HUM 001A Lecture Notes - Lecture 4: Books Of Samuel, Babylonian Captivity, Mishnah
Document Summary
Purpose: using an idea rather than a place to create a unified community in a hostile environment (bc hebrew people were nomadic) Symbol:stone tables w/ 10 commandments, stored in the ark. Not only an agreement between god & leaders, also an agreement amongst the people. If one person breaks the covenant, wrath of god descends on all members (collective responsibility, collective punishment) Deep influence of covenant on american political thought. Colonists saw themselves in the same role as the hebrews. The promise of the afterlife is not at the core of. Focus on this world, not big obsession about after life. Sense of identity is in their culture, not bound by a place (because they were nomadic) Oral law before the destruction of the temple (70 ce) Written precedents in talmud (mishna 200 ce, gemara 500 ce ) Study of law at the heart of jewish culture: collective, literary, legal tradition.
