The Law of the Covenant: An Exposition of Exodus 21-23

James B. Jordan, The Law of the Covenant: An Exposition of Exodus 21-23 (1984).

From the inside flap: How relevant are the laws of the Old Testament for today? God said that Israel was to be a light to the nations (Hebrews 42:6). That someday all nations would come to Jerusalem to receive the Law (Micah 4:2). That in His Law, "every transgression and disobedience receives a just recompense" (Hebrews 2:2). That all peoples would marvel at the wisdom and justice of Israel's laws (Deuteronomy 4:6-8). Yet, with the change from the Old to the New Covenant, there are clearly changes in the Law, "for when the priesthood changes, there must also take place a change of law" (Hebrews 7:12). How, then, are we to approach the many laws found in the Old Testament? Some of them are obviously superior to our modern law today (such as restitution instead of imprisonment for theft.) Some of them have obviously been superseded in Christ (such as the sacrificial system). Some of them seem overly harsh (such as the death penalty for "cursing" parents). Some of them seem weird and strange (such as the prohibition on boiling a kid in its mother's milk). In this book, Mr. Jordan provides four introductory chapters of the nature of Biblical law, on the redemptive historical context in which the law was first written, and on the overall changes in the law system which the New Covenant brings. Then, moving to the concrete, Mr. Jordan provides the first truly in-depth commentary on the case laws of Exodus 21-23, the Book of the Covenant. The laws are taken up one at a time. In each case, the question is asked, "What did this law mean to the people of the Old Testament age?" Then the question is asked, "What relevance might this law have for the Christian faith today?" Finally, the question is asked, "How does this law shed light on the work of Jesus Christ, of whom all Scripture speaks? That is, how can we preach Christ from this law?" In his preface, Mr. Jordan states that he has not tried to say the last word on these chapters of Scripture, but that he has tried to say a first word, and to challenge the Church to look further into these verses to find the wisdom for today. No preacher and no student of the Word can afford to be without this study.

Note: This book, published by the Institute for Christian Economics, is a worth-while introduction to a theonomist view towards Exodus 21-23. One should be sure to read the Introduction by John M. Frame. Pages 93 – 130 address Criminal Law, and pages 131 – 144 address Property Law.
The book is available for download here, or here (PDF).

Website: Catholic Resources for Bible, Liturgy, Art, and Theology

Catholic Resources

A website (http://catholic-resources.org/) maintained by Felix Just, S.J. containing "a variety of materials, mostly related to biblical and liturgical studies."

Excellent website: Monergism.com

Monergism.com

This website has an amazing collection of books, essays, and other resources. One of their goals: "To proclaim the truths of Scripture as reiterated in the 16th century Reformation that salvation is by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone, as revealed in the Scripture alone to the glory of God alone."

Of the Laws of Ecclesiastical Polity

Richard Hooker, Of the Laws of Ecclesiastical Polity (1593).

From Russell Kirk:

Richard Hooker deserves close study—in part because the Anglicans or Episcopalians (and the Methodists who in the eighteenth century branched off from Anglicanism) had much to do with the forming of American thought and custom, and in part because his principles retain enduring value in their own right. In the Christian humanist Hooker, the right reason of Thomas Aquinas was joined with the renewing vigor of the Reformation. . . . . This is a work of religious philosophy, rather than of theology strictly; its political theories have outlasted the immediate controversies that brought forth the treatise.

Russell Kirk, The Roots of American Order 241-42 (3d ed. 1991).

The work is long, and we have been unable to locate an edited version of the political/legal writings of this influential theologian. For a summary of the major themes of his writing, see the continuation of the foregoing discussion in Russell Kirk, The Roots of American Order 240-47 (3d ed. 1991). In addition, many scholarly works address the contributions of Hooker’s theology to legal and political theory. See, e.g., A.P D’Entreves, Medieval Contributions to Political Thought: Thomas Aquinas, Marsilius of Padua, Richard Hooker (1959); and Robert K. Faulkner, Richard Hooker and the Politics of a Christian England (1981).

Read this work here.

Institutes of the Christian Religion

John Calvin, Institutes of the Christian Religion (1559).

A brief description of this important work:

The Celebrated Treatise . . . holds a place in the short list of books that have notably affected the course of history, molding the beliefs and behavior of generations of mankind. Perhaps no other theological work has so consistently retained for four centuries a place on the reading list of studious Christians. . . . The work was designed both as a compendium of the doctrines of the Christian religion and as a confession offered to a persecuting king in behalf of the author’s fellow believers.

Institutes of the Christian Religion, Editor’s Introduction, at xxix, xxxiii (John T. McNeill, ed., Ford Lewis Battles, trans., Westminster Press 1960) (1559).

This is perhaps the classic of Protestant theology, and, in addition to basic doctrinal themes, it contains many concise discussions of the law, authority, and civil government.

The preferred edition appears to be the Library of Christian Classics edition: John T. McNeill, ed., Ford Lewis Battles, trans., Westminster Press 1960 (available for purchase here). The 1845 Henry Beveridge translation, published by Eerdmans (1972), is available in paperback, or you can read it online here.

The Institutes of Biblical Law

Rousas J. Rushdoony, The Institutes of Biblical Law (Craig Press 1973).

In this huge work, Rushdoony, probably the most influential Christian Reconstructionist, evaluates modern cultural, social, and legal practice in light of God’s judicial, moral, and ceremonial law set out in the Old Testament and fulfilled in Christ. His approach will be radical to many, as he considers the moral and judicial Old Testament law to be binding on all nations. Nevertheless, his extensive commentary and exhaustive treatment of Old Testament legal texts will give the careful student raw material for further study and reflection.

Christian reconstructionism, flowing from the Reformed tradition, is characterized by Calvinism, Theonomy, Presuppositionalism, Postmillennialism, and Dominionism. See Andrew Sandlin, The Creed of Christian Reconstruction, The Chalcedon Report, August 1995 (Reprinted in Jeffrey A Brauch, Is Higher Law Common Law? 362-63 (1999)). Christian reconstructionism, though theologically flawed in the view of many, is one of the few modern movements that takes seriously God’s revealed law in the Old Testament.