Note: A law may be universal or particular, written or unwritten, published or secret. From the nature of the highest laws a degree of permanency or stability is always implied; but the power which makes a law, or a superior power, may annul or change it. [1913 Webster]
These are the statutes and judgments and laws, which the Lord made. --Lev. xxvi. 46. [1913 Webster]
The law of thy God, and the law of the King. --Ezra vii. 26. [1913 Webster]
As if they would confine the Interminable . . . Who made our laws to bind us, not himself. --Milton. [1913 Webster]
His mind his kingdom, and his will his law. --Cowper. [1913 Webster]
2. In morals: The will of God as the rule for the disposition and conduct of all responsible beings toward him and toward each other; a rule of living, conformable to righteousness; the rule of action as obligatory on the conscience or moral nature. [1913 Webster]
3. The Jewish or Mosaic code, and that part of Scripture where it is written, in distinction from the gospel; hence, also, the Old Testament. Specifically: the first five books of the bible, called also Torah, Pentatech, or {Law of Moses}. [1913 Webster +PJC]
What things soever the law saith, it saith to them who are under the law . . . But now the righteousness of God without the law is manifested, being witnessed by the law and the prophets. --Rom. iii. 19, 21. [1913 Webster]
4. In human government: (a) An organic rule, as a constitution or charter, establishing and defining the conditions of the existence of a state or other organized community. (b) Any edict, decree, order, ordinance, statute, resolution, judicial, decision, usage, etc., or recognized, and enforced, by the controlling authority. [1913 Webster]
5. In philosophy and physics: A rule of being, operation, or change, so certain and constant that it is conceived of as imposed by the will of God or by some controlling authority; as, the law of gravitation; the laws of motion; the law heredity; the laws of thought; the laws of cause and effect; law of self-preservation. [1913 Webster]
6. In mathematics: The rule according to which anything, as the change of value of a variable, or the value of the terms of a series, proceeds; mode or order of sequence. [1913 Webster]
7. In arts, works, games, etc.: The rules of construction, or of procedure, conforming to the conditions of success; a principle, maxim; or usage; as, the laws of poetry, of architecture, of courtesy, or of whist. [1913 Webster]
8. Collectively, the whole body of rules relating to one subject, or emanating from one source; -- including usually the writings pertaining to them, and judicial proceedings under them; as, divine law; English law; Roman law; the law of real property; insurance law. [1913 Webster]
9. Legal science; jurisprudence; the principles of equity; applied justice. [1913 Webster]
Reason is the life of the law; nay, the common law itself is nothing else but reason. --Coke. [1913 Webster]
Law is beneficence acting by rule. --Burke. [1913 Webster]
And sovereign Law, that state s collected will O er thrones and globes elate, Sits empress, crowning good, repressing ill. --Sir W. Jones. [1913 Webster]
10. Trial by the laws of the land; judicial remedy; litigation; as, to go law. [1913 Webster]
When every case in law is right. --Shak. [1913 Webster]
He found law dear and left it cheap. --Brougham. [1913 Webster]
11. An oath, as in the presence of a court. [Obs.] See {Wager of law}, under Wager. [1913 Webster]
{Avogadro s law} (Chem.), a fundamental conception, according to which, under similar conditions of temperature and pressure, all gases and vapors contain in the same volume the same number of ultimate molecules; -- so named after Avogadro, an Italian scientist. Sometimes called {Amp[`e]re s law}.
{Bode s law} (Astron.), an approximative empirical expression of the distances of the planets from the sun, as follows: -- Mer. Ven. Earth. Mars. Aste. Jup. Sat. Uran. Nep. 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 0 3 6 12 24 48 96 192 384 -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --- --- 4 7 10 16 28 52 100 196 388 5.9 7.3 10 15.2 27.4 52 95.4 192 300 where each distance (line third) is the sum of 4 and a multiple of 3 by the series 0, 1, 2, 4, 8, etc., the true distances being given in the lower line.
{Boyle s law} (Physics), an expression of the fact, that when an elastic fluid is subjected to compression, and kept at a constant temperature, the product of the pressure and volume is a constant quantity, i. e., the volume is inversely proportioned to the pressure; -- known also as {Mariotte s law}, and the {law of Boyle and Mariotte}.
{Brehon laws}. See under Brehon.
{Canon law}, the body of ecclesiastical law adopted in the Christian Church, certain portions of which (for example, the law of marriage as existing before the Council of Tent) were brought to America by the English colonists as part of the common law of the land. --Wharton.
{Civil law}, a term used by writers to designate Roman law, with modifications thereof which have been made in the different countries into which that law has been introduced. The civil law, instead of the {common law}, prevails in the State of Louisiana. --Wharton.
{Commercial law}. See {Law merchant} (below).
{Common law}. See under Common.
{Criminal law}, that branch of jurisprudence which relates to crimes.
{Ecclesiastical law}. See under Ecclesiastical.
{Grimm s law} (Philol.), a statement (propounded by the German philologist Jacob Grimm) of certain regular changes which the primitive Indo-European mute consonants, so-called (most plainly seen in Sanskrit and, with some changes, in Greek and Latin), have undergone in the Teutonic languages. Examples: Skr. bh[=a]t[.r], L. frater, E. brother, G. bruder; L. tres, E. three, G. drei, Skr. go, E. cow, G. kuh; Skr. dh[=a] to put, Gr. ti-qe`-nai, E. do, OHG, tuon, G. thun. See also lautverschiebung.
