62. Did Moses Copy Hammurabi? | Why Biblical Laws Aren't What You Think!

62. Did Moses Copy Hammurabi? | Why Biblical Laws Aren't What You Think!

Did Moses copy Hammurabi Code? The answer is far more fascinating than you think. Dr. Mark Chavalas dives deep into the Code of Hammurabi — the most famous ancient law collection ever discovered. But here's what most people don't know: it probably wasn't a "code" at all. We talk about what the Hammurabi code actually was, how it functioned in the ancient world, and why its similarities to biblical law have sparked debate for over a century. In this episode: - What the Code of Hammurabi actually is - The stunning similarities between Hammurabi's laws and biblical law - The role of scribes and legal traditions in the ancient world - How this changes the way Christians should read Old Testament law 📚 Sources & Scholars Mentioned - Jean Bottéro — Mesopotamia: Writing, Reasoning, and the Gods - Martha T. Roth — Law Collections from Mesopotamia and Asia Minor- Pamela Barmash — The Laws of Hammurabi: At the Confluence of Royal and Scribal Traditions - Raymond Westbrook — Ancient Near Eastern legal theory and biblical law studies- Samuel Greengus — “Filling Gaps: Laws Found in Babylonia and in the Mishnah but Absent in the Hebrew Bible” (Maarav, 1991) - John Walton — The Lost World of the Torah- Chicago Assyrian Dictionary (CAD) — entries on judges, verdicts, and legal terminology - Old Babylonian legal texts and letters related to the Code of Hammurabi - Comparative studies on biblical law, Mesopotamian law collections, and scribal traditions This episode will transform the way you look at biblical law. Rather than treating these laws as simple “dos and don’ts,” this episode uncovers how ancient people viewed law, justice, wisdom, kingship, and cosmic order.

61. Laws Older Than Moses? | What Ancient Mesopotamia Reveals About the Biblical Laws

Ancient Near Eastern Law Codes as Background to Biblical Law Dr. Mark Chavalas argues that the biblical legal tradition didn't emerge in a vacuum — it fits squarely within a broader ancient Near Eastern scribal and legal tradition. Understanding what these law codes actually were and how they functioned helps reframe how we should read the biblical law. Law Codes Covered: 1. Ur-Namma (~2100 BC) — oldest extant code, written in Sumerian 2. Lipit-Ishtar (~1930 BC) — also Sumerian, 50 laws from the city of Isin. 3. Laws of Eshnunna — written in Akkadian, roughly contemporary with Hammurabi but earlier. 4. Code of Hammurabi (~1750 BC) — the most complete, 280 laws (220 fully intact). Found in Susa 5. Neo-Babylonian Laws — 1,000 years after Hammurabi 6. Middle Assyrian Laws (~1300–1075 BC) — written in Assyrian Akkadian 7. Hittite Laws (~1400–1200 BC) — 200 laws in Indo-European Hittite Resources Mentioned: - Law Collections from Mesopotamia and Asia Minor — Martha Roth - A History of Ancient Near Eastern Law — Raymond Westbrook (ed.) - Early Ancient Near Eastern Law — Klaus Wilke - The Laws of Hammurabi — Pamela Barmash- Mesopotamia — Jean Bottéro 👍 SUPPORT THE BURIED BIBLE: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@Patreon⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ [https://www.patreon.com/c/TheBuriedBiblePodcast] Instagram : ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@buriedbiblepodcast ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ [https://www.instagram.com/buriedbiblepodcast ] TikTok : ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@buriedbiblepodcast⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ [https://www.tiktok.com/@buriedbiblepodcast] 💬 Got Questions: buriedbiblepodcast@gmail.com

