Dr. Shalom Holtz, professor of Bible at and associate dean of academic affairs, has a new book coming out from Brown Judaic Studies. Titled Praying Legally, Dr. Holtz explained how 鈥渋n the Hebrew Bible and related ancient sources prayer there is an opportunity to make one鈥檚 case before divine judges. Prayers were formulated using courtroom or trial language, including demands for judgment, confessions and accusations.鈥 This use of legal language, he noted, 鈥渞eveals ancient Near Eastern thoughts about what takes place when one prays.鈥
Dr. Holtz noted that 鈥Praying Legally is a direct outgrowth of my earlier research on trial procedure attested in ancient Mesopotamian records. This book, and several other articles written along the way, draw out the connections between the language of earthly litigation and the ways humans address their petitions in the divine courtroom, through prayer. In the book, I emphasize how courtroom imagery in prayer allowed human speakers to 鈥榟ave their day in court鈥 and even question divine justice.鈥
Oct 31, 2019 By: stwersky
Dr. Shalom Holtz, professor of Bible at and associate dean of academic affairs, has a new book coming out from Brown Judaic Studies. Titled Praying Legally, Dr. Holtz explained how 鈥渋n the Hebrew Bible and related ancient sources prayer there is an opportunity to make one鈥檚 case before divine judges. Prayers were formulated using courtroom or trial language, including demands for judgment, confessions and accusations.鈥 This use of legal language, he noted, 鈥渞eveals ancient Near Eastern thoughts about what takes place when one prays.鈥
Dr. Holtz noted that 鈥Praying Legally is a direct outgrowth of my earlier research on trial procedure attested in ancient Mesopotamian records. This book, and several other articles written along the way, draw out the connections between the language of earthly litigation and the ways humans address their petitions in the divine courtroom, through prayer. In the book, I emphasize how courtroom imagery in prayer allowed human speakers to 鈥榟ave their day in court鈥 and even question divine justice.鈥
