Law, Power, and Justice in Ancient Israel (Library of Ancient Israel)

Book info: Law, Power, and Justice in Ancient Israel (Library of Ancient Israel) (Hardcover, 328 pages) – Westminster John Knox Press, 2011. Language: English.

From leading Old Testament scholar Douglas A. Knight comes the latest volume in the Library of Ancient Israel series. Using socio-anthropological theory and archaeological evidence, Knight argues that while the laws in the Hebrew Bible tend to reflect the interests of those in power, the majority of ancient Israelitesâ€"located in villagesâ€"developed their own unwritten customary laws to regulate behavior and resolve legal conflicts in their own communities. This book includes numerous examples from village, city, and cult.

Volumes in the Library of Ancient Israel draw on multiple disciplinesâ€"such as archaeology, anthropology, sociology, linguistics, and literary criticismâ€"to illuminate the everyday realities and social subtleties these ancient cultures experienced. This series employs sophisticated methods resulting in original contributions that depict the reality of the people behind the Hebrew Bible and interprets these insights for a wide variety of readers.

Editorial Reviews Review "A superb study of the legal texts of the Hebrew Bible and of the practice of law in ancient Israel." Norman K. Gottwald, Professor Emeritus, New York Theological Seminary

"Building painstakingly on archaeological data and social-anthropological theory, Knight exposes the gap between biblical rhetoric and historical reality." Philip R. Davies, Professor Emeritus of Biblical Studies, University of Sheffield

"Highly recommended for those concerned about the intersection of law and power in ancient Israel." Gale A. Yee, Nancy W. King Professor of Biblical Studies, Episcopal Divinity School

"Knight goes beyond a careful reading of ancient texts to reconstruct a compelling and realistic picture of legal systems at work in the villages, cities, and cultic settings of ancient Israel." D. Don Welch, Professor of Law and Professor of Religion, Vanderbilt University.

"Knight offers an excellent treatment of the laws of ancient Israel and provides a significant methodological model for future scholarly discussions of these laws." Cheryl B. Anderson, Associate Professor of Old Testament, Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary

"Knight's book fills a large gap in the study of the legal systems of ancient Israel." Patrick D. Miller, Professor Emeritus, Princeton Theological Seminary

"This book represents the first social history of biblical law. It demonstrates how the legal system functioned within the society of ancient Israel. Although the starting point of the book is the social world of ancient Israel, it also informs the reader in a well-founded and reliable manner about the legal literature of the Hebrew Bible. In addition, it keeps in mind the archaeology of Palestine and the legal history of the Ancient Near East. A most welcome book." Eckart Otto, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München About the Author Douglas A. Knight is Drucilla Moore Buffington Professor of Hebrew Bible at the Divinity School of Vanderbilt University. He is the general editor of the Library of Ancient Israel.