{Kepler s laws} (Astron.), three important laws or expressions of the order of the planetary motions, discovered by John Kepler. They are these: (1) The orbit of a planet with respect to the sun is an ellipse, the sun being in one of the foci. (2) The areas swept over by a vector drawn from the sun to a planet are proportioned to the times of describing them. (3) The squares of the times of revolution of two planets are in the ratio of the cubes of their mean distances.
{Law binding}, a plain style of leather binding, used for law books; -- called also {law calf}.
{Law book}, a book containing, or treating of, laws.
{Law calf}. See {Law binding} (above).
{Law day}. (a) Formerly, a day of holding court, esp. a court-leet. (b) The day named in a mortgage for the payment of the money to secure which it was given. [U. S.]
{Law French}, the dialect of Norman, which was used in judicial proceedings and law books in England from the days of William the Conqueror to the thirty-sixth year of Edward III.
{Law language}, the language used in legal writings and forms.
{Law Latin}. See under Latin.
{Law lords}, peers in the British Parliament who have held high judicial office, or have been noted in the legal profession.
{Law merchant}, or {Commercial law}, a system of rules by which trade and commerce are regulated; -- deduced from the custom of merchants, and regulated by judicial decisions, as also by enactments of legislatures.
{Law of Charles} (Physics), the law that the volume of a given mass of gas increases or decreases, by a definite fraction of its value for a given rise or fall of temperature; -- sometimes less correctly styled {Gay Lussac s law}, or {Dalton s law}.
{Law of nations}. See {International law}, under International.
{Law of nature}. (a) A broad generalization expressive of the constant action, or effect, of natural conditions; as, death is a law of nature; self-defense is a law of nature. See Law, 4. (b) A term denoting the standard, or system, of morality deducible from a study of the nature and natural relations of human beings independent of supernatural revelation or of municipal and social usages.
{Law of the land}, due process of law; the general law of the land.
{Laws of honor}. See under Honor.
{Laws of motion} (Physics), three laws defined by Sir Isaac Newton: (1) Every body perseveres in its state of rest or of moving uniformly in a straight line, except so far as it is made to change that state by external force. (2) Change of motion is proportional to the impressed force, and takes place in the direction in which the force is impressed. (3) Reaction is always equal and opposite to action, that is to say, the actions of two bodies upon each other are always equal and in opposite directions.
{Marine law}, or {Maritime law}, the law of the sea; a branch of the law merchant relating to the affairs of the sea, such as seamen, ships, shipping, navigation, and the like. --Bouvier.
{Mariotte s law}. See {Boyle s law} (above).
{Martial law}.See under Martial.
{Military law}, a branch of the general municipal law, consisting of rules ordained for the government of the military force of a state in peace and war, and administered in courts martial. --Kent. --Warren s Blackstone.
{Moral law}, the law of duty as regards what is right and wrong in the sight of God; specifically, the ten commandments given by Moses. See Law, 2.
{Mosaic law}, or {Ceremonial law}. (Script.) See Law, 3.
{Municipal law}, or {Positive law}, a rule prescribed by the supreme power of a state, declaring some right, enforcing some duty, or prohibiting some act; -- distinguished from {international law} and {constitutional law}. See Law, 1.
{Periodic law}. (Chem.) See under Periodic.
{Roman law}, the system of principles and laws found in the codes and treatises of the lawmakers and jurists of ancient Rome, and incorporated more or less into the laws of the several European countries and colonies founded by them. See {Civil law} (above).
{Statute law}, the law as stated in statutes or positive enactments of the legislative body.
{Sumptuary law}. See under Sumptuary.
{To go to law}, to seek a settlement of any matter by bringing it before the courts of law; to sue or prosecute some one.
{To take the law of}, or {To have the law of}, to bring the law to bear upon; as, to take the law of one s neighbor. --Addison.
{Wager of law}. See under Wager.
Syn: Justice; equity.
Usage: Law, Statute, {Common law}, Regulation, Edict, Decree. Law is generic, and, when used with reference to, or in connection with, the other words here considered, denotes whatever is commanded by one who has a right to require obedience. A statute is a particular law drawn out in form, and distinctly enacted and proclaimed. Common law is a rule of action founded on long usage and the decisions of courts of justice. A regulation is a limited and often, temporary law, intended to secure some particular end or object. An edict is a command or law issued by a sovereign, and is peculiar to a despotic government. A decree is a permanent order either of a court or of the executive government. See Justice. [1913 Webster]
Law Law, v. t. Same as Lawe, v. t. [Obs.] [1913 Webster]
Law Law, interj. [Cf. La.] An exclamation of mild surprise. [Archaic or Low] [1913 Webster]
to spanish
law [l??] ley
ley.idoneos.com
to french
law [l??] droit
droit.idoneos.com
loi
loi.idoneos.com
to deutch
law [l??] Gesetz, Jura, Recht, Rechtswissenschaft, Sport), Vorgabe
gesetz.idoneos.com
jura.idoneos.com
recht.idoneos.com
rechtswissenschaft.idoneos.com
sport).idoneos.com
vorgabe.idoneos.com
(Jagd
(jagd.idoneos.com
law and order [l??ænd??d?r]
Recht und Ordnung
recht.idoneos.com
und.idoneos.com
ordnung.idoneos.com
law case [l??keis]
Rechtsfall
rechtsfall.idoneos.com
law courts [l??k??ts]
Justizpalast
justizpalast.idoneos.com
law enforcement agencies [l??inf??sm?nteid??nsiz]
Exekutivorgane
exekutivorgane.idoneos.com
law enforcement agency [l??inf??sm?nteid??nsi?]
