“Blessed is the man [whose]…delight is in the law of the Lord” Psalm 1

Part One: The Roots of Law

In the beginning…there was law
In the oldest traditions known from ancient Mesopotamia and thereby the whole world, we learn that the Sumerian people were concerned about the abuse by the mighty of the poor in their society. Just as Justice is considered the foundation stones and highest virtues of our modern age, so too was it central to ancient Mesopotamians. It is without a doubt that the major law-code that preceded the birth of the Israelites and doubtless held an influence over them- was the great and detailed law code of King Hammurabi, the sixth King from the first dynasty of Babylon (18th-17th century BCE). This law code that reveals a king keenly interested in the execution of justice amongst his people set the standard by which all following law codes are heavily indebted.

Justice 4000 Years Ago
Hammurabi’s Code which is a compilation of what is believed to be originally two hundred and eighty five laws ranges from legal dealings from Animal Rentals to issues of Alimony. The law is written in case form (a pattern continued by Israelite Law) where a situation is described and a verdict given- the example of such a situation provides for additional clarity.
In a financial crisis- If any one owe a debt for a loan, and a storm prostrates the grain, or the harvest fail, or the grain does not grow for lack of water; in that year he need not give his creditor any grain, he washes his debt-tablet in water and pays no rent for this year. Law 48
The section on family law regulates family conflicts and defines the status of women in all their various roles. It also pays attention to the legal precedents of personal injury and Law 196 is well-known among all of us today who have heard of “An eye for an eye” law. But what does it actually mean?
Law 196- If a man put out the eye of another man, his eye shall be put out
This law may sound vicious and extreme however its importance in Babylonian society cannot be underestimate. This law which also is found in Exodus 21:23-27, is a way to appease the offended party and to stop a family or clan feud from developing. The one responsible for the injury must repay in likeness thus restricting feuding and also to an extent protect the aggressor from an even severer punishment. Considering this law some of our societies today follow this same theme in its extreme. A murderer is in some places, after a trail, placed on death row and executed.

A Masterpiece
The code is an organized masterpiece that was generated by a rich nation involved in agriculture and commerce and who where highly sensitive to the rights of its people. The opening laws of the code show their ultimate concern for justice as they lay laws down against insidious judges and false witnesses operating within their courts. This code reveals itself as a humane document ever-conscious of a need to govern its multifaceted bodies and to protect the marginalized of its society. As the earliest collection of laws in the world it sets a high standard of which only the law code of the Israelites, can be argued to be its natural successor.
In Part Two of the Law and Life we shall look at Israelite Law as it attempts to protect the marginalized in its society. We shall investigate to what extent the laws were successful and to whose role it fell to protect the people.