Texts · 20 · Jonah
The law came after the prophets
Scholars summarize a key insight as lex post prophetas: the laws of the Pentateuch came after the earliest prophets. Jeremiah's list of sins likely inspired the Ten Commandments, not the reverse.
The prophets' indictments became law.
Dig deeper
Read canonically, prophets become prosecutors charging Israel with breaking a written contract. You didn't need the Ten Commandments to know murder was wrong, but breaching a written covenant made the nation doubly culpable, and God doubly just.
Bible reference: Jeremiah 7:9
Source: Why the Bible Began, pp. 324–325
Reader thoughts
Loading comments…