Judaism and the law

Judaism’s relationship with law was fundamentally about covenant identity rather than earning divine favor. Jews followed the Law because they had already received God’s favor—they were chosen as God’s special people, and the Law showed them how to live up to this calling.[1] Keeping the Law was typically considered a great joy rather than a dreaded obligation.[1]

The Law addressed both cultic and communal dimensions of life, governing worship practices and relationships with neighbors.[1] Some laws—prohibitions against murder, theft, and false witness—aligned with broader cultural values. Others, however, functioned as distinctive markers of Jewish identity. Circumcision was interpreted as the “sign of the covenant,” distinguishing Jews as God’s chosen people.[1] Similarly, the Sabbath required rest from work, allowing Jews to relax with family, share meals, and worship together.[1] Dietary restrictions prohibiting pork and shellfish[1] further set Jews apart from surrounding peoples.

The vast majority of Jews regarded themselves and many others as adequately adhering to the law.[2] Importantly, obedience could be considered regular even when interrupted by transgression, since the law itself provided means of atonement that restored transgressors to right standing within the covenant community.[2]

By the intertestamental period, Jewish understanding shifted. Rather than making the Law meaningful for their own day, Jews increasingly stressed its ceremonial prescriptions, emphasizing almsgiving, festivals, ritual prayers, and temple rites.[3] The Pharisees’ concern for the Law, including their development of oral interpretations, positioned them to maintain influence in Jewish life.[3] This framework—law as both identity marker and path to covenant faithfulness—shaped the religious landscape Jesus encountered.

[1] Bart D. Ehrman, A Brief Introduction to the New Testament (New York; Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2021), 41–42.
[2] J. David Stark, “Law in Second Temple Judaism,” in The Lexham Bible Dictionary, ed. John D. Barry et al. (Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press, 2016). [See here, here.]
[3] J.I. Packer, Merrill Chapin Tenney, and William White Jr., Nelson’s Illustrated Manners and Customs of the Bible (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson, 1997), 392.