Kenton Sparks, Eastern University
The Egalitarian Spirit in Ancient Israelite Law

Abstract:

Much has been made over the years of the egalitarian features in biblical law. In some cases, these features have been taken as evidence that early Israel was a simple society, whose character and features were perpetuated in Israel’s later emergence as a more complex society. In this paper I will explore the matter by considering the following questions: (1) To what extent is egalitarianism unique to Israelite law (in comparison with other ANE laws)? (2) How does the egalitarian spirit in Israelite law enlighten our understanding of the nature and development of Israelite identity? And (3) does the egalitarian spirit of Israelite law have anything to teach us about the origins of ancient Israel?