Looking at the Egyptian view of justice, we see a clear similarity to the Israelites. Earlier in the course, we looked at Hammurabi’s code, a grand list of rules similar from those listed in the Torah. Both were extensive in reach and handed down from a “higher being,” who we assume knows all and is capable of making a list reflecting an eternal and objective right versus wrong. However, even earlier, in the Epic of Gilgamesh, the vengeful god Ishtar kills Enkidu, which Gilgamesh and the reader both see as bad as well as threatens to do awful things that would effect everyone, “I will smash the doors of the nether world… I will raise up the dead eating and alive So the dead will outnumber the living (Epic of Gilgamesh pg. 3)!,” suggesting that god’s are capable of malpractice and are flawed beings with greater power. This far beyond contrasts with the ways in which the Israelites present the 10 commandments: as a list of perfect rules presented by a perfect God. Where justice once came more from within, now we see the emergence of divine justice as a way of keeping rules and people in check.
State why you agree with this point