Exekutivorgan
exekutivorgan.idoneos.com
law firm [l??f??m]
Anwaltskanzlei
anwaltskanzlei.idoneos.com
law of cosines [l???fkousainz]
Cosinussatz [math.]
cosinussatz.idoneos.com
[math.idoneos.com
law of gravitation [l???fgrævitei??n]
Gravitationsgesetz
gravitationsgesetz.idoneos.com
law of nations [l???fnæ??nz]
Völkerrecht
volkerrecht.idoneos.com
law of nature [l???fneit??r]
Naturgesetz
naturgesetz.idoneos.com
law of obligation [l???f?bligei??n]
Schuldrecht
schuldrecht.idoneos.com
law of succession [l???fs?kse??n]
Erbrecht
erbrecht.idoneos.com
law on deposits of securities
[l??w?ndip?zits?fsikje?ritiz]
[l??w?ndip?zits?fsikje?ritiz].idoneos.com
Depotgesetz
depotgesetz.idoneos.com
law suit [l??su?t]
Rechtsstreit
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to latin
law [l??] lex
lex.idoneos.com
Bible Dictionary
Law
The word is properly used, in Scripture as elsewhere, toexpress a definite commandment laid down by any recognizedauthority; but when the word is used with the article, andwithout any words of limitation, it refers to the expressedwill to God, and in nine cases out of ten to the Mosaic law, orto the Pentateuch of which it forms the chief portion. TheHebrew word torah (law) lays more stress on its moralauthority, as teaching the truth and guiding in the right way;the Greek nomos (law), on its constraining power as imposed andenforced by a recognized authority. The sense of the word,however, extends its scope and assumes a more abstractscharacter in the writings of St. Paul. Nomos, when used by himwith the article, still refers in general to the law of Moses;but when used without the article, so as to embrace anymanifestation of "law," it includes all powers which act on thewill of man by compulsion, or by the pressure of externalmotives, whether their commands be or be not expressed indefinite forms. The occasional use of the word "law" (as in(romans 3:27) "law of faith") to denote an internal principleof action does not really mitigate against the general rule. Itshould also be noticed that the title "the Law" is occasionallyused loosely to refer to the whole of the Old Testament, as in(john 10:34) referring to (psalms 82:6) in (john 15:25)referring to (psalms 35:19) and in (1 corinthians 14:21)referring to (isaiah 28:11,12)It will be the object of this article to give a brief analysisof the substance of this law, to point out its main principles,and to explain the position which it occupies in the progressof divine revelation. In order to do this the more clearly, itseems best to speak of the law, 1st. In relation to the past;2d. In its own intrinsic character.
(a) In reference to the past, it is all-important, for theproper understanding of the law, to remember its entiredependence on the Abrahamic covenant. See (galatians 3:17-24)That covenant had a twofold character. It contained the"spiritual promise" of the Messiah; but it contained also thetemporal promises subsidiary to the former. (b) The nature ofthis relation of the law to the promise is clearly pointedout. The belief in God as the Redeemer of man, and the hopeof his manifestation as such int he person of the Messiah,involved the belief that the Spiritual Power must be superiorto all carnal obstructions, and that there was in manspiritual element which could rule his life by communion witha spirit from above. But it involved also the idea of anantagonistic power of evil, from which man was to beredeemed, existing in each individual, and existing also inthe world at large. (c) Nor is it less essential to remarkthe period of the history at which it was given. It markedand determined the transition of Israel from the condition ofa tribe to that of a nation, and its definite assumption of adistinct position and office in the history of the world. (d)Yet, though new in its general conception, it was probablynot wholly new in its materials. There must necessarily havebeen, before the law, commandments and revelations of afragmentary character, under which Israel had hitherto grownup. So far therefore as they were consistent with the objectsof the Jewish law, the customs of Palestine and the laws ofEgypt would doubtless be traceable in the Mosaic system. (e)In close connection with, and almost in consequence of, thisreference to antiquity, we find an accommodation of the lawto the temper and circumstances of the Israelites, to whichour Lord refers int he case of divorce, (matthew 19:7,8) asnecessarily interfering with its absolute perfection. In manycases it rather should be said to guide and modify existingusages than actually to sanction them; and the ignorance oftheir existence may lead to a conception of its ordinancesnot only erroneous, but actually the reverse of the truth.(f) In close connection with this subject we observe also thegradual process by which the law was revealed to theIsraelites. In Ex 20-23, in direct connection with therevelation from Mount Sinai, that which may be called therough outline of the Mosaic law is given by God, solemnlyrecorded by Moses, and accepted by the people. In Ex 25-31,there is a similar outline of the Mosaic ceremonial. On thebasis of these it may be conceived that the fabric of theMosaic system gradually grew up under the requirements of thetime. The first revelation of the law in anything like aperfect form is found in the book of Deuteronomy. yet eventhen the revelation was not final; it was the duty of theprophets to amend and explain it in special points, (ezekiel18:1) ... and to bring out more clearly its great principles.
