You Tube Theology

In this conversation, Dr. Dru Johnson argues that the Torah should not be read like ancient Near Eastern law codes such as the Code of Hammurabi. He notes that although Hammurabi is famous and widely preserved, later Mesopotamian legal decisions do not seem to cite it and sometimes even go against it, raising the question of what role it actually played. By contrast, he says the Torah is not just a list of laws. It weaves together story, legal instruction, and ritual, so that the narratives help form the reader’s moral imagination and illuminate how the commands are meant to be understood. In his example, laws in Leviticus can call to mind stories in Genesis, so that the narrative itself helps fill in the meaning of the command.