of laws presented in Leviticus in regards to Sacrifices, Sexual Relations, Rules for Priesthood, The Sabbath, Feasts & Special Days, Obedience/Disobedience, and Food Rituals.

The Deuteronomic Code (Deuteronomy 12-16) is a code of laws set forth in Deuteronomy in reference to Places of Worship, False gods, Food Rituals, Tithes & Debts, Servants, Animals, Feasts, and Judges.

The Code of Hammurabi

The cuneiform found on the Code of Hammurabi

The Code of Hammurabi is a “treatise on legal theory, political science, and social organization” (Benjamin & Matthews 105). It is, more or less, a list of laws enacted in the time of the Great King of Babylon, Hammurabi (1972-1750 BCE). There are laws in reference to Slaves, Theft, Sexual Relations, Family Relations, and Animals.

Statue that Code of Hammurabi is found on. It can be found in the Louvre Museum of France.

Analysis

The three codes listed above that exist in the Bible have laws that enact the same exact rules and punishments listed in The Code of Hammurabi. For example, in Exodus 22: 7-8, the author describes the punishment for a man who allowed another man to store goods in his safekeeping, which were then stolen by a thief. This man must appear before the judges if the thief is not found. Similarly, in The Code of Hammurabi, it is stated that:

…..the owner 0f the warehouse whose carelessness allowed the robbery to take place must make every effort to find the thief and recover the stolen property. In any case, the warehouse owner must make full restitution of the value of the stolen property to its owner.

Is this merely a coincidence?

There are many theories that have come forth to explain such striking similarities between the laws of the Bible and the laws of the Ancient Near East.

Some theories:

– Diffusion model – laws started in Mesopotamia and were spread from there

– Evolutionary model – societies developed similarly and thus, developed similar laws

– Literary model – the Bible copied from the ANE laws directly

Our thoughts? 

We believe that the 3 different codes of laws within the Bible were formed through a combination of the Diffusion model and the Evolutionary model. We think that oral tradition and word of mouth is something that was very prominent and strong during this time period, and different laws probably spread from city to city through conquest and invasions. However, we think that societies could have been structured very similarly, and it is very possible that they simply formed similar laws based on the cultural aspects of that time. We invite you to check out our links on this topic and inquire further.