Codes of Hammurabi and Moses

When archaeologists unearthed Hammurabi's famed stele in 1901, they uncovered something far more significant than ancient stone. The Code of Hammurabi brought scholars face to face with a sophisticated Babylonian legal system predating Moses by centuries, forcing a reckoning with the origins of law itself. William W. Davies undertakes a rigorous comparative analysis of these two foundational legal documents, examining where they diverge and where they strikingly converge. The book traces how both codes address the same fundamental concerns: restitution, punishment, property, family relations, and the protection of the vulnerable within their societies. Davies reveals how Biblical law, while emerging from a distinct spiritual tradition, shares structural and thematic DNA with its Mesopotamian predecessors. This is essential reading for anyone curious about where our modern concepts of justice truly begin, and how ancient scribes centuries apart grappled with the eternal problem of maintaining order among humans.