LG 3 -- COMPARING HAMMURABI'S CODE OF LAWS AND
THE 10 COMMANDMENTS
Comparing Hammurabi’s Code of Laws and the 10 Commandments
Learning Goal 3: Identify the impact of Hammurabi’s Code of Laws and the Ten
Commandments. (TEKS/SE’s 20B)
(20) Government. The student understands how contemporary political systems have
developed from earlier systems of government. The student is expected to:
(B) identify the impact of political and legal ideas contained in the following documents:
Hammurabi's Code, the Jewish Ten Commandments, Justinian's Code of Laws, Magna
Carta, the English Bill of Rights, the Declaration of Independence, the U.S. Constitution,
and the Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen;
Comparing Hammurabi’s Code of Laws
and the 10 Commandments
Learning Goal 3: Identify the impact of
Hammurabi’s Code of Laws and the Ten
Commandments. (TEKS/SE’s 20B)
FORMS OF GOVERNMENT IN EARLY
CIVILIZATIONS
Monarchies- a form of government controlled by a single family
that passed power from one generation to the next, creating
dynasties
Examples: Many Sumerian city-states came under the
rule of dynasties as well as civilizations in China
JUDAISM
Abraham – founder of Judaism
Judaism – religion of the Hebrews
first monotheistic
religion
Monotheism – belief in one God
Polytheism – belief in many Gods
The Ten Commandments:
In the Hebrew civilization, the Ten Commandments are a list of
religious and moral imperatives which, according to Biblical
tradition, were written by God and given to Moses on Mount
Sinai in the form of two stone tablets. They feature
prominently in Judaism and Christianity. Because the
origins of Christianity are rooted in Judaism, the Ten
Commandments are often considered by many Americans
to be the foundation of U.S. law and sometimes placed in
judicial buildings and other legal structures.
HAMMURABI’S CODE
Hammurabi’s Code is the legal code of King
Hammurabi (1792 B.C.-1750 B.C.) of
Mesopotamia. His law was severe and
specified crimes and punishments which fit the
crimes to ensure uniformity and to help judges
impose penalties. This collection of 282 written
codes from ancient Mesopotamia was one of
the earliest known legal systems that regulated
people’s relationships with one another. These
laws were engraved on stone pillars in
cuneiform writing and publically displayed for
all to see and obey as the punishments for
violating the Code of Hammurabi were severe.
IMPACT OF HAMMURABI’S CODE
Established the idea that government regulates criminal
and civil matters
Established statutory laws as a basis of social control
and necessary for society
Reflected the idea that punishment should fit the crime
Established the idea that all in the society should follow
the legal code BUT punishments in Hammurabi’s Code
varied based on social class
THE TEN COMMANDMENTS
Moral and religious code believed to have been given by
God through Moses to the Hebrews
IMPACT: Became the moral basis of both Judaism and
Christianity
Organized the tradition of monotheism (belief in one
God)