Ethics in Ancient Israel is a study of ethical thinking in ancient Israel from around the eighth to the second century BC. The evidence for this consists primarily of the Old Testament/ Hebrew Bible and Apocrypha, but also other ancient Jewish writings such as the Dead Sea Scrolls and various anonymous and pseudonymous texts from shortly before the New Testament period. Professor John Barton argues that there were several models for thinking about ethics, including a 'divine command' theory, something approximating to natural law, a virtue ethic, and a belief in human custom and convention. Moreover, he examines ideas of reward and punishment, purity and impurity, the status of moral agents and patients, imitation of God, and the image of God in humanity. Barton maintains that ethical thinking can be found not only in laws but also in the wisdom literature, in the Psalms, and in narrative texts. There is much interaction with recent scholarship in both English and German. The book features discussion of comparative material from other ancient Near Eastern cultures and a chapter on short summaries of moral teaching, such as the Ten Commandments. This innovative work should be of interest to those concerned with the interpretation of the Old Testament but also to students of ethics.

About the Author
John Barton is Oriel & Laing Professor of the Interpretation of Holy Scripture, University of Oxford. His publications include The Theology of the Book of Amos (Cambridge University Press, 2012) and Oracles of God: Perceptions of Ancient Prophecy in Israel after the Exile (2007).

Reviews
Ethics is a wonderfully useful study of the mindset which produced and described the ethics of the Old Testament. * John Herbst, Reading Religion *
This wide-ranging contribution to the history of ancient thought deserves to stand alongside surveys of Greco-Roman moral philosophy as well as ethical studies of medieval and modern thinkers. * Jeremy Corley, The Times Literary Supplement *
[T]his book is an incomparably rich resource for those interested in the ethics of ancient Israel, and also for those interested in putting these ancient texts into conversation with our world today. * Jacqueline E. Lapsley, Journal of the American Academy of Religion *
Barton writes accessibly and with erudition, demonstrating a formidable knowledge of the secondary discussion and its historiography, often stretching back into the 19th century, often in German. * Dr James Carleton Paget, Church Times *
[N]o one interested in that subject will be able to ignore Barton's informative and illuminating discussions. * J.W. Rogerson, Theology *
This is an important book * Tarah Van De Wiele, Studies in Christian Ethics *



Book Information
ISBN 9780199660438
Author John Barton
Format Hardback
Page Count 336
Imprint Oxford University Press
Publisher Oxford University Press
Weight(grams) 654g
Dimensions(mm) 236mm * 162mm * 26mm