Ancient Law: A historical overview

15 Pages 3793 Words

rest.
Christian Humanism is defined by Webster’s Third New International Dictionary
as “a philosophy advocating the self fulfillment of man within the framework of
Christian principles.” This more human oriented faith is largely a product of the
Renaissance and is a part of what made up Renaissance humanism.
Secular Humanism is an outgrowth of 18th century enlightenment
rationalism and 19th century free thought. Many secular groups, unaffiliated academic
philosophers, and scientists support this philosophy.
ANCIENT EAST: The First Civilizations
A. Mesopotamian Civilization and Law
Just about all cultures have utilized some form of law. Records of Sumerian law, dating from about 2050 B.C., had a primary concept of equity, or justice. Prior to the Hebrews, the Mesopotamians enacted the fairest and most humane law codes. The concept of dealing fairly will all subjects and protecting the work, mostly applied to economic matters such as debts, contracts, and titles to land (Matthews & Platt, 1992). The structure of justice during this period was symbolic of revenge or retaliation as the “eye for an eye” principle, or “Lex Talionis”(Matthews & Platt, 1992). This principle of retaliation was the cornerstone of such justice, and quite severe.
In Ancient Mesopotamia, kingship was the control institution of law (Perry, 1997). The King administered the laws, which came from the gods. The famous code of Hammurabi (c.1792-c. 1750 B.C.) was based on the belief that the code rested on the authority of the gods, and that it’s order was divine (Perry, 1997). This code probably sought to preserve family life and social status at the time. For example, the penalty for adultery was death, and although women were subservient to men, efforts were made to protect women and children from abuse.
The economy of Mesopotamian cities depended heavily on foreign and domestic trade. To safeguard it, governments...