18 
Indiana University Studies 
brew legal system. In them we can trace the historical devel- 
opment of Hebrew legal procedure and the various stages of 
development in the evolution of Hebrew substantive law, in- 
cluding torts, crimes, ownership, conveyancing, contracts, in- 
testate succession, wills, marriage, and divorce. 
After the long period of growth and development to which 
we have referred, and after most of the fundamental prin- 
ciples of Hebrew law had thus been established, there began 
a new period of codification of the law. In the course of time 
the law needed statement more than mere development of 
precedents, especially when most of the precedents were only 
carried in the memories of men ; and then after a further pe- 
riod of time, when social interests had changed and new prec- 
edents had arisen, what it needed was restatement and 
revision. The codifications and revisions of Hebrew law be- 
gan about 750 B.C. and continued to about 440 B.C., so far 
as the Hebrew law of the Old Testament is concerned. This 
work of codification is comparable with the statutory codifica- 
tions and reforms of the Anglo-American system and the 
statement of the Roman law made under the direction of 
Justinian, except that in Hebrew history the work was not 
undertaken either by king or legislature but by the prophets. 
Hebrew law did not assume its final form even in the codifica- 
tions found in the Old Testament, but received further state- 
ments in the Talmud of the scribes and officers of the San- 
hedrin and in the law of the kingdom of God of Jesus. 
About 750 B.C. occurred the first codification of the law 
which had been developing thru the six centuries of Hebrew 
history, which had elapsed since the establishment of the He- 
brew judicial system by Moses. It is found, for most part, in 
Exodus (especially 21-22 Exod.). This codification was not 
made by a legislative body, because the Hebrews had none. 
Even when the Sanhedrin came into existence it was more of 
a judicial than a legislative body. The codification was prob- 
ably made by the prophets, who were the law teachers and 
jurists of the Hebrews. Two codes were compiled, one for the 
northern tribes and one for the southern tribes, altho when 
the whole law was codified a third time by Ezra after the 
Babylonian captivity the two codes were so commingled that 
it has required great work on the part of scholars to separate 
the two; but when separated they are easily recognized. Of 
