20 
Indiana University Studies 
first six books of the Bible are supposed to contain the Hebrew 
law, and compose what the Hebrews call the Torah. In the 
New Testament, however, there is found another code, which 
may be called Jesus’ Law of Social Justice. Jesus’ code in- 
cludes none of the law of legal procedure of the Hebrews, but 
by reference includes all the fundamental principles of the He- 
brew substantive law and in addition a great many new prin- 
ciples of substantive law, which have not as yet all been 
adopted by any legal system of the world, altho development 
of legal systems seems to be in the direction of social justice 
and that means in the direction of Jesus’ social justice . 71 Near 
the end of the second century A.D. another code called the 
Mishna came into existence. It represented the work of the 
scribes, officers of the Sanhedrin, and teachers, beginning after 
Ezra and ending with Rabbi Jehuda, and comprises the oral 
traditionary law of the Jews, including customs and decisions 
contemporaneous with the Torah but not embodied therein, as 
well as the common law of the Israelites subsequent to the 
completion of the Torah. Extensive commentaries on the 
Mishna have since arisen and these have been called the 
Gemara. The Mishna and Gemara together form the Talmud 
of the Jews . 72 
It may be advisable to give a short summary of the historical 
development of some particular branches of Hebrew substan- 
tive law, as it can be traced thru the reported decisions and 
the codifications which have just been discussed. 
The earliest law of the Hebrews had a tort aspect. It dealt 
with wrongs, but they were wrongs to the individual, not to 
the state. It was late in Hebrew history before a true crim- 
inal law developed. The first step in this direction was taken 
when the state began to regulate vengeance, for this helped 
to lead, in the course of time, to the next step, when the state 
began to be thought of as an entity apart from the individuals 
composing it, and certain acts were regarded as offenses 
against the state itself. This stage of development seems to 
have been reached in the time of Deuteronomy. There are in 
Deuteronomy enough laws of this character so that we may 
say that there was a criminal code. There are provisions 
71 See my book on Jesus’ Laiv of Social Justice. 
72 The disciples connected with the Sanhedrin were law students. They studied not 
alone Hebrew law but all other systems of law with which the world was then familiar,— 
surrounding tribes, Babylonian, Egyptian, Greek, and Roman. Even the name Sanhedrin 
is a Greek name. 
