Beneficence in the Old Testament

Subject Areas : Christianity

حسین حیدری ¹ (ندارد)
خدیجه کاردوست فینی ² (ندارد)

Received: 2013-04-23 Accepted : 2013-08-14 Published : 2013-03-21

Keywords: Beneficence, the Jewish Superiority, Old Testament, Judaism, Jewish&#x0D, &#x0D, Ethics,

Abstract :

Fearing of God or the unseen world and having mercy on people aretwo common teachings of the major religions of the world. Both ofthese teachings release mankind from arrogance and egoism. Thedevelopment of the religious thoughts of ancient Israelites and some oftheir neighbor civilizations, from 1500 B.C.E., is best shown in thebooks of the Old Testament. The present study tries to survey theconcept of beneficence in 39 parts of the Old Testament and analyze itsjuridical and ethical elements. It also provides some examples fromthese parts including kindness to the parents, elderly, workers, slaves,and etc. Moreover, this article surveys the decrees pertaining tobeneficence such as paying tithes, leaving fields and crops for the poorin the seventh year of planting, forgiving people’s debt in their seventhyear of indebtedness, and etc. Finally it is shown that the expression ofJewish Superiority, according to the Old Testament, does not implyracism and discrimination against other people.