Federal Book
The covenant book ( Hebrew סֵפֶר הֲבְּרִית Sefer ha-Berit , German 'Buch des Bundes' ) is the name commonly used in science for acompilation of laws containedin the Book of Exodus , the name ofwhich is takenfrom Ex 24.8 EU . Usually its delimitation is given with Exodus 20.19–23.33. This largely corresponds to the Jewish weekly segment Mishpatim ("Laws", Ex 21.1–24.18), whichfollows the Jitro segmentin the Jewish reading order of the written Torah , including the Decalogue (the Ten Commandments ). An introduction is followed by provisions on civil law , criminal law and laws on cultic issues. Chapter 24 EU ends with the story about the covenant between the people of Israel and God, hence the name. These chapters are often interpreted as an originally independent collection of laws.
In contrast, the 'Book of the Covenant' mentioned in 2 Kings 23.3 EU , also named, is mostly associated with Deuteronomy .
In addition, “Federal Book” also refers to an ancient Jewish script that is known from quotations from Didymos the Blind .
Content baseline
The federal book is considered the oldest collection of Israelite law (around the middle of the royal period). Three particularly important parts of the text can be identified in the Federal Book:
- Ex 21.18-22.16 with casuistic everyday law
- Ex 22.20-23.9 with apodictic prohibitions (prohibitive)
- Ex 20: 24-26; 23.10–19 with cult law provisions
The second part has the twofold intention on the one hand to protect the poor and the weak (strangers, widows, orphans, impoverished, ...) and on the other hand to demand the unhindered exercise of the law without corruption.
In addition to the oldest festival calendar, the cult-law provisions contain Adonai's privilege: His sovereignty over land and property is symbolically recognized by bringing him first fruits and leaving the land fallow.
Relationship to more recent legal texts
A few examples clearly illustrate that certain legal clauses from the Federal Book were later tightened or expanded. More recent legal texts are e.g. B. the law of the Josian reform in Dtn 12-25 and the priestly law of holiness in Lev 17-26.
The rule of fallow land from the Federal Book, which arose in a strongly agrarian culture, is transferred to more complex economic constellations in Deuteronomy: In the year of the Jubilee (Dtn 15.2), all debts of "brothers" (members of the people) should be remitted.
The regulation from Ex 21,2ff to release slaves without payment is extended in Dtn 15,12ff to the effect that the slave should not be released with empty hands, but should be provided with what is necessary to rebuild an existence.
The Jubilee year or year of release (Lev 25,10) goes beyond the previous provisions on fallow land and the release of slaves and extends the principle of restoring original economic conditions on the land.
literature
- Cornelis Houtman: The Federal Book. A comment. Documenta et monumenta orientis antiqui 24, Leiden and others 1997, ISBN 90-04-10859-9 .
- Ludger Schwienhorst-Schönberger : The Federal Book (Ex 20.22-23.33). Studies on its genesis and theology. Supplements to the journal for Old Testament science 188, Berlin 1990, ISBN 3-11-012404-1 .
- Dieter Lührmann: Federal Book. In: JSHRZ.NF 2/12. Gütersloh 2006, ISBN 978-3-579-05243-4 .
See also
Web links
- Wolfgang Oswald: Federal Book. In: Michaela Bauks, Klaus Koenen, Stefan Alkier (Eds.): The Scientific Biblical Lexicon on the Internet (WiBiLex), Stuttgart 2006 ff.