Thanks to everyone who came to my book release party--and for all of you who wanted to come but couldn't make it. It was a huge success. I have now sold out the "limited edition" printing of Judge of Israel and am getting ready to order the second printing in the next couple of days. Thanks everyone who has purchased or requested a copy of the book. I've been filling orders furiously--shipped a copy of both books to Israel on Wednesday! If you don't want a signed copy, or you live close enough that you can bring it to me to sign, you can order a copy of the book here:
Here are some pictures from my recent release party for "Judge of Israel." I'm not sure if we remembered to take photos of the food--I hope so. If so, I'll post them later. The food was incredible--thanks to Chelsey, Hassana, Shalako, and Reina. And thank you, Stephanie, for letting us take over your home for the day.
Showing posts with label politics. Show all posts
Showing posts with label politics. Show all posts
08 August 2010
02 June 2010
The Torah as Legislation
by Timothy S. Wilkinson
www.timothywilkinson.net
The Torah was essentially a legislative document outlining the governmental systems that Israelites were to live by; in fact, unlike most nations, the citizens subjected themselves to the laws voluntarily. Its precepts were not only very advanced for their time, but they formed the basis for all of western law since—including the Constitution of the United States.
The Ten Commandments (the “Ten Words” in the original Hebrew) were fairly standard laws shared by most cultures—with one key exception. The tenth commandment forbade covetousness. Not only was this difficult to enforce, but its violation could be known only by God and the violator.
Jehovah was the Supreme Sovereign, and human kings (who first appeared hundreds of years after the Law was instituted) were said to ‘sit on Jehovah’s throne,’ representing him. Below the king, the nation was organized into tribal elders, princes or chieftains and, under them, chiefs of thousands, hundreds and fifties. These were selected by the elders on the basis of their fear of God, their trustworthiness, and their incorruptibility. Respect for all of these government officials was mandatory, and disrespect was punishable, in extreme cases, by death.
All members of the nation were required to love Jehovah and worship Him alone, and to do so with all their heart, mind, soul, and strength. ‘Taking up God’s name in a worthless way’ was a serious offense. Engaging in the worship rituals of other nations was also a crime: making or worshipping idols, cutting or tattooing the body, spiritism, or sorcery.The tribe of Levi was responsible to take the lead in worship. Since this took precedence over their secular work, they were supported through a tithe paid by the other twelve tribes. The Levites, in turn, gave a tenth of what they received to the Priests, made up of one family or clan in the tribe.
Priests served as teachers, lawyers and judges. Elders made up the lower courts; difficult cases were submitted to under-priests or to the Supreme Court made up of the High Priest and his sons. Two witnesses to a given crime were required in order to file charges. If the accused was found guilty, these witnesses were the first participants in executing punishments (which helped prevent false testimony).
Civil infractions were typically punished by fine. Criminal infractions could result in public beating (no more than 40 strokes), a corresponding retaliatory punishment (an “eye for an eye”), payment of damages, or death by stoning.
While Hebrew people were born into their position as members of the “congregation of Israel,” people of other nations could freely join by being circumcised and abiding by the terms of the Law. Such proselytes were limited, though, in their access to certain holy locations and participation in certain rituals.
The seventh day of the week was a Sabbath, reserved for worship; no “work” (the word carries the idea of “secular activities” in Hebrew) was to be done on that day. Any individual with so little appreciation for spiritual things that he rejected the opportunity to relax and worship with family and friends and (alone, while the rest of his people were engaged in worship), sacrificed an opportunity to serve God for the sake of making money was considered an idolater: he had placed profit ahead of his obligations to God. As an idolater, he was executed. If this punishment seems harsh, it is good to keep in mind that any Israelite who ignored the Sabbath did so deliberately against tremendous family, social, cultural, and religious pressure; he was, in effect, rejecting the basic moral, political, legal, and religious precepts of the nation to which he belonged.
All males were required to gather three times a year at the Tabernacle or Temple for religious holidays. It appears from ancient records that most men brought their families with them. The celebrations were the Passover (commemorating the nation’s freedom from Egypt), the Festival of Weeks (a harvest celebration), and the Festival of Booths (commemorating God’s protection and aid during the nation’s forty year sojourn in the wilderness). In time, other holidays were added.
Worshippers presented animal, drink, grain, and other offerings at the Tabernacle or Temple on a variety of occasions. Some of these were consumed in the fires of the altar, some cooked and then eaten by the officiate and the supplicant, and some waved in the air in symbol of their dedication to God.
Marriage was a sacred institution. Husbands had legal ownership of their wives. Polygamy was tolerated but regulated. If a man died without having children, his brother was expected to marry the widow and ‘raise up children for’ the dead man. Israelites could not marry foreign women, unless the women were captured during military activities. Husbands could divorce their wives for any sexual sin, unless he had seduced her before they were married. Adulterers were executed by stoning. Indecent assault was punished by amputation of the limb involved.
