The Laws of Moses and the Code of Hammurabi

The Laws of Moses and the Code of Hammurabi are thousands-years old documents, evidence of the social structure and rules of ancient civilizations. The Code of Hammurabi is roughly one thousand years older than the Ten Commandments, or Laws of Moses, which were written in 1500 B.C., and is considered the oldest set of laws in existence. Promulgated by the king Hammurabi in roughly 2250 B.C., the Code is a set of rules guiding everyday life, listing everything from punishments for stealing and murder to the prices commanded for animals, products, and services. The famous "eye for an eye" maxim comes from the Hammurabi code: "If a man puts out the eye of an equal, his eye shall be put out." S.A. Cook's translation of The Laws of Moses and the Code of Hammurabi includes the code, the history of the regions in which it was employed-Babylonia and Israel, the elements of Law, the social structures of families, workers, and slaves, information on land, agriculture, trade, and commerce, protection of the people, and a detailed Index. STANLEY ARTHUR COOK (1837-1949) was born in King's Lynn, Norfolk. He was the Regius Professor of Hebrew at Cambridge University from 1932-1938, where he also received his Bachelor's and Master's degrees. He was on the editorial staff of the Encyclopedia Biblica from 1896-1903, as well as an editorial advisor on Biblical subjects for the Encyclopedia Britannica. He edited Palestine Exploration Fund publications from 1902-1932 and authored many of his own books on ancient Hebrew and Middle East culture.