Biblical Hebrew Forum

["Joel Stucki" <joel AT stucki.ws>]

On 6/24/06, Yigal Levin <leviny1 AT mail.biu.ac.il> wrote:
> Look, I know that a lot of this seems historically unlikely. I'm certainly
> not trying to convince anyone of its "historicity". What I am trying to do
> is to explain the traditions, in order to make it easier for those not
> familiar with them to understand where the traditional Jewish interpretation
> is coming from. Acceptance of these traditions is a matter of personal
> faith, which is of course way beyond what this list is about.

This has been an interesting thread to watch unfold. I certainly have
learned that there is a wide range of perspectives on this list. For
anyone who is interested in an excellent book on the development of
Hebrew law from a scholarly perspective rather than a theological one
I would recommend the excellent book by Zeev W Falk, Hebrew Law in
Biblical Times. Professor Falk was a lawyer, historian and a professor
at Hebrew University in Jerusalem. He views Hebrew law in perspective
of its development to social needs and surrounding culture while still
acknowledging a rather orthodox Jewish faith. His approach is fair and
balanced and will likely not fit well with extreme viewpoints of an
immutable text or infallible oral law. But for anyone looking for how
Hebrew law actually developed and how it formed a significant part of
human cultural development it is an excellent read.

Amazon link:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0934893551/qid=1151199196/sr=1-1/ref=sr_1_1/002-5739933-1726440?s=books&v=glance&n=283155

Joel Stucki