Saturday, August 25, 2012

The Code of Hammurabi (1772 BC)-one of the earliest code of laws discovered. Displayed in the Louvre Museum of Paris, France.


One of the oldest deciphered writings of significant length, the Code of Hammurabi is the longest surviving legal text from the Old Babylonian period. Although Hammurabi's Code is not the oldest code of laws in the world, it is the best preserved legal document from the ancient Near East. The code was issued by Hammurabi, the 6th King of ancient Babylon who ruled for 42 years from 1792 to 1750 BC. The almost complete code survives today on a 7.4 ft tall shining black diorite stele in the shape of a huge index finger. A total 282 laws, carved in 49 columns and 28 paragraphs in ancient Akkadian language, the code deals mainly on civil, criminal, and family matters of the Babylonian society.  The stele was discovered from ancient Susa, Elam (modern Khūzestān in Iran) by French archaeologists in 1901 and currently on display in the Louvre Museum of Paris, France. Here is a link to an English translation of the complete Hammurabi Code. 


The discovery of the Hammurabi Code is important for Biblical studies as it supports the authenticity of the Law of Moses. The similarities between the Code of Hammurabi and the Law of Moses are so much,  some even hypothesize that Hammurabi influenced Moses while writing the Torah. The closest parallel comes in the common wording of "eye for an eye" and "tooth for a tooth" (Hammurabi Code 196, 197, 200 and Exodus 21:23-25). Although there are certainly similarities, there are also many differences. Mosaic Law is based in the worship of one God and involves spiritual principles, whereas Hammurabi Code is mainly civil and criminal. The Hammurabi Code written at least three centuries before Moses (1500-1400 BC) is also an answer for Bible critics who believed that Moses could not have written the first five books of the Old Testament because the art of writing was not developed until well after his death.

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