In this volume, Gershon Brin examines the development of biblical law, suggesting that it may be due to different authors with different legal outlooks—or that the differing policies were required in response to different social needs. Biblical laws appearing in the Dead Sea Scrolls literature are treated in a separate unit. Study of this subject can shed light both on the biblical laws as such, as well as on the manner of their reworking by the Judean Desert sect. Brin also discusses questions of the style, the idea, and the historical and ideological background underlying the reworking of these laws in Qumran. The second part of the book presents a comprehensive picture of the issues involved in the laws of the first-born—a subject that has legal, social, and religious implications.
Looking for the entire series?The Old Testament Law Collection (11 vols.) is available for download!
Gershon Brin is lecturer in Criminal Law at the University of Bristol, UK.