Introduction

The Bible has contributed to culture and lifestyle of many societies of the world. This paper analyses how the Old Testament has influenced the American jurisprudence by reviewing the book: The Cambridge Companion to the Hebrew Bible/Old Testament. The book, published in 2016 by Cambridge University Press is authored by Stephen B. Chapman and Marvin A. Sweeney who are both scholars of theology.

Book Summary

According to Chapman and Sweeney (2016) in The Cambridge Companion to the Hebrew Bible/Old Testament, an immense diversity increased regarding religious studies in the 20th century requiring a research on the Hebrew Bible which is also known as the Old Testament. The first part of the book focuses solely on the text and canon of the Old Testament. The authors analyze the texts and their translations, exploring the evidence. The second part gives the Jewish considers the Greco-Roman culture, giving a historical account of the transformations faced by the Jews until after the fall of Jerusalem. The final part of the book describes the formation of the Christian community explaining the process of the Christian community establishment and the way the Bible has influenced people lifestyle in various communities (Chapman & Sweeney, 2016). The book wholesomely describes the Old Testament in a way easy to understand.

Influence of the Old Testament on America Jurisprudence

In the Bible, the laws were created in order to promote good morals among people. For instance, the Ten Commandments forbade stealing, lying, killing, and coveting. Similarly, the laws in the United States today are enforced on those who steal, lie or murder. In nineteenth and twentieth centuries, however, the American Society began to distract from the biblical roots. Although such deviation happened, the biblical concepts still formed the basis for justice, mercy, and human rights. Religious and political bodies worked as partners for ensuring that the society was peaceful (Chapman & Sweeney, 2016).

In the twentieth century, quotes from the bible were used in a legal language and documents. After the Second World War, human rights were transformed as well as a lot of advocates popularized the Bible when using it as a tool, notably, Martin Luther King Jr. Until the 1990s, biblical references still appeared in legal opinions. Furthermore, some of the concepts like righteousness in the Declaration of Independence and the United States constitution are thought to be biblically inspired. In addition, many judges have drawn their speeches from the proverbial wisdom found in the Old Testament (Chapman & Sweeney, 2016).

The bill of rights was established in order to protect individual’s rights even of people accused of crimes that were very similar to a principle from the holly book. The Bible, therefore, has laid a basis for judicial and criminal rights. The notion of innocent until proven guilty has been argued to be a Christian attribute relying on the concept of grace stated throughout the Old Testament. Moreover, the concept of freedom is not less important in the Old Testament. However, the freedom of speech and religion are not absolute because it includes warnings against blasphemy and worship of idols. Finally, the Bible has provided the duties, rights and expectations regarding a single family. The man is to be the head, protector, and provider of the family and the woman is to nurture and submit to her husband. Furthermore, it also allows people to divorce in the case of promiscuity in the marriage. Such norms have been adopted into laws used today to govern the family (Chapman & Sweeney, 2016).

Conclusion

The book, the Cambridge Companion to the Hebrew Bible/Old Testament, extensively discusses the books of the Old Testament explaining the text and the process of the authoring the first part of the Bible. According to Chapman and Sweeney, the Bible has greatly influenced the laws and the way of life of any contemporary society. The concepts of justice, mercy, duties, grace, rights and freedoms found in the Bible have formed the basis of the American law and the legal processes of enforcing the law. However, today, with the rise of several cultures and religions, this influence of the Bible has weakened.

Reference

Chapman, S. B. & Sweeney, M. A. (Eds.). (2016). The Cambridge companion to the Hebrew Bible/Old Testament. Cambridge University Press.

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