A look at the role of law and ethics.

Law and statutes are basic tenets of all religions. This is not only a matter of pragmatically regulating everyday life, but also a question of the divine legitimacy of law. All religions refer in this point to some original accounts or unquestioned authorities of long ago. In the three Abrahamic religions the central symbolic figure is Moses. His story also includes the origin of a legal system given by God to mankind to preserve. The exodus from Egypt and the manifestation of the Torah are connected to each other both in their narration and their inner meaning. The revelation of the Torah on Sinai is one of the key events in the Hebraic Bible as it introduces law to be a directive from God. The Torah becomes the center of all religious life, and its exegesis the highest duty of all pious people. Everyday life is built up around Moses, who received and passed on God will. But how did things change with the coming of Jesus Christ? Is the teacher from Nazareth the "new Moses"? Why is the Apostel Paul so critical of the Torah? What is the basis of Christian ethics? These and similar questions may be equally addressed to the Muslim tradition. How does the Koran depict the "lawgiver" in its own story of revelation? What is the basis for the law-making of the Prophet, which goes beyond the Torah of Sinai? What is the role of Moses in the popular tradition of Islam?Christfried Böttrich, Beate Ego and Friedmann Eißler present answers to these and other questions surrounding the tradition of law and ethics in the Abrahamic religions. While preserving the differences and specific qualities of the respective traditions, they also see Moses and his story as part of the common heritage.