Hammurabi’s Code and the Mosaic Code are two sets of laws and rules written
in Babylon and Ancient Israel that were designed to guide the populations on
how to live their lives. These two
codes consist of laws and punishments concerning crimes, agricultural life,
social conflicts, and business ethics. Like codes of laws today, the purposes of
Hammurabi’s Code and the Mosaic Code were to create organization and maintain
order in society. The two codes
shared many themes and values, but differed in their means of achieving
societal order.
One of the common themes in Hammurabi’s Code and the Mosaic Code is the
value of “an eye for an eye. ” For every transgression one commits, one is to
be punished in the same way. If one is to murder, he shall be
killed. If one is to steal, he is to give up money. In Hammurabi’s code, “if a man put out the eye of another man, his eye shall be put
out. If he break another man's bone, his bone shall be broken” (laws 196
– 197). Similarly, a
quote in the Mosaic code that reflects this value is, “show no pity: life for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand
for hand, foot for foot" (Deut. 19:16-21). Both Hammurabi’s Code and
the Mosaic Code state that punishments should be equally as serious as the
crimes committed. One deserves to pay in the same way he harmed another.
Is the similarity of values between these two codes of laws coincidental?
I believe not. Evidence exists that at some point in time, Jews living in
Babylon immigrated to Israel and brought values that they had been exposed to
in Babylon with them. Hammurabi
lived in the 1700’s BCE. The
Mosaic Code was established in the late 1400’s BCE. The values derived from
Hammurabi’s code, such as “an eye for an eye,” likely influenced the way that
the Mosaic Code was written. This
is an example of cultural diffusion that affected the ways the laws for the
Ancient Israelites were written.
Although similar in many values and punishments, Hammurabi’s code and
the Mosaic Code differed in an important respect. Hammurabi’s code was focused
on punishing wrong-doers as a way to keep people from breaking these laws. Almost all transgressions noted in
Hammurabi’s code were supposed to be punished with death. The purpose was to
frighten the Babylonians from committing crimes. This way, society could remain
organized.
Rather than solely emphasizing harsh punishments as the motivation for
following laws, the Mosaic code gave an explanation for why its laws were
beneficial to society. In other words, as opposed to threats alone, the Mosaic
Code established a set of moral behaviors for followers that supported the
adherence to the laws themselves. For
example, one law stated that “if the witness proves to be a liar, giving false testimony against
his brother, then do to him as he intended to do to his brother. You must purge
the evil from among you.” The first part of this quote taught the importance of
honor and truth in society. This
is a value that the Mosaic Code attempted to teach all of its followers. Although the second part of the quote gave
a punishment for the crime, the last part of the quote suggested that if these
rules were to be followed, society will rid itself evil. The purpose of this was to supply
society with a common moral code and understanding of good and evil. In other words, the laws in the Mosaic Code
taught its followers how to live moral lives and therefore respect why the laws
were in place. Because society would then understand
why these laws were written, they would be more respected and followed.
Cultural diffusion blended values from Babylonian society into the legal
structure of Ancient Israel.
Both Hammurabi’s code and the Mosaic Code contain laws and punishments that
cover all aspects of society.
However, while Hammurabi’s code strictly used fear of death to demonstrate
the importance of its laws, the Mosaic Code attempted to establish a common
morality among its followers that would result in a greater appreciation and
respect for its rules.
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