A Reconsideration on the Laws and Codes of the Old Testament-Focusing on the Ten Commandments

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Saya Lee

Abstract

The purpose of this article is to investigate the particularities of the Pentateuchal laws of the ancient Israelites in the Old Testament. The Pentateuch of the Old Testament has many laws and law-codes(e.g. Decalogue, Covenant Code, Deuteronomy Code and Holiness Code, etc). The said laws and law-codes have long history influenced by the laws of ancient near eastern world, have developed in the Old Testament itself, and have undergone a good deal of changes in their interpretations after codifying. The Pentateuch laws and codes are within the scope of the Torah. The fundamental meaning of the Hebrew Torah is the teaching of God that He gave to the people of Israel, who He loved along with the rest of the world. Thus, we can learn that the fundamental meaning of the laws of the Old Testament is love (oragape). This study will determine if the Torah is still valid today. We cannot apply all the contents of the laws of the Old Testament to our daily lives but they are valid and have simultaneity in the period of the Old and New Testaments even nowadays because like God, love remains unchanged in our ever-changing world.

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