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The Institutes of Biblical Law #2
The Institutes of Biblical Law: Law And Society, Volume 2 of 3
The purpose of Law and Society is to show how God's law applies to every aspect of our lives and world. There are in God's Word specified consequences, curses and blessings, for disobedience and obedience. We cannot understand history apart from that fact. The relationship of Biblical Law to communion and community, the sociology of the Sabbath, the family and inheritance, and much more are covered in the second volume. Contains an appendix by Herbert Titus.
752 pages, Hardcover
First published July 20, 2013
27 people are currently reading
180 people want to read
About the author
Rousas John Rushdoony
137 books148 followersRousas John Rushdoony was a Calvinist philosopher, historian, and theologian and is widely credited as the father of both Christian Reconstructionism and the modern homeschool movement. His prolific writings have exerted considerable influence on the Christian right.
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
February 27, 2013
The second volume of Rushdoony's Institutes is a much different book than the first. The first was organized primarily by the Ten Commandments. This book is a collection of topics, or themes. The chapters are all very short--ranging from two pages to six. The book progresses thematically, but in a rather loose way.
Like any other collection of essays, they are uneven in quality. Most are okay--small developments on themes from the first book. Some are outstanding, and some are really not all that good.
Rushdoony is very helpful in many things--particularly the Sabbath, property, economics, and the necessity of biblical law. If you appreciated the first book, you'll appreciate this one, but you'll have to exercise more patience as you work through it. It simply isn't up to par with the first volume.
I do want to reiterate, however, that there are many passages in this volume that are simply outstanding.
Here's one that is highly provocative, though I disagree with it:
"A fact concerning Biblical law which is seldom realized is that God made no provision for a law-making body, because He did not intend that there be one. We cannot understand the Biblical order if we fail to grasp the fact that God alone is the law-maker. Men cannot make laws without sinning, nor can judges add or subtract from the law." p. 668
This one on idolatry is the best explanation of God's prohibition against idols that I've read:
“The emphasis on the invisible God and Savior was a denial also of the immanent-and-temporal nature of God. The idols, the gods of the nations, are either aspects of nature or are products of man’s history and creation. All such gods are involved and totally involved in the historical process. They may be an ostensible advance over or superior to man in that process, but they are all the same equally a part of that same process. There is an emphatic denial of any god beyond time and history in favor of a god or gods who are partners with man in time and history.” p. 470
This one on the force of law is excellent:
“…no law structure can be enforced more than relatively for a short time unless almost everyone accepts it as the necessary law order. A small fraction of militant dissidents can destroy any law order. In the earlier middle ages, only the law structure of Christendom offered any hope; therefore, virtually all men assented to it, whether believing it or not. At that time, there was no Inquisition, and yet the actual percentage of the truly faithful may have been less than it was during the Inquisition. The difference was that the old law order no longer satisfied an increasing number of people, who saw no alternatives in Humanism or in other areas of Christian order.” p. 466
Like any other collection of essays, they are uneven in quality. Most are okay--small developments on themes from the first book. Some are outstanding, and some are really not all that good.
Rushdoony is very helpful in many things--particularly the Sabbath, property, economics, and the necessity of biblical law. If you appreciated the first book, you'll appreciate this one, but you'll have to exercise more patience as you work through it. It simply isn't up to par with the first volume.
I do want to reiterate, however, that there are many passages in this volume that are simply outstanding.
Here's one that is highly provocative, though I disagree with it:
"A fact concerning Biblical law which is seldom realized is that God made no provision for a law-making body, because He did not intend that there be one. We cannot understand the Biblical order if we fail to grasp the fact that God alone is the law-maker. Men cannot make laws without sinning, nor can judges add or subtract from the law." p. 668
This one on idolatry is the best explanation of God's prohibition against idols that I've read:
“The emphasis on the invisible God and Savior was a denial also of the immanent-and-temporal nature of God. The idols, the gods of the nations, are either aspects of nature or are products of man’s history and creation. All such gods are involved and totally involved in the historical process. They may be an ostensible advance over or superior to man in that process, but they are all the same equally a part of that same process. There is an emphatic denial of any god beyond time and history in favor of a god or gods who are partners with man in time and history.” p. 470
This one on the force of law is excellent:
“…no law structure can be enforced more than relatively for a short time unless almost everyone accepts it as the necessary law order. A small fraction of militant dissidents can destroy any law order. In the earlier middle ages, only the law structure of Christendom offered any hope; therefore, virtually all men assented to it, whether believing it or not. At that time, there was no Inquisition, and yet the actual percentage of the truly faithful may have been less than it was during the Inquisition. The difference was that the old law order no longer satisfied an increasing number of people, who saw no alternatives in Humanism or in other areas of Christian order.” p. 466
June 10, 2024
A decent stand alone collection of essays by Rushdoony. But certainly not on par with the first volume. Honestly, they should not be linked in a volume set.
June 1, 2012
Best described as "good, bathroom reading." Think about it. Each chapter is about two minutes worth of reading and the dimensions of the book fit nicely on the top of the toilet! There is definitely a difference of quality between this volume and volume one. I really don't recommend it.
February 17, 2011
Excellent.
December 12, 2022
What a book! This second volume is great and a good guide to how to understand God's Abiding Law in society.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews