"The work discusses an array of issues having to do with how Hebrew Law was structured and applied. It is not easy to envision what the Law "looked like" in action by merely reading the Hebrew Scriptures. This volume makes for a helpful introduction to this subject, and the endnotes contain sources for more in-depth analysis. A few charts and maps as well as an ancient source index round out the study." --Charles H. Ray, in The Conservative Theological Journal (August 2004) "This new edition of Falk's 1964 volume has been thoroughly edited to remove various typographical defects in the first version. Changes and additions are limited to addenda by the author (pp. 179-201), a resume of Falk's published work through 1999 (pp. 203-20), and an updated citation index (pp. 221-41). Unfortunately, Falk passed away during the volume's preparation, but in his absence Eisenbrauns and J. W. Welch, the editor, seem to have produced an attractive and useful book... There is much of value in Falk's book. Perhaps its most beneficial feature is that the discussion is conveniently arranged in standard legal categories, such as the administration of justice, property law, contracts, debt, marriage, divorce, etc. In each section, Falk brings together not only the pertinent laws of the Pentateuch but also related texts from the narrative, prophetic, and wisdom texts of the Hebrew Bible. Near Eastern laws and rabbinic tradition are also prominently included in the discussion. These features alone make the book a valuable reference tool. Moreover, we should not overlook the positive benefits offered by pre-critical readings of the biblical text. Among the most important of these is the insight gained when we observe efforts to compare and harmonize diverse pieces of legislation on the same topic. Although some scholars will not accept these pre-critical solutions (with good reason), the observations alone are telling for a serious and critical study of the laws. Furthermore, in some cases, it turns out that "pre-critical" readings provide useful solutions that critical scholars, in our zeal for the diachronic, have overlooked. The impetus behind this republication of Falk's volume seems to have been didactic, with the editor motivated by a desire to use the book in training lawyers at Brigham Young University. I, for one, share the editor's assessment and plan to use the book in my classes on biblical law. But readings in Falk will need to be generously supplemented with selections that accentuate the uniqueness of the various Hebrew legists and the diachronic character of the law and codes they promulgated." --Kent Sparks, Eastern University, St. Davids, Pennsylvania in JNES, April 2004.
