Identifier: ridpathsuniversa05ridp (find matches)
Title: Ridpath's Universal history : an account of the origin, primitive condition and ethnic development of the great races of mankind, and of the principal events in the evolution and progress of the civilized life among men and nations, from recent and authentic sources with a preliminary inquiry on the time, place and manner of the beginning
Year: 1897 (1890s)
Authors: Ridpath, John Clark, 1840-1900
Subjects: World history
Publisher: Cincinnati : Jones
Contributing Library: University of Pittsburgh Library System
Digitizing Sponsor: Lyrasis Members and Sloan Foundation

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eath.At the same time, however, the lawfavored the fugitive by providing forhim certain towns into which he mightflee, and thereby laying hold of an al-tar be safe from pursuit. KX. the altarthe national religion held its shieldabove him. It would not appear that the primi-tive Hebrew legislation was improvedand modified by succeed- want of irinof o-enerations.statutes dated for the most lation.part to the early ages of the theocracy.It can hardly be said that the consti-tution ever recog:nized chansfe or im- rpi provement inHebrew legis- 304 GREAT RACES OF MANKIND. provement. Nothing- of Semitic ori-gin provides for its own amendment.This was the weakness of Israels code. government. There was an executive,and also a judiciary. Both offices underthe theocracy belonged to the pricst- The establishment of the judgeship, i hood, and the judiciary to that body al-and even of the monarchv, ccnild hardly ; ways. be said to be statutory; for neither the A judicial proceeding in Israel was a
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HOMKIDK ILViNG TO A CITY OF REFUGE. one nor the other was contemplated atthe beginning. Lawyers, as such, wereas unknown as legislators in Israel.There never was any secular assemblyof the people or of their representativescalled for the purpose of altering oramending the legislation of the state.There was no legislative branch to the religious inquest rather than a legalinquiry. There were those inadaptability ofwho were skilled in the ^^eiawsto the changing exposition of Hebrew law ; order of society,but all such lore was retrospective andreligious. The question was ever todetermine how a given matter had stoodin the primitive legislation; how it had THE HEBRE WS.—RELIGION. 305 been regarded under the theocracy, andpossibly what view the prophets took ofthe issue presented. The weakness ofthe whole system of legislation was, aswe have said, its inadaptability to theever-changing order of society. TheJudaic system in every part resistedthe law of evolution and progress. Itwas the e

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