Law Beyond Israel: From the Bible to the Qur'an

The Hebrew Bible contains two sets of laws: one for the Israelites and one for the gentile residents living in the Holy Land. Law Beyond Israel: From the Bible to the Qur'an argues that these biblical laws for non-Israelites form the historical basis of Qur'anic law. This volume assesses laws for gentiles in late antique Jewish and Christian legal discourse, pointing to previously underappreciated legal continuity from the Hebrew Bible to the New Testament and from late antique Christianity to nascent Islam. It sketches the legal obligations imposed on gentiles, humanity, and the non-Israelite residents of the Holy Land, traces these laws through Second Temple Judaism to the early Jesus movement, and makes three propositions: rabbinic laws for gentiles are based on biblical laws, Christians generally appreciated and expanded the gentile laws of Acts, and the Qur'an reinvents Arabian religious practice by formulating its own distinctive approach to the biblical laws for gentiles.

Format: Hardback
Length: 368 pages
Publication date: 05 September 2022
Publisher: Oxford University Press

The Hebrew Bible presents two distinct sets of laws: one for the Israelites and another for the gentile inhabitants residing in the Holy Land. The book "Law Beyond Israel: From the Bible to the Qur'an" contends that these biblical laws specifically pertaining to non-Israelites serve as the historical foundation for the legal system found in the Qur'an. This volume supports its main argument by examining laws governing gentiles in late antique Jewish and, particularly, Christian legal discourse, highlighting previously overlooked legal continuity from the Hebrew Bible to the New Testament and from late antique Christianity to the early stages of Islam.

This volume begins by outlining the legal responsibilities imposed by the Hebrew Bible on gentiles, encompassing humanity as a whole and, more specifically, the non-Israelite residents of the Holy Land. It then traces these laws throughout Second Temple Judaism and into the early Jesus movement, illustrating how the biblical laws for residents inform those formulated in the Acts of the Apostles. Building upon this legal continuity, the study employs detailed historical and literary analyses of legal narratives to present three key propositions. Firstly, the rabbinic laws known as the Noahide Laws, while offering a more lenient interpretation than the one found in Acts, are equally rooted in the biblical laws for gentiles. Secondly, Christians generally embraced and even expanded upon the gentile laws outlined in Acts. Thirdly, the Qur'an reimagines Arabian religious practice by developing its own distinctive approach to the biblical laws for gentiles, maintaining a close continuity with – and, at times, engaging in critical distance from – late antique Jewish and, particularly, Christian gentile law.

Weight: 672g
Dimension: 163 x 242 x 26 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9780199675579