Brief Response • Name the two systems of law that developed during the rise of the Roman republic and compare them. Explain why the Romans developed the second system. • Discussion: sample • Suggested response: The first system of law developed during the Roman republic was called the civil law. It applied only to Roman citizens. The civil law was based on numerous rules and judges’ opinions. • Over time, the Romans expanded into new territories. This created a problem for their system of laws since they needed to cover both citizens and foreign subjects. So the Romans developed a second system of laws based on the laws of nature and reason. This system was supposed to apply to all people. It was known as the law of nations. It grew out of Stoic philosophy and the idea of natural rights.
Transcript
Brief Response
• Name the two systems of law that developed during the rise of the Roman republic and compare them. Explain why the Romans developed the second system.
• Discussion: sample
• Suggested response: The first system of law developed during the Roman republic was called the civil law. It applied only to Roman citizens. The civil law was based on numerous rules and judges’ opinions.
• Over time, the Romans expanded into new territories. This created a problem for their system of laws since they needed to cover both citizens and foreign subjects. So the Romans developed a second system of laws based on the laws of nature and reason. This system was supposed to apply to all people. It was known as the law of nations. It grew out of Stoic philosophy and the idea of natural rights.
• Prophet:• The leader of a religion, who expresses the main
teachings
– Other spiritual leaders who interpreted the Jewish god’s will• Isaiah• Jeremiah• Moses
Founding a Faith
• There are three “Abrahamic” religions, because they share the same basic teachings.
• EC: The religions include:– Judaism, (started over 5000 years ago). – Christianity (2000 years ago)– Islam (1400 years ago).
Freedom and true faith
• A modern ideal of Western thinking is that all people will be free and have basic freedoms.
• Moses: • The prophet mentioned in the
Torah regarding freedom –He is chronicled in the book of
Exodus
Challenging contemporary religions
• Monotheistic:
• A religion where there is only one god
• Jewish religion has one god,
• Surrounding cultures had many gods.– (By Jewish law, saying his name is forbidden.
The crime, with a penalty of death, is called blasphemy)
– Here we see a comedic skit about it
One godone government
• Jews felt that their one god had one morality.– Those who have need to care for those who have not.
• One morality made one system of law that all society lived under, even leaders.
• Today, secular and democratic people believe that their government must promote, protect, and practice the basic morality of their society.
Government and the governed
• Covenant:
• An powerful agreement between people
• The Torah teaches that the Jews and their god have an agreement: – Jews are faithful and obedient to their god– Their god provides them a homeland and
• Events when Jews were taken or driven out of Israel are documented in the Torah.
• There were several– Assyria drove all the Jews to its capital as
slaves. This is called the• Babylonian Captivity.
Shunned Or Attacked by Others
• Perhaps the most devastating diaspora was under the Roman Empire.
• Rome demanded Jews obey all laws, even those that conflicted with Jewish beliefs – i.e. Caesar is a living god
• Jewish insurgents attacked Romans.• Rome seized Jerusalem and drove most Jews
out by 70 CE, sacking and destroying their holy sites– Shown in this victory frieze found in Rome.
EC: One might characterize the history of the Israelites ….…..
Jews migrated or were forced in and out of their homeland several times.
• They stayed united through their
• adherence to the rules of their faith which taught (3)– Equality– Cooperation – Rule of law
Thoughtful Review
• He who trusts any man with supreme power gives it to a wild beast, for such his appetite sometimes makes him; passion influences those in power, even the best of men, but law is reason without desire. -Aristotle
• Which feature of modern Western democratic government reflects Aristotle’s views as given here?
• A direct election of members of the legislature.
• The power of the courts to review the law.
• The granting of emergency powers to the chief executive.
• The requirement that government actions must adhere to the law.
Homework and Notes
Key Scriptures
• EC: The main teachings of the Jews are written in the
• Torah:
• EC: The Torah is also the first five books of the Christian
• Bible.
• EC: Christians call it the …..
• ‘Old Testament’
Text, p. 29, Standards Check
• Question
• Their history is a series of migrations, including – Abraham’s journey into Canaan.– The exodus from Egypt (led by Moses)– The Babylonian Captivity
p. 29, The Western Wall
• Question
• It is both an historic and current symbol of their faith.
Freedom and true faith
• EC: The Torah writes that ______________was a Jew raised unknowingly by the Egyptian pharaoh.
• Moses – EC: It is in the part of the Torah and the Bible called (EC)
• Exodus
– EC: He was later assigned by his god to free Jews enslaved in – Egypt
• Exodus is a story of faith and freedom, as the survivors take 40 years to escape back to Israel.– It also reminds Western people of any belief background that
slavery in any form is morally wrong.– “Let my people, go!” , is the famous quote of Moses to Pharoah.
Text, p. 30, Standards Check
• Question
• Jews believe in one god.
• They believe that they had to uphold a covenant with that god to obey the god’s laws.
Two Types of Law
• Modern Western people have two types of law.– made by the people, based on traditions, beliefs, previous
decisions, voting, is called ___________________ Law – Secular
• Used predominately by most nations today
– based on a religious text, that cannot be changed by the people, because it is their god’s commandment, is called ___________________ Law
– Clerical• Used by only a few nations today
Text, p. 31, Standards Check
• Question
• The Ten Commandments– Found in the Book of Exodus– In the Torah
Government and the governed
• Four thousand years later, in the 1600s CE, English philosopher, Thomas Hobbes, called the relationship of government to its people the
• Social contract– people are obedient to the law and
government– The government provides them a homeland
and protection.
People and government
• Religious Concept• The Covenant
– god protects the people (believers)
– People give their faith, sacrifice, and lives to the god.
• Secular Concept• The Social Contract
– Government protects the people (citizens), rules them
– People obey the laws, give up the right to rule themselves.
EC: How are the Jewish religious ideas about running their
society and Western-style government similar?
• (3)• One god, authority
over all • One law and one
morality• Seven Universal
(Noahide) Laws : and justice shall be applied to all, not just Jews
– (3)– one government,
authority over all– A constitution that is
supreme to all laws.– modern constitution
applies to all in the country, citizen or foreigner
• (basis of Ancient Roman “international law”)
EC: Ethics
• Westerners expect their leaders to be honest, fair, and wise.– These are basic ideas of the RULE OF LAW
practiced in Western societies.– EC: Examples of Jewish ethical ideas are: (3)
• Equality before the law• Rich have a duty to protect the poor• Leaders must obey the law as everyone else does
Shunned/Attacked by others
• EC: Jewish leaders felt that their people would forget their religion and so they wrote the book of
• Deuteronomy– It has the rules and practices a Jew must
follow, no matter where he/she is.
Ancient Jews and Western Ideals
• Take out a piece of paper and form into count-off groups.
Shunned/Attacked by others
• Jews fled to many parts of the world, many to Europe.• Over time, Europeans resented the Jews as foreigners.
– They suspected them of greed, treachery, and selfishness– When Europeans became Christian, they hated Jews for killing
Jesus.– Eastern Europeans forced them to live in separate
neighborhoods = ghettos.
• And, yet, the European Christian religion was basically Jewish.
Text, p. 32, Standards Check
• Question
• It began with the exile to Babylon, 586 BCE (BC).– After which, some Jews chose not to return to
Canaan.
• Then, the Romans drove out many Jews from “Judea” in 70CE (AD)– As punishment for rebelling against Roman
rule.
Brief Response
• How did the beliefs of the ancient Israelites influence Western views on social organization and the rule of law?
