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.