In giving an analysis of the substance of the law, it willprobably be better to treat it, as any other system of lawsis usually treated, by dividing it into-- I. Laws Civil; II.Laws Criminal: III. Laws Judicial and Constitutional; IV.Laws Ecclesiastical and Ceremonial. I. LAWS CIVIL.
LAW OF PER[798]SonS. (a) [799]Father AND [800]Son
the powerof a father to be held sacred; cursing or smiting, (exodus21:15,17; leviticus 20:9) and stubborn and willfuldisobedience, to be considered capital crimes. Butuncontrolled power of life and death was apparently refusedto the father, and vested only in the congregation.(21:18-21) Right of the first-born to a double portion of theinheritance not to be set aside by partiality. (21:15-17)Inheritance by daughters to be allowed in default of sons,provided, (numbers 27:6-8) comp. Numb 36:1 ... that heiressesmarried in their own tribe. Daughters unmarried to beentirely dependent on their father. (numbers 30:3-5) (b)[801]Husband AND [802]Wife
the power of a husband to be sogreat that a wife could never be sui juris, or enterindependently into any engagement, even before God. (numbers30:6-15) A widow or a divorced wife became independent, anddid not against fall under her father s power. ver. (numbers30:9) Divorce (for uncleanness) allowed, but to be formal andirrevocable. (24:1-4) Marriage within certain degreesforbidden. (leviticus 18:1) ... etc. A slave wife, whetherbought or captive, not to be actual property, nor to be sold;if illtreated, to be ipso facto free. (exodus 21:7-9;21:10-14) Slander against a wife s virginity to be punishedby fine,a nd by deprived of power of divorce; on the otherhand, ante-connubial uncleanness in her to be punished bydeath. (22:13-21) the raising up of seed (levirate law) aformal right to be claimed by the widow, under pain ofinfamy, with a view to preservation of families. (25:5-10)(c) MASTER AND [803]Slave
Power of master so far limitedthat death under actual chastisement was punishable, (exodus21:20) and maiming was to give liberty ipso facto . vs.(exodus 21:26,27) The Hebrew slave to be freed at thesabbatical year, and provided with necessaries (his wife andchildren to go with only if they came to his master withhim), unless by his own formal act he consented to be aperpetual slave. (exodus 21:1-6; 15:12-18) In any case, itwould seem, to be freed at the jubilee, (leviticus 25:10)with his children. If sold to a resident alien, to be alwaysredeemable, at a price proportioned to the distance of thejubilee. (leviticus 25:47-54) Foreign slaves to be held andinherited as property forever, (leviticus 25:45,46) andfugitive slaves from foreign nations not to be given up.(23:15) (d) STRANGERS
These seem never to have been suijuris, or able to protect themselves, and accordinglyprotection and kindness toward them are enjoined as a sacredduty. (exodus 22:21; leviticus 19:33,34)
LAW OF THINGS. (a) LAWS OF LAND (and property)
(1) Allland to be the property of God alone, and its holders to bedeemed his tenants. (leviticus 25:23) (2) All sold landtherefore to return to its original owners at the jubilee,and the price of sale to be calculated accordingly; andredemption on equitable terms to be allowed at all times.(leviticus 25:25-27) A house sold to be redeemable within ayear; and if not redeemed, to pass away altogether, ch.(leviticus 25:29,30) But the houses of the Levites, or thosein unwalled villages, to be redeemable at all times, in thesame way as land; and the Levitical suburbs to beinalienable. ch. (leviticus 25:31-34) (3) Land or housessanctified, or tithes, or unclean firstlings, to be capableof being redeemed, at six-fifths value (calculated accordingto the distance from the jubilee year by the priest); ifdevoted by the owner and unredeemed, to be hallowed at thejubilee forever, and given to the priests; if only by apossessor, to return to the owner at the jubilee. (leviticus27:14-34) (4) Inheritance . (b) LAWS OF DEBT
(1) All debts(to an israelite) to be released at the seventh (sabbaticalyear; a blessing promised to obedience, and a curse onrefusal to lend. (15:1-11) (2) Usury (from israelites) not tobe taken. (exodus 22:25-27; 23:19,20) (3) Pledges not to beinsolently or ruinously exacted. (24:6,10-13,17,18) (c)TAXATION
(1) Census-money, a poll-tax (of a half shekel),to be paid for the service of the tabernacle. (exodus30:12-16) All spoil in war to be halved; of the combatants half, one five-hundreth, of the people s, one fiftieth, to bepaid for a "heave offering" to Jehovah. (2) Tithes
(a)Tithes of all produce to be given for maintenance of theLevites. (numbers 18:20-24) (of this one tenth to be paid asa heave offering for maintenance of the priests. vs. (numbers18:24-32)) (b) Second tithe to be bestowed in religiousfeasting and charity, either at the holy place or (everythird year) at home. (14:22-28) (c) First-fruits of corn,wine and oil (at least one sixtieth, generally one fortieth,for the priests) to be offered at Jerusalem, with a solemndeclaration of dependence on God the King of Israel. (numbers18:12,13; 26:1-15) Firstlings of clean beasts; the redemptionmoney (five shekels) of man and (half shekel, or one shekel)of unclean beasts to be given to the priests after sacrifice.(numbers 18:15-18) (3) Poor laws
(a) Gleanings (in fieldor vineyard) to be a legal right of the poor. (leviticus19:9,10; 24:19-22) (b) Slight trespass (eating on the spot)to be allowed as legal. (23:24,25) (c) Wages to be paid dayby day. (24:15) (4) Maintenance of priests. (numbers 18:8-32)(a) Tenth of Levites tithe . (see 2a.) (b) The heave andwave offerings (breast and right shoulder of all peaceofferings). (c) The meat and sin offerings, to be eatensolemnly and only in the holy place. (c) First-fruits andredemption money. (see 2c.) (e) Price of all devoted things,unless specially given for a sacred service. A man s service,or that of his household, to be redeemed at 50 shekels forman, 30 for woman, 20 for boy and 10 for girl. II. LAWSCRIMINAL.
