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ETHICS
ETHICS
tion of ethical ideas, bat does not prevent their real growth.
(A) The Pentateuch and the Historical Books. — Tlie note of law is struck in the account of Paradise and the Fall. In this story we have all the elements of the ethical idea as it presented itself to the Jews. God gave a command wliich man disobeyed. In like manner the sin which led to the Flood was disobedience or rebellion against God. The law of murder, enacted after the Flood has disappeared, is given as a definite act of legislation on the part of God (Gn 9^"'). In the same way the sin of Sodom is represented as an outrage upon God ; and the destruction of the cities as the judgment of God. When we reach the times of Abraham the same phenomena appear in a more complex form. The intercourse between God and man, of which the covenant after the Flood was typical, is concentrated and intensified in the relation of God ^\'ith Abraham. A demand is made for a more complete and detailed obedi- ence ; and the rite of circumcision has a special significance assigned to it. The special covenant is based on the readiness of Abraham to accept the guidance of God; cf. Gn 17'- ^ 'The Lord appeared to Abram, and said unto him, I am God Almighty : walk before me, and be thou perfect. And 1 will make my covenant between me and thee, and will multiply thee exceedingly.' The same idea of a covenant is sustained throughout the whole history between Abraham and Aloses ; the people are regarded as standing in a peculiar relation to God, and bound by it to certain lines of conduct. The protection and interest of God in tlie chosen family is represented as a thing w hich they are bound to cherish with the greatest care, and it is implied throughout that the arrange- ment is jjart of a larger scheme. The sin of Esau consists in the neglect of this covenanted right of access to God ; and the blessing of Jacob consists in his fitness to be the vehicle of the covenant- relation, rather than in any commendation be- stowed upon his own character.
Whatever may be the literary history of the books in which this story is preserved, there is no doubt that it represents the belief of the Jewish l>eoi)le, and, that being so, it characterized their ethical ideas. But it is important to notice also the area of moral action covered by the commands of God. We have already noticed the prohibition of murder, and the condemnation of Sodom. Apart from these, the morality consistent with the stage of civilization so far attained is implicitly per- mitted. There is no condemnation of polygamy ; the fraud of Abraham upon Abimelech is not con- demned, though its uselessness is displayed by the action of God ; and, in like manner, Jacob's fraud upon Isaac is shown to be unprofitable by the fact of his exile. At the same time the witness of God is sought in order to preserve the validity of treaties (Gn 26-''°^), and His worship is regarded as distinct from that of many other deities. There is little sign at present of any elaborate moral reform depending on the covenant-relation ; and the morality of the people as it is described is strictly governed by principles which prevail in the patriarchal stage. What is new and has the germs of much of the future development in it, is the intensification of the idea of the tribal God. The relation asserted between God and the family of Abraham is peculiarly close and far-reaching in ita character ; and the ground is prepared for the substitution of a moral for a physical or tribal ba.sis of the covenant.
The ne.xt stage in the history as it is presented in the OT books is marked by the Levittcal let/is- lation. It is here, probably, that tlie dithcuUies caused by critical discussions reach their highest
point. In pursuance of our plan we shall describe, first, the facts of the legislation as they stand, and reserve such discussion as there is space for, of the bearing of criticism upon the matter. Under the head of the Mosaic legislation we have to con- sider the Decalogue, the Priestly Code, and the Deuteronomic exposition of the Mosaic law. This will involve a brief consideration of the meaning and character of Sacrifice, and the meaning of Sin.
Of the Decalogue it is not necessary to say much. We need only call attention to the fact that it consists of two distinct parts : one con- taining prohibitions concerning man's relations to God, the other dealing more directly with ordinary social questions. Tlie Decalogue throws compara- tively little light on the condition of society at the time of its promulgation. It deals with acts forbidden before, such as murder and idolatry ; but its last three sections imply the existence of a settled mode of life different from that of the patriarchal family. Theft, false witness, and covetous desire belong to a social state in which there existed within the social whole various houses or families holding property. The process of f I'voiKiff^As must have taken place ; but bej'ond this there is nothing that can be said definitely. It is, however, important to notice that the command- ments come with the imprimatur of God upon them, and that the covenant-relation is alluded to in the prefatory verse as it stands in Ex 20^ : ' I am the Lord thy God, which brought thee out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage.'