Posted by Jeff from bgp01107368bgs.wbrmfd01.mi.comcast.net (68.42.59.180) on Friday, June 14, 2002 at 9:40AM :
THE SIGNIFICANCE OF THE CODE OF HAMMURABI
Hammurabi, the great king of Babylon, who lived in the 18th century BC,
has
his name forever engraved on our minds as someone who looked to
improving the
lives of his people, someone willing to make a change in the customs
which
had been in use for centuries before his time. We know he did not
actually
write the laws in his Code, neither were they invented by him, nor were
they
exclusive to his time and place. What, then, was his great
accomplishment?
Until his day that area consisted of city-states, which periodically
made and
broke alliances. Each city had it?s own laws and though they may not
have
been written down, the learned scribes attached to the temples could be
called upon whenever a question might arise.
Having pacified the jealousies so detrimental to security and prosperity
by
uniting several cities to form his empire, Hammurabi found that the
often
conflicting laws, many of which applied to only specific cities, had the
effect of denying true justice to the people, who could offend custom
and law
unwittingly as they moved about the empire on business or travel. Not
knowing
which law applied where, or what the laws of another city might be, the
people were at the mercy of local authorities in each of the places they
passed through.
In the preface to the Code, Hammurabi says that he has heard the voice
of his
people crying out for justice, for protection against the strong or
wicked.
What is impressive in his reaction is not so much the actual laws, for
they
aren?t really laws, as we understand the term. They are more like
guidelines...?if such and such a thing happens, you can do so and so
about
it?. They are not complete nor, by any means, comprehensive. Neither
do
they appear humane to our modern sensibilities, though in many instances
they
substituted milder punishments than those previously in force. This is
not
why the world honors him.
What makes his achievement so impressive is that he cared to create an
equitable system, one in which ?fairness? under the law should replace
local
customs, no matter of how great a duration. To do this he had the Code
inscribed on stone tablets and copies installed in each city of his
empire.
The idea of ?fairness?, that it was the better part of government to
give the
people a chance to know the law rather than simply take action against
those
who broke it, and that it was wrong to punish ignorance... this was his
grand
idea. If it had not happened, we could not have moved on to justice in
the
law or, finally, the greatest development of all; mercy and compassion
under
the law.
He was a brave man to dare a move which seems so ?natural? to us now,
nearly
four thousand years later. There were, no doubt, many counselors and
prominent people who warned of dire consequences, who always do when
change
is undertaken. It wasn?t only the idea for a unified code which places
Hammurabi among the great figures who altered the course of human
development
for the better, it was the courage to implement it and the vision to see
far
ahead to a day when the complexity and quality of civilized life would
require that, if mankind were to progress and not only multiply, this
step
would have to be taken.
It is fitting that we, his closest direct descendants honor him in every
way.
One way in which we can do this, is by adopting a custom used by the
ancients , which was to erect boundary stones, ?Kudurus?, to indicate
the
farthest reaches of their conquests and settlements. These have been
unearthed at various locations and show how vast was the range of
influence
our people brought to bear on their surroundings. We, living in all
parts of
the world can do the same, continuing a custom formed thousands of years
ago.
We can honor our heritage, inspire our young people, let our neighbors
know
who we are, all by planting a Kuduru, in this case a monument of the
Great
King himself.
We would indicate by this not only how far we?ve traveled from our
original
homelands, on another sort of journey of trade and conquest, but also
that we
realize we have been on an intellectual journey since then as well. One
in
which, after countless disappointments and setbacks, we yet appreciate
the
value of our heritage and have learned how to honor and preserve it in
our
new homelands... that we understand our culture and heritage must be
replenished and revived if they are to go on into the future, as our
Great
King would have wished. Our ancestors gave their time, their lives in
every
sense of the word, not just to ensure prosperity for themselves. They
built
everything, whether monuments or ideas, with an eye to the future...for
the
ages... for all time. There is a direct quote from another king at a
later
date in which he says...?I built monuments...and left them for the
future.?
To that end an effort is being made to create a bronze, public monument
over
life-size, of Hammurabi, to be placed in downtown Detroit. With the
help and
support of our people, in Detroit, around the nation, and in Europe we
have
been at work for two years. We hope others will join us so that we may
announce an unveiling date as soon as the monument is completed.
*** Editorial Note,
This was written by 'farhoot' way back when before all hell broke loose. I posted it here so that yall could learn about Hammurabi.
P.S.
"Mister Paarrhhaadd. Hammurabi was NOT Assyrian... you are just an eeggnnoorranntt daaarrkkiiee" (Dr. Ross)
-- Jeff
-- signature .