OFFENCES AGAINST [804]God (of the nature of treason.) 1StCommand. Acknowledgment of false gods, (exodus 22:20) as e.g.Molech, (leviticus 20:1-5) and generally all idolatry . (13;17:2-5) 2Nd Command. Witchcraft and false prophecy. (exodus22:18; 18:9-22; leviticus 19:31) 3Rd Command. Blasphemy .(leviticus 24:15,16) 4Th Command. Sabbath-breaking . (numbers15:32,36) Punishment in all cases, death by stoning .Idolatrous cities to be utterly destroyed.
OFFENCES AGAINST [805]Man. 5Th Command. Disobedience to orcursing or smiting of parents, (exodus 21:15,17; leviticus20:9; 21:18-21) to be punished by death by stoning, publiclyadjudged and inflicted; so also of disobedience to thepriests (as judges) or the Supreme Judge. Comp. (1 kings21:10-14) (naboth); (2 chronicles 24:21) (zechariah). 6ThCommand. (1) Murder to be punished by death without sanctuaryor reprieve, or satisfaction. (exodus 21:12,14; 19:11-13)Death of a slave, actually under the rod, to be punished.(exodus 21:20,21) (2) Death by negligence to be punished bydeath. (exodus 21:28-30) (3) Accidental homicide : theavenger of blood to seek safety by flight to a city ofrefuge, there to remain till the death of the high priest.(numbers 35:9-28; 4:41-43; 19:4-10) (4) Uncertain murder tobe expiated by formal disavowal and sacrifice by the eldersof the nearest city. (21:1-9) (5) Assault to be punished bylex talionis, or damages. (exodus 21:18,19,22-25; leviticus24:19,20) 7Th Command. (1) Adultery to be punished by deathof both offenders; the rape of a married or betrothed woman,by death of the offender. (22:13-27) (2) Rape or seduction ofan unbetrothed virgin to be compensated by marriage, withdowry (50 shekels), and without power of divorce; or, if shebe refused, by payment of full dowry. (exodus 22:16,17;22:28,29) (3) Unlawful marriages (incestuous, etc.) to bepunished, some by death, some by childlessness. (leviticus20:1) ... 8Th command. (1) Theft to be punished by fourfoldor double restitution; or nocturnal robber might be slain asan outlaw. (exodus 22:1-4) (2) Trespass and injury of thingslent to be compensated. (exodus 23:5-15) (3) Perversion ofjustice (by bribes, threats, etc.), and especially oppressionof strangers, strictly forbidden. (exodus 22:9) etc. (4)Kidnapping to be punished by death. (24:7) 9Th Command. Falsewitness to be punished by lex talionis . (exodus 23:1-3;19:16-21) Slander of a wife s chastity, by fine and loss ofpower of divorce. (22:18,19) A fuller consideration of thetables of the Ten Commandments is given elsewhere. [[806]TenCommandments COMMANDMENTS] III. LAWS JUDICIAL ANDCONSTITUTIONAL.
JURISDICTION. (a) Local judges (generally levites as moreskilled in the law) appointed, for ordinary matters, probablyby the people with approbation of the supreme authority (asof moses in the wilderness), (exodus 18:25; 1:15-18) throughall the land. (16:18) (b) Appeal to the priests (at the holyplace), or to the judge ; their sentence final, and to beaccepted under pain of death. See (17:8-13) comp. appeal toMoses, (exodus 18:26) (c) Two witnesses (at least) requiredin capital matters. (numbers 35:30; 17:6,7) (d) Punishment,except by special command, to be personal, and not to extendto the family. (24:16) Stripes allowed and limited, (25:1-3)so as to avoid outrage on the human frame. All this would beto a great extent set aside--1st. By the summary jurisdictionof the king, see (1 samuel 22:11-19) (saul); (2 samuel12:1-5; 14:4-11; 1 kings 3:16-28) which extended even to thedeposition of the high priest. (1 samuel 22:17,18; 1 kings2:26,27) The practical difficulty of its being carried out isseen in (2 samuel 15:2-6) and would lead of course to acertain delegation of his power. 2Nd. By the appointment ofthe Seventy, (numbers 11:24-30) with a solemn religioussanction. In later times there was a local sanhedrin oftwenty-three in each city, and two such in Jerusalem, as wellas the Great Sanhedrin, consisting of seventy members,besides the president, who was to be the high priest if dulyqualified, and controlling even the king and high priest. Themembers were priest, scribes (levites), and elders (of othertribes). A court of exactly this nature is noticed asappointed to supreme power by Jehoshaphat. See (2 chronicles19:8-11)
ROYAL POWER. The king s power limited by the law, as writtenand formally accepted by the king; and directly forbidden tobe despotic. (military conquest discouraged by theprohibition of the use of horses. see (joshua 11:6) For anexample of obedience to this law see (2 samuel 8:4) and ofdisobedience to it see (1 kings 10:26-29) (17:14-20) comp.1Sam 10:25 Yet he had power of taxation (to one tenth) and ofcompulsory service, (1 samuel 8:10-18) the declaration ofwar, (1 samuel 11:1) ... etc. There are distinct traces of a"mutual contract," (2 samuel 5:3) a "league," (2 kings 11:17)the remonstrance with Rehoboam being clearly notextraordinary. (1 kings 13:1-6) The princes of thecongregation
The heads of the tribes, see (joshua 9:15)seem to have had authority under Joshua to act for thepeople, comp. (1 chronicles 27:16-22) and in the later times"the princes of Judah" seem to have had power to control boththe king and the priests. See (jeremiah 26:10-24; 38:4,5)etc.
