Though there is only one brief mention of Hanukkah in the Gospels, it is worth examining the little that Jesus did & said during the same. While not a holy festival proscribed by the Old Testament, Hanukkah was still an important celebration in Jesus’ day – a celebration that commemorated the rededication of the Jerusalem […]
The primary goal of any society’s legal system is to encourage (if not force) its citizens to live together in harmony. And yet what is seemingly unique about the Law of ancient Judea was that it did more than merely proscribe punishments for specific acts of improper behavior – it actually demanded that its citizens […]
The ancient Jewish culture (and as such also the ancient Law of the Israelites) was in great part founded upon familial relations remaining tight-knit. Indeed, the very first law given to the Jews in the Bible was God’s command for them to “be fruitful and multiply” (see Genesis 1:28 – also Leviticus 26:9)1, and one […]
Though the Law made it clear from its very beginning that the law-abiding Jewish citizen was required to “be fruitful and multiply” (see Genesis 1:28), it was just as adamant in circumscribing which sexual relationships were appropriate and which were sinful. Premarital intercourse was forbidden (see Deuteronomy 23:18), as was any act of incest (proscribed […]
Remaining ritually clean was an extremely important edict of the Law of ancient Israel (see Leviticus 11:43 & Deuteronomy 14:3), for without such cleanliness one could not partake of or participate in the Jewish religion’s required sacrifices &/or celebrations. There were many ways to become tamei (unclean), and acquiring such a spiritual taint required a […]
The ancient Law (much like most of the other mad-made moral codes constructed both before & since) made it quite clear that its citizens were required to be both frugal in the making of oaths & promises (see Exodus 18:21 & Exodus 20:7, & Deuteronomy 10:20 – also Leviticus 19:11) and consequent in the fulfillment […]
While the Law did expressly command the ancient Israelites to care for the impoverished & other less-fortunate members of their community (see Exodus 21:22, Leviticus 19:9, Leviticus 23:22, Deuteronomy 14:28-29, Deuteronomy 15:l7-11, & Deuteronomy 24:19-21 et al), Jesus – as was so often the case – took these admonitions several great steps further; making one’s […]
Intriguingly, while on one hand the ancient Law of Israel expressly demanded that Jews be kind to all strangers in speech and deed (see Exodus 22:20-21 & Deuteronomy 10:19 et al) and forbade Jews from insulting or gossiping about their fellow Israelites (see Leviticus 19:14-16 & Leviticus 25:17 et al), that same Law went out […]
The ancient Judean Law also mandated the appointment of a political leader (or “king” – see Deuteronomy 17:15a) for the Jewish society; a ruler who was required to be humble and just (see Deuteronomy 17:16-20), and a ruler who was required to be respected by his citizenry (see Exodus 22:28). Of course, Jesus’ non-fond views […]
Seeing as how the ancient Law of Israel was exceptionally Judea-centric, it can come as no surprise to realize that there were more than a few Old Testament regulations proscribing how the Israelites were to prepare for war (see Deuteronomy 20:2, where a priest was required by Law to bolster the courage of Jewish troops […]
The Law was also quite explicit regarding what types of clothing the Israelites were allowed to wear (a la the regulation demanding that braided tzitzit be worn on the corners of one’s prayer shawl1 per Numbers 15:38 & Deuteronomy 22:12, the regulation forbidding cross-dressing per Deuteronomy 22:5, the regulation forbidding wearing garments made of both […]
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