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David L. BAKER, Tight Fists or Open Hands? Wealth and Poverty in Old Testament Law. Grand Rapids: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., 2009. xxiv + 411 pp. ISBN: 978-0-8028-6283-9 (pbk.). $36.00, £23.99.

David L. BAKER, Tight Fists or Open Hands? Wealth and Poverty in Old Testament Law. Grand Rapids:... This book takes a canonical approach to its theme and divides what is necessarily a broad sweep of material into three main sections: ‘Property and Land’, ‘Marginal People’ and ‘Justice and Generosity’. Following a brief introductory chapter, the first section (‘Property and Land’) begins with a chapter on ‘Property Rights’, which covers the topics of theft, coveting and lost property. The following chapter (‘Property Responsibilities’) covers such topics as owner liability, negligent damage and care of property. Chapter Four completes the first main section with a study of ‘Ancestral Land’, which covers the jubilee, boundary markers and military service. Throughout this section, and the entire book, each topic is handled in a uniform way, being divided into sub-sections of typically a couple of pages each. These aim to cover the ancient Near Eastern perspective on the issue, followed by that of the biblical legal collections (labelled ‘Decalogue’, ‘Book of the Covenant’, ‘Holiness Code’, ‘Deuteronomy Laws’), as appropriate. This consistent sub-division is effective in delineating the material under discussion. It is extremely useful as a means of clarifying apparent similarities and distinctions between the ancient Near Eastern and biblical texts. There can be no doubt that it is an http://www.deepdyve.com/assets/images/DeepDyve-Logo-lg.png Journal of the Economic and Social History of the Orient Brill

David L. BAKER, Tight Fists or Open Hands? Wealth and Poverty in Old Testament Law. Grand Rapids: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., 2009. xxiv + 411 pp. ISBN: 978-0-8028-6283-9 (pbk.). $36.00, £23.99.

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Publisher
Brill
Copyright
© Koninklijke Brill NV, Leiden, The Netherlands
Subject
Book Reviews
ISSN
0022-4995
eISSN
1568-5209
DOI
10.1163/156852011X611373
Publisher site
See Article on Publisher Site

Abstract

This book takes a canonical approach to its theme and divides what is necessarily a broad sweep of material into three main sections: ‘Property and Land’, ‘Marginal People’ and ‘Justice and Generosity’. Following a brief introductory chapter, the first section (‘Property and Land’) begins with a chapter on ‘Property Rights’, which covers the topics of theft, coveting and lost property. The following chapter (‘Property Responsibilities’) covers such topics as owner liability, negligent damage and care of property. Chapter Four completes the first main section with a study of ‘Ancestral Land’, which covers the jubilee, boundary markers and military service. Throughout this section, and the entire book, each topic is handled in a uniform way, being divided into sub-sections of typically a couple of pages each. These aim to cover the ancient Near Eastern perspective on the issue, followed by that of the biblical legal collections (labelled ‘Decalogue’, ‘Book of the Covenant’, ‘Holiness Code’, ‘Deuteronomy Laws’), as appropriate. This consistent sub-division is effective in delineating the material under discussion. It is extremely useful as a means of clarifying apparent similarities and distinctions between the ancient Near Eastern and biblical texts. There can be no doubt that it is an

Journal

Journal of the Economic and Social History of the Orient – Brill

Published: Jan 1, 2011

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