The Origins of Biblical Law : the Decalogues and the Book of the Covenant

Calum M. Carmichael here offers a radically new interpretation of the law of ancient Israel. In Carmichael's view, the rules of the Mishpatim (the laws of the Book of the Covenant, Exod. 21:2-23:19) were not created directly in response to contemporary social problems, but rather may be traced back to literary traditions preserved in the books of Genesis and Exodus