publications of the perry foundation for biblical
research in the hebrew university of jerusalem
Moshe Weinfeld
social justice in ancient israel and in the ancient near east
the magnes press, the hebrew university, jerusalem
fortress press, minneapolis
Social Justice in Ancient Israel
©The Magnes Press, The Hebrew University, Jerusalem, 1995
North American edition published by Fortress Press, Box 1209 Minneapolis, MN 55440
All rights are reserved.
No part of this book may be reproduced without formal permission.
Library of Congress Cataloging-In-Publication Data
Weinfeld, Moshe.
Social justice in ancient Israel and in the ancient Near East / by Moshe Weinfeld.
p. cm.
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 0-8006-2596-X (alk. paper)
1. Social justice--Biblical teaching. 2. Justice--Biblical teaching. 3. Sociology, Biblical. 4. Bible. O.T.--Theology. 5. Middle East--Civilization--To 622. 6. Sociology--Middle East. 7. Middle Eastern literature--Relation to the Old Testament.
I. Title.
BS1199. J8W45 1995
296.3′878′0901--dc20 95-4329
CIP
The Proclamation of Liberty and the Concept of Freedom
The Liberated Person as the Servant of God
Justice and Righteousness as the Goal of the Individual
Righteousness and Justice in the Kingdom of God
Chapter One: “Justice and Righteousness”—משפט וצדקה
The Expression and its Meaning
Performing mišarum in Mesopotamia and משפט וצדקה in Israel: The Concrete Meaning of the Concepts
Chapter Two: Justice and Righteousness as the Task of the King
Chapter Three: Justice and Righteousness as the Task of the Eschatological King
The Biblical Prophecies Regarding the Establisher of Justice and Righteousness
The Righteous King in Ancient Near Eastern Prophecy
Chapter Four: Proclamations of “Freedom” in Mesopotamia and their Reflections in Ancient Israel
Chapter Five: Privileges and Freedoms for Temple Cities
Rights of the Holy City of Jerusalem
Asylum and Refuge in the Holy City
Chapter Six: Rights and Freedoms of Estates and Individuals
Chapter Seven: Proclamations of “Freedom” in Egypt, Persia and Greece
Liberation in Persia, Greece and the Hellenistic World
Remission of Debts in the Time of Nehemiah
The Institution of Jubilee and its Background
Chapter Nine: God Who Establishes Equity (מישרים) and Performs Righteous Justice (משפט וצדקה)
“Justice and Righteousness” in Jacob
Righteousness and Justice as Political Salvation
Righteousness and Justice in the Eschatological Sense
The Day of Atonement and Freedom
Chapter Ten: Justice and Righteousness as the Task of the Individual
Proclamation of “Liberty” and its Reflection in the Model of the Exodus
The Pattern of “Liberation” in the Prophecies of Second-Isaiah
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About Social Justice in Ancient Israel and in the Ancient Near EastThis book deals with the concept of justice and righteousness in ancient Israelite literature in comparison with identical concepts in ancient Near East. Various aspects of this concept are taken into consideration: philological, historical, sociological and theological. Moshe Weinfeld surveys social reforms in the ancient Near East from the third millennium BCE to the Hellenistic period. The first chapters discuss semantics and center in terms that denote social justice, such as social reforms embodied in the terms justice and righteousness and their equivalents in cognate languages. A separate chapter discusses the institutions of Shemitta and Jubilee in ancient Israel. A special discussion is dedicated to justice and righteousness on the individual level. Just as the ruler is commanded to do justice and righteousness—to free his subjects from oppression—so every individual is asked to help the poor and the needy in their distress, which is to do justice and righteousness with others. |
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