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Single Idea 7337

[filed under theme 24. Political Theory / D. Ideologies / 10. Theocracy ]

Full Idea

In Mosaic legal theory, all breaches of the law offend God. All crimes are sins, just as all sins are crimes.

Gist of Idea

In Mosaic legal theory, crimes are sins and sins are crimes

Source

Paul Johnson (The History of the Jews [1987], Pt I)

Book Ref

Johnson,Paul: 'A History of the Jews' [Phoenix 1993], p.33


A Reaction

This would seem to define Josephus called a 'theocracy'. Not just rule by a priesthood, but also an attempt to make civil law coincide with the teachings of sacred texts. But doing 80 m.p.h. on a motorway at 2 a.m. hardly seems like a sin.


The 7 ideas with the same theme [rule by a religious group]:

Power is ordained by God, so anyone who resists power resists God, and will be damned [Paul]
If religion is law, then piety is justice, impiety is crime, and non-believers must leave [Spinoza]
Allowing religious ministers any control of the state is bad for both parties [Spinoza]
In early theocracies the god was the king, and there were as many gods as nations [Rousseau]
Because human life is what is sacred, Mosaic law has no death penalty for property violations [Johnson,P]
In Mosaic legal theory, crimes are sins and sins are crimes [Johnson,P]
The politics of Leibniz was the reunification of Christianity [Stewart,M]