Philosophy:Divine law
Divine law is any body of law that is perceived as deriving from a transcendent source, such as the will of God or gods – in contrast to man-made law or to secular law. According to Angelos Chaniotis and Rudolph F. Peters, divine laws are typically perceived as superior to man-made laws,[1][2] sometimes due to an assumption that their source has resources beyond human knowledge and human reason.[3] Believers in divine laws might accord them greater authority than other laws,[4][5][2] for example by assuming that divine law cannot be changed by human authorities.[2]
According to Chaniotis, Divine laws are noted for their apparent inflexibility.[6] The introduction of interpretation into divine law is a controversial issue, since believers place high significance on adhering to the law precisely.[7] Opponents to the application of divine law typically deny that it is purely divine and point out human influences in the law. These opponents characterize such laws as belonging to a particular cultural tradition. Conversely, adherents of divine law are sometimes reluctant to adapt inflexible divine laws to cultural contexts.[8]
Medieval Christianity assumed the existence of three kinds of laws: divine law, natural law, and man-made law.[4] Theologians have substantially debated the scope of natural law, with the Enlightenment encouraging greater use of reason and expanding the scope of natural law and marginalizing divine law in a process of secularization.[9][additional citation(s) needed] Since the authority of divine law is rooted[colloquialism] in its source, the origins and transmission-history of divine law are important.[10][lower-alpha 1]
Conflicts frequently[quantify] arise between secular understandings of justice or morality and divine law.[11][12]
Religious law, such as canon law, includes both divine law and additional interpretations, logical extensions, and traditions.[5]
See also
- Biblical law in Christianity
- Dharma
- Halakha
- Glossary of ancient Roman religion § ius divinum
- Law and religion
- Mitzvah
- Morality and religion
- Regulative principle of worship, debate over the scope of divine law in 17th-century English Christian practices
- Rule according to higher law
- Sharia, Islamic law
- Ten Commandments
- Theocracy
Notes
- ↑ See, for example, in Judaism Biblical Mount Sinai, Shavuot#Giving of the Torah, Yitro (parsha), and the Letter of Aristeas. And note disputes over Biblical canonicity.
Citations
- ↑ Chaniotis 1996, p. 85.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 Peters 1988, p. 244.
- ↑ Chaniotis 1996, p. 86.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Anghie 1996, p. 323.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 Molano 2009, p. 212.
- ↑ Chaniotis 1996, p. 67.
- ↑ Chaniotis 1996, p. 75.
- ↑ Peters 1988, p. 244f.
- ↑ Anghie 1996, p. 323f.
- ↑ Weiss 2010, Part II. The Indicators of God's Law.
- ↑ Chaniotis 1996, pp. 65–66: In Euripides' Ion [...] [t]he distinction between the secular nomos which condemns the assailant and the divine themis which protects the suppliant, regardless of the crime he has committed, is clear; equally clear is Ion's condamnation [sic] of this indifference of the divine law towards the suppliants, righteous and unrighteous alike.
- ↑ Chaniotis 1996, p. 69.
References
- Anghie, Antony (1996). "Francisco de Vitoria and the colonial origins of international law". Social & Legal Studies (SAGE) 5 (3): 321–336. doi:10.1177/096466399600500303. ISSN 0964-6639. http://dergipark.org.tr/iumhmohb/issue/23903/254745.
- Peters, Rudolph F. (1988). "Divine Law or Man-Made Law-Egypt and the Application of the Shari'a". Arab Law Quarterly 3 (3): 231–253. doi:10.1163/157302588X00281. https://heinonline.org/HOL/P?h=hein.journals/arablq3&i=254.
- Chaniotis, Angelos (1996). "Conflicting authorities: Greek asylia between secular and divine law in the Classical and Hellenistic poleis". Kernos 9: 65–86. http://archiv.ub.uni-heidelberg.de/propylaeumdok/322/1/Chaniotis_conflicting_authorities_1996.pdf.
- Molano, E. (2009). "Divine Law and Constitutional Canonical Law". Ius Canonicum 49: 195–212. doi:10.15581/016.49.14159. https://heinonline.org/HOL/P?h=hein.journals/iuscan49&i=211.
- Weiss, Bernard (2010). The search for God's law : Islamic jurisprudence in the writings of Sayf al-Dīn al-Āmidi. Salt Lake City Herndon, Va: University Of Utah Press International Institute of Islamic Thought. ISBN 978-0-87480-938-1. OCLC 758391490. https://muse.jhu.edu/book/41475.
Further reading
- Canosa, J. (2009). The Efficacy of the Divine Law in the Administrative Justice in the Church. Ius Canonicum, 49, 549. https://heinonline.org/HOL/P?h=hein.journals/iuscan49&i=555
- Martinez, F. (2005). "La Superioridad Del Derecho Divino En El Pensamiento Pregracianeo: Una Vision De Las Colecciones Canonicas Medievales" (in es). Ius Canonicum 45: 183ff. https://heinonline.org/HOL/P?h=hein.journals/iuscan45&i=182.
- McCall, B. M. (2011). Consulting the Architect When Problems Arise-The Divine Law. Geo. JL & Pub. Pol'y, 9, 103.
- Rubin, A. P. (1992). International Law in the age of Columbus. Netherlands International Law Review, 39(1), 5-35.
- Rumble, W. E. (1979). Divine Law, Utilitarian Ethics, and Positivist Jurisprudence: A Study of the Legal Philosophy of John Austin. Am. J. Juris., 24, 139.
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