Law and narrative in the bible and in neighbouring ancient cultures

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Law is not only conveyed in codified clauses; it is often featured as a pivotal topic in literary texts. Existing legal relationships can determine the historical or the fictive setting of a drama or a plot, narratives can propagate laws or demonstrate their inherent problems. Literature can be used as an integral part of a strategy to implement legally justified demands, it can aim at correcting or even at denouncing legal rules. The authors of this volume examine literary and functional texts from the bible, the Ancient Near East, early Judaism and classical antiquity. They choose from the fields of constitutional law, litigation, family law, property and inheritance law, damages, punishment, privilege and maintenance.