Israelites could loan money to their countrymen, but could not charge interest or take the borrower’s outer garment or their millstone overnight as collateral. The loaner could not enter the borrower’s home to collect the debt (or collateral); he had to wait for the borrower to bring it out to him. Every seven years all debts were forgiven and any land that had been sold was returned to its original owner.
Dietary laws listed “clean” and “unclean” foods. Eating blood or fat was strictly forbidden.
Ceremonial uncleanness required an individual to quarantine his or herself for a period of time, wash and/or sterilize him or herself and any items that might have been affected, and be inspected by a priest before being pronounced clean. In addition to symptoms of various diseases (like plague or leprosy), an individual could be pronounced “unclean” after childbirth, menstruation, sexual intercourse, seminal emissions, touching a corpse or grave, or going into battle.
Unlike any other Bronze Age cultures of the Middle East, Israelite Law established an effective welfare system to address the needs of the poor and disadvantaged. Landowners left some crops in their fields during harvest, which the poor (including widows and orphans) could collect—requiring them to work for their sustenance and granting them the dignity of doing so. Alien residents were granted the same legal protections as all other citizens.
Slavery was a major part of the culture, but in practice it had more in common with modern employment than the slavery of the 19th century. It was almost always a way for an individual to work off an otherwise unpayable debt. Masters could flog their slaves, but if the slave was maimed, he was freed; if he was killed, the master could be executed. All slaves were freed on the Jubilee, which came every seven years. When they were granted their freedom (whether by Jubilee, fulfillment of their contract, or any other reason), the Law required the master to present them with severance—the amount to be determined by the master’s financial standing.
There were no other cultures that provided protection for animals in the way the Torah did. When bulls were turning a mill wheel, they could not be muzzled, but were allowed to eat of the fallen grains. Failing to help an animal in distress—no matter whom the animal belonged to—was a criminal act, as was overworking or mistreating beasts of burden. A person was not allowed to wipe out a family of birds by collecting both the mother and her eggs. Apparently to foster a sense of the value of life, an animal and its young could not be slaughtered on the same day, and a kid could not be cooked using its mother’s milk.
While there are many more statutes in the Law (a little more than 600 of them), it was miniscule in comparison with modern legal systems—in the early 1990’s, there were roughly 125,000 pages of laws in the federal law books of the United States. But for almost 1600 years the Torah served the needs of the people of Israel.
For more information about life in Bible times, check out my novels Prophet of Israel and Judge of Israel, available from www.timothywilkinson.net.
www.timothywilkinson.net
The Torah was essentially a legislative document outlining the governmental systems that Israelites were to live by; in fact, unlike most nations, the citizens subjected themselves to the laws voluntarily. Its precepts were not only very advanced for their time, but they formed the basis for all of western law since—including the Constitution of the United States.
The Ten Commandments (the “Ten Words” in the original Hebrew) were fairly standard laws shared by most cultures—with one key exception. The tenth commandment forbade covetousness. Not only was this difficult to enforce, but its violation could be known only by God and the violator.
Jehovah was the Supreme Sovereign, and human kings (who first appeared hundreds of years after the Law was instituted) were said to ‘sit on Jehovah’s throne,’ representing him. Below the king, the nation was organized into tribal elders, princes or chieftains and, under them, chiefs of thousands, hundreds and fifties. These were selected by the elders on the basis of their fear of God, their trustworthiness, and their incorruptibility. Respect for all of these government officials was mandatory, and disrespect was punishable, in extreme cases, by death.
All members of the nation were required to love Jehovah and worship Him alone, and to do so with all their heart, mind, soul, and strength. ‘Taking up God’s name in a worthless way’ was a serious offense. Engaging in the worship rituals of other nations was also a crime: making or worshipping idols, cutting or tattooing the body, spiritism, or sorcery.The tribe of Levi was responsible to take the lead in worship. Since this took precedence over their secular work, they were supported through a tithe paid by the other twelve tribes. The Levites, in turn, gave a tenth of what they received to the Priests, made up of one family or clan in the tribe.
Priests served as teachers, lawyers and judges. Elders made up the lower courts; difficult cases were submitted to under-priests or to the Supreme Court made up of the High Priest and his sons. Two witnesses to a given crime were required in order to file charges. If the accused was found guilty, these witnesses were the first participants in executing punishments (which helped prevent false testimony).
Civil infractions were typically punished by fine. Criminal infractions could result in public beating (no more than 40 strokes), a corresponding retaliatory punishment (an “eye for an eye”), payment of damages, or death by stoning.
