Similarities Through the Ages The basis of the collective knowledge of humanity has all been taught to him by ideas that came to his understanding from the past. Grasping knowledge of the history of existence or how civilizations lived in the past allows the current age to develop better systems for those who live in this age. In a religious context, this is also evident. It is notable that multiple, distant cultures and religions share similar structure and stories at times. An example that can be clearly understood is in regard to similar establishments of law codes from the Codes of Hammurabi and of the Hebrews. In these historical accounts, the reader discovers similarities between two civilizations that lived only a couple hundred years apart. There are two themes that are to be addressed in regards to the similarities; Structure of The Law and Respect for what the Divine decrees. …show more content…
Hammurabi, under the divine influence of the gods Anu and Enlil, ordered these laws in such a way that they go step by step, explaining to its audience the decree from the king (4). Notable to the structure is a list that contains hundreds of laws that convey explicit request that only those under his rule have to follow(4-5). Meanwhile, the God of Moses, Yahweh, reveals himself to Moses, giving a written set of commandments that the Hebrews are asked to follow (27). The physical component that produces a major similarity is the written aspect of the code. By having the laws of a civilization put into physical form, the people under the law could not misinterpret or claim incompetence to the law for it was visible and the same for all the people. Knowing the impact these laws had on history, one can further examine the cause of their