Evident Values
The Covenant Code portrays the values of the society in which it was produced, some of which are different from Western twentieth-century values.
With the ancient cultural view of women as property of men, the casuistic law regarding the seduced virgin in Exodus 22:16-17 portrays a woman who, as the property of her father, has had her value diminished by the loss of her virginity. However, this law still calls for restitution to be paid by the man who seduced her. A second example comes from Exodus 21:20-21, which describes the punishment required for a slave owner who strikes his slave with a rod. If the slave survives his or her injuries there is no punishment required because he or she does not have the same rights as Israelite males.
In some instances, the values represented in the Covenant Code are more similar to present-day, Western values. Two examples include the placing of mothers on the same level as fathers in Exodus 21:15,17, and providing for special care of members of lesser social classes, including aliens, widows and orphans (Exodus 22:21-22).
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Famous quotes containing the words evident and/or values:
“It was evident that the same foolish respect was not here claimed for mere wealth and station that is in many parts of New England; yet some of them were the “first people,” as they are called, of the various towns through which we passed.”
—Henry David Thoreau (1817–1862)
“The vulgar crowd values friends according to their usefulness.”
—Ovid (Publius Ovidius Naso)