While Hebrew people were born into their position as members of the “congregation of Israel,” people of other nations could freely join by being circumcised and abiding by the terms of the Law. Such proselytes were limited, though, in their access to certain holy locations and participation in certain rituals.
The seventh day of the week was a Sabbath, reserved for worship; no “work” (the word carries the idea of “secular activities” in Hebrew) was to be done on that day. Any individual with so little appreciation for spiritual things that he rejected the opportunity to relax and worship with family and friends and (alone, while the rest of his people were engaged in worship), sacrificed an opportunity to serve God for the sake of making money was considered an idolater: he had placed profit ahead of his obligations to God. As an idolater, he was executed. If this punishment seems harsh, it is good to keep in mind that any Israelite who ignored the Sabbath did so deliberately against tremendous family, social, cultural, and religious pressure; he was, in effect, rejecting the basic moral, political, legal, and religious precepts of the nation to which he belonged.
All males were required to gather three times a year at the Tabernacle or Temple for religious holidays. It appears from ancient records that most men brought their families with them. The celebrations were the Passover (commemorating the nation’s freedom from Egypt), the Festival of Weeks (a harvest celebration), and the Festival of Booths (commemorating God’s protection and aid during the nation’s forty year sojourn in the wilderness). In time, other holidays were added.
Worshippers presented animal, drink, grain, and other offerings at the Tabernacle or Temple on a variety of occasions. Some of these were consumed in the fires of the altar, some cooked and then eaten by the officiate and the supplicant, and some waved in the air in symbol of their dedication to God.
Marriage was a sacred institution. Husbands had legal ownership of their wives. Polygamy was tolerated but regulated. If a man died without having children, his brother was expected to marry the widow and ‘raise up children for’ the dead man. Israelites could not marry foreign women, unless the women were captured during military activities. Husbands could divorce their wives for any sexual sin, unless he had seduced her before they were married. Adulterers were executed by stoning. Indecent assault was punished by amputation of the limb involved.
Israelites could loan money to their countrymen, but could not charge interest or take the borrower’s outer garment or their millstone overnight as collateral. The loaner could not enter the borrower’s home to collect the debt (or collateral); he had to wait for the borrower to bring it out to him. Every seven years all debts were forgiven and any land that had been sold was returned to its original owner.
Dietary laws listed “clean” and “unclean” foods. Eating blood or fat was strictly forbidden.
Ceremonial uncleanness required an individual to quarantine his or herself for a period of time, wash and/or sterilize him or herself and any items that might have been affected, and be inspected by a priest before being pronounced clean. In addition to symptoms of various diseases (like plague or leprosy), an individual could be pronounced “unclean” after childbirth, menstruation, sexual intercourse, seminal emissions, touching a corpse or grave, or going into battle.
Unlike any other Bronze Age cultures of the Middle East, Israelite Law established an effective welfare system to address the needs of the poor and disadvantaged. Landowners left some crops in their fields during harvest, which the poor (including widows and orphans) could collect—requiring them to work for their sustenance and granting them the dignity of doing so. Alien residents were granted the same legal protections as all other citizens.
Slavery was a major part of the culture, but in practice it had more in common with modern employment than the slavery of the 19th century. It was almost always a way for an individual to work off an otherwise unpayable debt. Masters could flog their slaves, but if the slave was maimed, he was freed; if he was killed, the master could be executed. All slaves were freed on the Jubilee, which came every seven years. When they were granted their freedom (whether by Jubilee, fulfillment of their contract, or any other reason), the Law required the master to present them with severance—the amount to be determined by the master’s financial standing.
There were no other cultures that provided protection for animals in the way the Torah did. When bulls were turning a mill wheel, they could not be muzzled, but were allowed to eat of the fallen grains. Failing to help an animal in distress—no matter whom the animal belonged to—was a criminal act, as was overworking or mistreating beasts of burden. A person was not allowed to wipe out a family of birds by collecting both the mother and her eggs. Apparently to foster a sense of the value of life, an animal and its young could not be slaughtered on the same day, and a kid could not be cooked using its mother’s milk.
While there are many more statutes in the Law (a little more than 600 of them), it was miniscule in comparison with modern legal systems—in the early 1990’s, there were roughly 125,000 pages of laws in the federal law books of the United States. But for almost 1600 years the Torah served the needs of the people of Israel.
For more information about life in Bible times, check out my novels Prophet of Israel and Judge of Israel, available from www.timothywilkinson.net.
03 April 2010
Editing progress
I am in Bellingham this weekend to give a talk about the 20th chapter of 2 Chronicles. We are staying with friends, allowing me to ignore phone calls and escape everyday distractions and work on editing Judge of Israel. So here I sit, Bolt curled up at my side, a view of Bellingham's storm-tossed bay outside the window--blogging instead of editing.
