Old Testament Ethics

Initial Overview of the Ethics of the Old Testament

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How we live our lives is governed by ethics. Ethics is “human moral conduct according to principles of what is good or right to do.” Our ethical values today descend primarily from a Christian ethic in which “a truly ethical decision, we are told, must be spontaneous, undirected, free - the individual's unfettered and uncoerced response to each new decision-demanding situation.” The ethical values of today, especially Christian ethics, borrow and carry forward the Hebrew ethics of the past. This essay is an attempt to survey briefly the literature of the Old Testament and to point out any common themes which may be apparent in the diverse literature which we encounter.

One factor which sets Ancient Israel apart from other religions of the time was its monotheistic basis. The ethics of Ancient Israel is historical and traditional as opposed to phi...