Jonathan Burnside, Reader in Biblical Law in the School of Law has published a new book, God, Justice and Society: Aspects of Law and Legality in the Bible, with Oxford University Press.

In this 580-page book Burnside questions the biblical texts from the perspective of an academic lawyer and criminologist and asks what the biblical materials contribute to our understanding about the nature and character of law. He examines much of biblical law and narrative that has formed the basis of Western civilization, while at the same time exploring differences between biblical law and modern legal concepts and legal assumptions. The resulting book is a cross-disciplinary analysis which recognizes the integration of law and theology.

God, Justice and Society presents biblical law as an integration of instructional genres in the Bible which together express a vision of a society ultimately accountable to God. Burnside seeks to understand both the application of law and legal theory to the Bible and the extent to which biblical law contributes important insights into legal dilemmas in today's world.

Comments include:

“In this well-researched book, Jonathan Burnside gives a detailed and yet accessible account of the nature of biblical law, its interpretation and operation in biblical Israel. In comparing biblical and modern English approaches to a range of legal subjects, he draws on the former to challenge the latter. He succeeds in making a convincing case for the contemporary relevance of the study of biblical law. This is a book which deserves to inform and provoke legal, sociological and theological debate.” - Sir Roger Toulson, Lord Justice of Appeal, the Court of Appeal, Her Majesty's Court Service.

“Jonathan Burnside, a ‘lawyer among the theologians’, has brought together a rich feast of jurisprudence and theology built on the biblical text in a uniquely helpful way.  With clarity, scholarship and humour, he brings alive vast tracts of biblical law and skilfully relates the ‘then’ of the Ancient Near East to the ‘now’ of the contemporary world in a fresh and gripping way....”  - His Honour Judge David Turner QC, Circuit Judge, London.

The book:

• Explores the subject of biblical law, which is foundational for understanding Western civilization and the history of Western law
• Discusses how biblical law works in relation to different areas including the environment, property, social welfare, homicide, theft, and marriage

The book is supported by a companion website. The University of Bristol is not responsible for the content of external sites.