In the book of Galatians in the New Testament, when Paul
is speaking to the people of Galatia about following the old laws, or the Jewish law, he
is speaking of the body of Jewish laws that govern even the smallest aspects of the
lives of the Jewish faith/culture, not just circumcision or eating kosher. The Jewish
law refers to 613 mitzvot, or commandments. These commandments are referred
to...
readability="7">...collectively as the "Law of Moses," "Mosaic
Law", or simply "the
Law".These laws referred to
"instructions" that provide guidance in terms of the things they
should do, and laws against the things they should
not do. The laws are divided specifically in terms of the
"positive" laws—248: based on "the number of bones and significant organs in the human
body;" and, the "negative" laws—365: based upon "the number of days in a solar year." Of
the negative laws, there were three that Jewish law suggested "One should let himself be
killed rather than violate…" including worshipping idols, practicing "unclean" or
"abominable" sexual acts (as outlined in Leviticus), or
murder.These laws governed the actions of the Jews
throughout the day and year: what one would do upon waking, the foods that were
acceptable to eat ("kosher"), how to dress, how to handle business transactions,
guidelines for choosing a mate, and the observance of Jewish holidays, to mention a
few.This set
of rules and practices is known as
halakhah.
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