28 December 2009
Prophet of Israel on Kindle
Prophet of Israel will be available as a free Kindle download from Amazon.com within the next few days. If you are a Kindle user, tell your friends about it!
15 December 2009
Off to the editor
I am passing off the manuscript to Kate Goschen's able hands today. While she works her magic, I will work on finalizing the cover, final formatting, release plans, and registering for Bowkers, copyright, ISBN number, and Lulu Publishing's marketing package.
I have started fiddling with the outline for Book Three: "Hero of Israel" but it is in its very early stages. I have a rough outline I wrote several years ago, but there is a lot of fleshing out to do before any real writing can be started.
In the meantime, I will start planning the release party...
I have started fiddling with the outline for Book Three: "Hero of Israel" but it is in its very early stages. I have a rough outline I wrote several years ago, but there is a lot of fleshing out to do before any real writing can be started.
In the meantime, I will start planning the release party...
08 November 2009
Original Postcard Mailer for Prophet
This postcard, designed by Jordan Avery, was part of the original marketing of "Prophet."
Sequim Gazette Article on release of "Prophet"
Avani Nadkarni visited me at work one day and wrote this great article announcing the publishing of "Prophet."
"Prophet of Israel" Release Party 2008
Travis and Karli Connely holding one of the first copies of "Prophet of Israel" at the release party in October 2008.
24 October 2009
Cover and more
I have very nearly finished the cover of "Judge of Israel." It is based on the same Jordan Avery design as the "Prophet" cover. I am very pleased with how it is turning out. Today Curtis Cosens is coming to update the website and help me finish up with the cover.
I have received Axel's edit (thank you again, Axel). As always, it has many suggestions and ideas that I am very excited about--things that I am certain will improve the book significantly. I am slowly working my way through them and figuring out how best to implement them.
Kate Goschen is ready to start editing as soon as I can get the manuscript to her, but is fairly certain she will not be able to finish the edit by January. So we are settling for an "early in the year" release. Stay tuned for the date of my release party.
I have received Axel's edit (thank you again, Axel). As always, it has many suggestions and ideas that I am very excited about--things that I am certain will improve the book significantly. I am slowly working my way through them and figuring out how best to implement them.
Kate Goschen is ready to start editing as soon as I can get the manuscript to her, but is fairly certain she will not be able to finish the edit by January. So we are settling for an "early in the year" release. Stay tuned for the date of my release party.
07 October 2009
Finished First Draft Edit
On Monday I finished the first draft edit of Judge of Israel Next it goes to Axel for his edit/input, and then on to my "real" editor, Kate Goschen. Still on track for a December release (I think).
17 September 2009
Elks Lodge Presentation
My thanks to the Sequim Elks Lodge for their hospitality last night in inviting me to present "The Origin of King Arthur." The presentation went very well, with an enthusiastic and appreciative audience response and some great discussions afterward. Thanks also to all those who purchased copies of Prophet of Israel. I hope to hear back from you soon as to how you enjoyed the book.
15 September 2009
Beginnings and Endings
The school year is off to a...start. Huge classes are being made feasible by another group of well-behaved students. These kids endlessly amaze me. They keep me humble and make me proud. Of them, that is.
On the other hand, I am making virtually no progress on Judge. A better ending continues to elude me and my editing feels uninspired. I keep plodding (plodding may be to positive a word) forward, hoping to break through and find my pace. Soon, I hope.
In the meantime, I am working on plans for an audio version of Prophet and a new marketing campaign.
On the other hand, I am making virtually no progress on Judge. A better ending continues to elude me and my editing feels uninspired. I keep plodding (plodding may be to positive a word) forward, hoping to break through and find my pace. Soon, I hope.
In the meantime, I am working on plans for an audio version of Prophet and a new marketing campaign.
10 September 2009
Launch of new website
With the help of my web designers Curtis Cosens and Jordan Avery, I have just launched my new webpage at timothywilkinson.net. This is in preparation for the upcoming release of the second book in my Eternal Throne Chronicles, "Judge of Israel" (currently slated for release in December).
I am also scheduled for two upcoming speaking engagements, for those who are interested. I am presenting the lecture/PowerPoint "The Two Eternal Thrones: The Origin of King Arthur" at the Sequim Elk's Club at 6:20 p.m. on 16 September, and on a date TBD in September or early October at the Sequim Library.
I am also scheduled for two upcoming speaking engagements, for those who are interested. I am presenting the lecture/PowerPoint "The Two Eternal Thrones: The Origin of King Arthur" at the Sequim Elk's Club at 6:20 p.m. on 16 September, and on a date TBD in September or early October at the Sequim Library.
07 February 2008
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