ROYAL REVENUE. (1) Tenth of produce. (2) Domain land. (1chronicles 27:26-29) Note confiscation of criminal s land. (1kings 21:15) (3) Bond service, (1 kings 5:17,18) chiefly onforeigners. (1 kings 9:20-22; 2 chronicles 2:16,17) (4)Flocks and herds. (1 chronicles 27:29-31) (5) Tributes(gifts) from foreign kings. (6) Commerce ; especially inSolomon s time. (1 kings 10:22,29) etc. IV. ECCLESIASTICALAND CEREMONIAL LAW.
LAW OF [807]Sacrifice (considered as the sign and theappointed means of the union with god, on which the holinessof the people depended). A. ORDINARY SACRIFICES. (a) Thewhole burnt offering, (leviticus 1:1) ... of the herd or theflock; to be offered continually, (exodus 29:38-42) and thefire on the altar never to be extinguished. (leviticus6:8-13) (b) The meat offering, (leviticus 2; 6:14-23) offlour, oil and frankincense, unleavened and seasoned withsalt. (c) The peace offering, (leviticus 3:1; leviticus7:11-21) of the herd or the flock; either a thank offering ora vow or free-will offering. (d) The sin offering or trespassoffering . Le 4,5,6 (a) For sins committed in ignorance. Le 4(b) For vows unwittingly made and broken, or uncleannessunwittingly contracted. Levi 5 (c) For sins wittinglycommitted. (leviticus 6:1-7) b. EXTRAORDINARY SACRIFICES. (a)At the consecration of priests. Le 8,9 (b) At thepurification of women. Le 12 (c) At the cleansing of lepers.Le 13,14 (d) On the great day of atonement. Le 16 (e) On thegreat festivals. Le 23
LAW OF HOLINESS (arising from the union with god throughsacrifice). a. HOLINESS OF PERSONS. (1) Holiness of the wholepeople as "children of God," (exodus 19:5,6; leviticus11-15,17,18; 14:1-21) shown in (a) The dedication of thefirst-born, (exodus 13:2,12,13; 22:29,30) etc.; and theoffering of all firstlings and first-fruits. Deuteronomy 26,etc. (b) Distinction of clean and unclean food. Levi 11;Deuteronomy 14. (c) Provision for purification. Levi12,13,14,15; (23:1-4) (d) Laws against disfigurement.(leviticus 19:27; 14:1) comp. (25:3) against excessivescourging. (e) Laws against unnatural marriages and lusts. Le18,20 (2) Holiness of the priests (and levites) . (a) Theirconsecration. Le 8,9; Ex 29 (b) Their special qualificationsand restrictions. (leviticus 21:1; leviticus 22:1-9) (c)Their rights, (18:1-6; numbers 18:1) ... and authority.(17:8-13) b. HOLINESS OF PLACES AND THINGS. (a) Thetabernacle with the ark, the vail, the altars, the laver, thepriestly robes, etc. Ex 25-28,30. (b) The holy place chosenfor the permanent erection of the tabernacle, (12:1;14:22-29) where only all sacrifices were to be offered andall tithes, firstfruits, vows, etc., to be given or eaten. c.HOLINESS OF TIMES. (a) The Sabbath. (exodus 20:9-11; 23:12)etc. (b) The sabbatical year. (exodus 23:10,11; leviticus25:1-7) etc. (c) The year of jubilee. (leviticus 25:8-16)etc. (d) The passover. (exodus 12:3-27; leviticus 23:4,5) (e)The feast of weeks (pentecost). (leviticus 23:15) etc. (f)The feast of tabernacles . (leviticus 23:33-43) (g) The feastof trumpets. (leviticus 23:23-25) (h) The day of atonement .(leviticus 23:26-32) etc. Such is the substance of the Mosaiclaw. The leading principle of the whole is its THEOCRATICCHARACTER, its reference, that is, of all action and thoughtsof men directly and immediately to the will of God. Itfollows from this that it is to be regarded not merely as alaw, that is, a rule of conduct based on known truth andacknowledged authority, but also as a revelation of God snature and his dispensations. But this theocratic characterof the law depends necessarily on the belief in God, as notonly the creator and sustainer of the world, but as, byspecial covenant, the head of the Jewish nation. Thisimmediate reference to God as their king is clearly seen asthe groundwork of their whole polity. From this theocraticnature of the law follow important deductions with regard to(a) the view which it takes of political society; (b) theextent of the scope of the law; (c) the penalties by which itis enforced; and (d) the character which it seeks to impresson the people. (a) The Mosaic law seeks the basis of itspolity, first, in the absolute sovereignty of God; next, inthe relationship of each individual to God, and through Godto his countrymen. It is clear that such a doctrine, while itcontradicts none of the common theories, yet lies beneaththem all. (b) The law, as proceeding directly from God andreferring directly to him, is necessarily absolute in itssupremacy and unlimited in its scope. It is supreme over thegovernors, as being only the delegates of the Lord, andtherefore it is incompatible with any despotic authority inthem. On the other hand, it is supreme over the governed,recognizing no inherent rights in the individual asprevailing against or limiting the law. It regulated thewhole life of an Israelite. His actions were rewarded andpunished with great minuteness and strictness--and thataccording to the standard, not of their consequences but oftheir intrinsic morality. (c) The penalties and rewards bywhich the law is enforced are such as depend on the directtheocracy. With