Divine Law, Human Prophet: Moses in Hebrew and Greek - Melissa Lane

About this Video

• Video Title: Divine Law, Human Prophet: Moses in Hebrew and Greek
• Channel: Gresham College
• Speakers: Professor Melissa Lane
• Duration: 00:44:33

Introduction

This Gresham College lecture by Professor Melissa Lane explores how Moses was perceived by Jewish and early Christian authors writing in Greek during the early centuries of the common era. The lecture analyzes how these authors, particularly Philo and Josephus, reconciled seemingly contradictory views of Moses as a lawgiver, comparing him to Greek figures like Solon and Lycurgus while emphasizing the divine and human aspects of his lawgiving.

Key Takeaways

• Moses's Status as a Lawgiver: Early Jewish and Christian writers viewed Moses as a lawgiver, despite the rabbinical perspective that only the divine was the true lawgiver. They argued that Moses's role in receiving, interpreting, and transmitting the law made him a significant lawgiver comparable to Greek counterparts.
• Moses's Aim: Philo and Josephus emphasized Moses's aim in lawgiving as reconciliation and the creation of a unified community through shared virtues and ethical unity, an aim shared with Greek lawgivers like Solon.
• Moses's Methods: Moses's lawgiving methods were presented as a synthesis of written and unwritten laws, a synthesis that transcended the polarities between Athenian and Spartan approaches and Jewish and Greek cultures. Philo and Josephus highlight Moses's use of persuasive preambles and integration of Jewish rituals to achieve this synthesis, aiming for both external adherence and internalization of the law.
• The "Living Law" Concept: Philo's concept of the "living law" (nomos empsychos) suggests that Moses and the patriarchs embodied the law before its written revelation, enabling their effective transmission.
• Criticism of Moses: Josephus addresses the criticism that Moses was a tyrant rather than a benevolent lawgiver, acknowledging this perspective but ultimately refuting it through his narrative.