60. Biblical "Laws" Aren't What You Think — What Ancient Laws Teach Us About the Bible!

What if the “laws” in the Bible weren’t meant to function like modern legal systems at all? This episode launches a brand new series diving into ancient Near Eastern law—and why understanding this world is essential to understanding Scripture. Instead of jumping straight into the Bible, we step back into history to explore how law actually worked in the ancient world. Dr. Mark Chavalas breaks down a surprising idea: what we call “law codes” may not have been codes at all—but collections of wisdom, verdicts, and case-based decisions used by judges. ➡️ Why ancient “law codes” weren’t comprehensive legal systems ➡️ The meaning behind “if/then” laws in Scripture ➡️ How judges made decisions without citing written laws ➡️ The role of wisdom in ancient legal thinking ➡️ Real ancient trial records (including a shocking murder case) ➡️ Royal reforms, edicts, and how kings shaped justice ➡️ Why this changes how we read passages like Exodus 21

59. Daniel Debate: This Changes Everything We Knew About Daniel? | Aubrey Buster

Is the Book of Daniel really about predicting the future… or is it revealing something even bigger? Daniel Commentary: https://www.amazon.com/Daniel-Chapters-International-Commentary-Testament/dp/0802875998 The conversation dives deep into one of the most debated books in the Bible—Daniel. With Dr. Aubrey Buster joining Dr. Mark Chavalas, the discussion explores authorship, prophecy, and how ancient readers would have actually understood this text. ➡️ Why Daniel may not be primarily about predicting the future ➡️ The difference between prophecy and apocalyptic literature ➡️ How ancient audiences understood authorship and authority ➡️ Why the debate over who wrote Daniel is more complex than you think ➡️ How understanding the ancient world strengthens—not weakens—faith Instead of reading Daniel through a modern lens, this episode challenges us to step into the ancient world—where genre, symbolism, and cultural context completely reshape what the book is claiming. ___________________________________________________ 👍 SUPPORT THE BURIED BIBLE: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@Patreon⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ [https://www.patreon.com/c/TheBuriedBiblePodcast] Instagram : ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@buriedbiblepodcast ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ [https://www.instagram.com/buriedbiblepodcast ] TikTok : ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@buriedbiblepodcast⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ [https://www.tiktok.com/@buriedbiblepodcast] 💬 Got Questions: buriedbiblepodcast@gmail.com #BuriedBible #BookOfDaniel #BibleContext #AncientNearEast #BiblicalInterpretation #ChristianPodcast #faithandhistory

58. This Is Why You Are Misunderstanding the Bible! | Rico Cortes

What if you’ve been reading the Bible the wrong way your entire life? Rico Cortes joins us to share his journey from traditional teaching into his deep study of ancient cultures, covenants, and biblical backgrounds — and how that shift completely transformed his understanding and appreciation of Scripture. Together we explore how Western assumptions often distort the Bible's meaning, leading to confusion, division, and surface-level faith. Drawing on the work of scholars like John Walton, Jacob Milgrom, and Mark Chavalas, Rico unpacks the complexities of biblical interpretation — with a particular focus on the book of Leviticus — and why reading the Bible through an ancient Near Eastern lens changes everything. In This Episode: ➡️ Why modern readers misunderstand the Bible ➡️ The difference between Western vs. ancient thinking ➡️ How studying the ancient Near East changes everything ➡️ Why Leviticus is one of the most misunderstood books Ultimately, the episode emphasizes that studying the Bible in its original context doesn’t weaken faith—it strengthens it—by revealing a deeper, more relational picture of God rooted in holiness, justice, and covenant relationship. More From Rico: 💻 https://wisdomintorah.com 📧 info@wisdomintorah.com ___________________________________________________ 👍 SUPPORT THE BURIED BIBLE: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@Patreon⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ [https://www.patreon.com/c/TheBuriedBiblePodcast] Instagram : ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@buriedbiblepodcast ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ [https://www.instagram.com/buriedbiblepodcast ] TikTok : ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@buriedbiblepodcast⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ [https://www.tiktok.com/@buriedbiblepodcast] 💬 Got Questions: buriedbiblepodcast@gmail.com