regard to individual actions, it may benoticed that, as generally some penalties are inflicted bythe subordinate and some only the supreme authority, so amongthe Israelites some penalties came from the hand of man, somedirectly from the providence of God. (d) But perhaps the mostimportant consequence of the theocratic nature of the law wasthe peculiar character of goodness which it sought to impresson the people. The Mosaic law, beginning with piety as itsfirst object, enforces most emphatically the purity essentialto those who, by their union with God, have recovered thehope of intrinsic goodness, while it views righteousness andlove rather as deductions from these than as independentobjects. The appeal is not to any dignity of human nature,but to the obligations of communion with a holy God. Thesubordination, therefore, of this idea also to the religiousidea is enforced; and so long as the due supremacy of thelatter was preserved, all other duties would find theirplaces in proper harmony.
CRIME AND PUNISHMENT (non illustrated)
by Fyodor Dostoevsky
Crime and Punishment focuses on the mental anguish and moral dilemmas of Rodion Romanovich Raskolnikov, an impoverished ex-student from St. Petersburg who formulates and executes a plan to kill an unscrupulous pawnbroker for her money. Raskolnikov argues that with the pawnbroker's money he can perform good deeds to counterbalance the crime, while ridding the world of a worthless parasite. This murder he also commits to test Raskolnikov's hypothesis that some people are naturally able to and also have the right to murder. Several times throughout the novel, Raskolnikov also justifies his actions by connecting himself mentally with Napoleon Bonaparte, believing that murder is permissible in pursuit of a higher purpose, only to find out he "... is not a Napoleon." (non illustrated)
Mired in poverty, the student Raskolnikov nevertheless thinks well of himself. Of his pawnbroker he takes a different view, and in deciding to do away with her he sets in motion his own tragic downfall. Dostoyevsky's penetrating novel of an intellectual whose moral compass goes haywire, and the detective who hunts him down for his terrible crime, is a stunning psychological portrait, a thriller and a profound meditation on guilt and retribution.
Crime and Punishment focuses on the mental anguish and moral dilemmas of Rodion Romanovich Raskolnikov, an impoverished ex-student from St. Petersburg who formulates and executes a plan to kill an unscrupulous pawnbroker for her money. Raskolnikov argues that with the pawnbroker's money he can perform good deeds to counterbalance the crime, while ridding the world of a worthless parasite. This murder he also commits to test Raskolnikov's hypothesis that some people are naturally able to and also have the right to murder. Several times throughout the novel, Raskolnikov also justifies his actions by connecting himself mentally with Napoleon Bonaparte, believing that murder is permissible in pursuit of a higher purpose, only to find out he "... is not a Napoleon." (non illustrated)
The Federalist Papers
by Alexander Hamilton
from SoHo Books
Paperback edition of the classic Federalist Papers.
"This country and this people seem to have been made for each other, and it appears as if it was the design of Providence, that an inheritance so proper and convenient for a band of brethren ... should never be split into a number of unsocial, jealous, and alien sovereignties." So wrote John Jay, one of the revolutionary authors of The Federalist Papers, arguing that if the United States was truly to be a single nation, its leaders would have to agree on universally binding rules of governance--in short, a constitution. In a brilliant set of essays, Jay and his colleagues Alexander Hamilton and James Madison explored in minute detail the implications of establishing a kind of rule that would engage as many citizens as possible and that would include a system of checks and balances. Their arguments proved successful in the end, and The Federalist Papers stand as key documents in the founding of the United States.
Leaves Of Grass (1884)
by Walt Whitman
from Kessinger Publishing, LLC
This book is a facsimile reprint and may contain imperfections such as marks, notations, marginalia and flawed pages.
The Memorable Thoughts of Socrates (Kaplan Classics of Law)
by Xenophon
from Kaplan Trade
The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness
by Michelle Alexander
from New Press, The
- ISBN13: 9781595581037
- Condition: New
- Notes: BRAND NEW FROM PUBLISHER! 100% Satisfaction Guarantee. Tracking provided on most orders. Buy with Confidence! Millions of books sold!
"Jarvious Cotton's great-great-grandfather could not vote as a slave. His great-grandfather was beaten to death by the Klu Klux Klan for attempting to vote. His grandfather was prevented from voting by Klan intimidation; his father was barred by poll taxes and literacy tests. Today, Cotton cannot vote because he, like many black men in the United States, has been labeled a felon and is currently on parole."
