Patriarchal Law.

Essay by CharliesAngelUniversity, Bachelor's April 2003

download word file, 11 pages 4.4

Patriarchal Law is often mentioned but rarely do we understand what it is. The English term "patriarch" derives from the Greek 'patriarches', which is actually made of two words - 'pater' meaning "father" and 'arches' meaning "head" or "founder". A patriarch is "the head of a house - the founder or ruler of a tribe, family, or clan. Patriarchal Law is simply the name given to the law that governed all men from the time of Adam to the time of Moses and for all until the Christian disbursement began (Lyons; Min, 2002). People began to acknowledge that laws were to be obeyed and that laws were also based on the principle of what is morally right. Each person could obey or disobey, but at least part of this law included their conscience. Together these laws and eternal principles written in the hearts of man made up what is commonly known as "The Patriarchal Law".

Laws were then passed down from generation to generation.

As society evolves, law develops. Throughout history even in the absence of courts and legislature there was law. This law was a blend of custom, morality, religion and magic. The visible authority was the ruler or chief who was majority of the time male. If the laws or customs as they are often referred to were broken the male ruler or chief would deal with the members and would be the one to pass down a punishment. Tribal society gradually evolved into territorial confederations. Governmental structures emerged and modern law began to take shape. The most significant historical example is Roman law, which influenced most of the legal systems of the world. The Romans developed the Twelve Tables of Rome; these were engraved on bronze tablets in the 5th century BC. They were largely a declaration...