Hebrew Ethics: Radical in the Ancient Near East, Yet So Familiar to Us

Many of our modern ethical concepts—including repentance, forgiveness, and justice—are ideas that we take for granted, regardless of our stated religious beliefs. However, these biblical ethics were radical and innovative during the time of Ancient Israel. Israel’s influential neighbors, including Babylon and Egypt, may have presented similar rules on occasion but had very different underlying principles.

In this episode, Dr. Dru Johnson talks with Dr. Unterman about biblical ethics. They discuss ancient notions of justice, law-keeping, fickle gods, and the treatment of foreigners across the Ancient Near East. Unterman highlights the specific and unusual features of Hebraic thought that have also informed our modern Western ethics more than we might realize.  Hebrew ethics are an innovation in their original context, and we would do well to unearth these radical and influential roots.