As the United States celebrates the nation's "triumph over race" with the election of Barack Obama, the majority of young black men in major American cities are locked behind bars or have been labeled felons for life. Although Jim Crow laws have been wiped off the books, an astounding percentage of the African American community remains trapped in a subordinate status--much like their grandparents before them.
In this incisive critique, former litigator-turned-legal-scholar Michelle Alexander provocatively argues that we have not ended racial caste in America: we have simply redesigned it. Alexander shows that, by targeting black men and decimating communities of color, the U.S. criminal justice system functions as a contemporary system of racial control, even as it formally adheres to the principle of color blindness. The New Jim Crow challenges the civil rights community--and all of us--to place mass incarceration at the forefront of a new movement for racial justice in America.
Die Trying (Jack Reacher, No. 2)
In a Chicago suburb, a dentist is met in his office parking lot by three men and ordered into the trunk of his Lexus. On a downtown sidewalk, Jack Reacher and an unknown woman are abducted in broad daylight by two men - practiced and confident - who stop them at gunpoint and hustle them into the same sedan. Then Reacher and the woman are switched into a second vehicle and hauled away, leaving the dentist bound and gagged inside his car with the woman's abandoned possessions, two gallons of gasoline. . . and a burning match.
The FBI is desperate to rescue the woman, a Special Agent from the Chicago office, because the FBI always - always - takes care of its own, and because this woman is not just another agent. Reacher and the woman join forces, against seemingly hopeless odds, to outwit their captors and escape. But the FBI thinks Jack is one of the kidnappers - and when they close in, the Bureau snipers will be shooting to kill.
Television writer Lee Child's otherwise riveting first thriller, Killing Floor, was criticized by some reviewers because of an unconvincing coincidence at its center. Child addresses that problem in his second book--and thumbs his nose at those reviewers--by having his hero, ex-military policeman Jack Reacher, just happen to be walking by a Chicago dry cleaner when an attractive young FBI agent named Holly Johnson comes out carrying nine expensive outfits and a crutch to support her soccer-injured knee. As Holly stumbles, Reacher grabs her and her garments--which gets him kidnapped along with her by a trio of very determined badguys. "He had no problem with how he had gotten grabbed up in the first place," Child writes. "Just a freak of chance had put him alongside Holly Johnson at the exact time the snatch was going down. He was comfortable with that. He understood freak chances. Life was built out of freak chances, however much people would like to pretend otherwise." Lucky for Holly--whose father just happens to be an Army general and current head of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, thus making her a tempting target for a bunch of Montana-based extremists--Reacher still has all the skills and strengths associated with his former occupation. And Child still knows how to write scenes of violent action better than virtually anyone else around. --Dick Adler
The Dictator's Handbook: Why Bad Behavior is Almost Always Good Politics
by Bruce Bueno de Mesquita
from PublicAffairs
This clever and accessible book shows that the difference between tyrants and democrats is just a convenient fiction. Governments do not differ in kind but only in the number of essential supporters, or backs that need scratching. The size of this group determines almost everything about politics: what leaders can get away with, and the quality of life or misery under them. The picture the authors paint is not pretty. But it just may be the truth, which is a good starting point for anyone seeking to improve human governance.
The Laws (Penguin Classics)
by Plato
from Penguin Classics
In The Laws, Plato describes in fascinating detail a comprehensive system of legislation in a small agricultural utopia he named Magnesia. His laws not only govern crime and punishment but also form a code of conduct for all aspects of life in his ideal state—from education, sports, and religion to sexual behavior, marriage, and drinking parties. Plato sets out a plan for the day-to-day rule of Magnesia, administered by citizens and elected officials, with supreme power held by a Council. Although Plato’s views that citizens should act in complete obedience to the law have been read as totalitarian, The Laws nonetheless constitutes a highly impressive program for the reform of society and provides a crucial insight into the mind of one of classical Greece’s foremost thinkers.
Library of the World's Best Mystery and Detective Stories
by N/A
from Public Domain Books
This book was converted from its physical edition to the digital format by a community of volunteers. You may find it for free on the web. Purchase of the Kindle edition includes wireless delivery.
This book was converted from its physical edition to the digital format by a community of volunteers. You may find it for free on the web. Purchase of the Kindle edition includes wireless delivery.
On Liberty
by John Stuart Mill
from The Lawbook Exchange, Ltd.
The Origin of Liberalism. Influenced by the Utilitarian philosopher Jeremy Bentham, Mill adopted a modified laissez-faire position, believing in the efficiency of free enterprise, but aware of the frequent failure of the market to maximize utility. Later refining this stance, he argued that the promotion of happiness is a moral duty (though he made a clear distinction between desirable and undesirable forms of pleasure). These ideas had a decisive influence on Mill's classic 1859 essay, perhaps the most celebrated defense of individual freedom and self-protection based on utilitarian values rather than natural right to appear in English. JOHN STUART MILL [1806-1873] was an English philosopher whose works made significant contributions to individualistic liberal political thought. He worked for the East India Company and was a Member of Parliament for one term. Mill's influence continues today in this and his other widely-read texts Utilitarianism (1863), The Subjection of Women (1869) and his Autobiography (1873).
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