Introduction Part I: Methodology Proposition 1: The Old Testament Is an Ancient Document Proposition 2: The Way We Interpret the Torah Today Is Influenced by the Way We Think Law and Legislation Work Part II: Function of Ancient Near Eastern Legal Collections Proposition 3: Legal Collections in the Ancient World Are Not Legislation Proposition 4: Ancient Near Eastern Legal Collections Teach Wisdom Proposition 5: The Torah Is Similar to Ancient Near Eastern Legal Collections and Therefore also Teaches Wisdom, not Legislation Proposition 6: The Israelite Covenant Effectively Functions as an Ancient Near Eastern Suzerainty Treaty Proposition 7: Holiness Is a Status, Not an Objective Part III: Ritual and Torah Proposition 8: Ancient Near Eastern Ritual Served to Meet the Needs of the Gods Proposition 9: Ancient Israelite Ritual Serves to Maintain Covenant Order Because Yahweh Has No Needs Part IV: Context of the Torah Proposition 10: The Torah Is Similar to Ancient Near Eastern Legal Collections Because It Is Embedded in the Same Cultural Context, Not Because It Is Dependent on Them Proposition 11: The Differences Between the Torah and the Ancient Near Eastern Legal Collections Are Found Not in Legislation but in the Order Founded in the Covenant Proposition 12: Torah Is Situated in Context of the Ancient World Proposition 13: Torah Is Situated in the Context of the Covenant Proposition 14: Torah Is Situated in the Context of Israelite Theology Regarding Yahweh's Presence Residing Among Them Part V: Ongoing Significance of the Torah Proposition 15: Discussions of Law in the New Testament Do Not Tell Us Anything About Old Testament Torah in Context Proposition 16: The Torah Should Not Be Divided into Categories to Separate Out What Is Relevant Proposition 17: Torah Was Never Intended to Provide Salvation Proposition 18: Divine Instruction Can Be Understood as a Metaphor of Health Rather than a Metaphor of Law Proposition 19: We Cannot Gain Moral Knowledge or Build a System of Ethics Based on Reading the Torah in Context and Deriving Principles from It Proposition 20: Torah Cannot Provide Prooftexts for Solving Issues Today Proposition 21: The Ancient Israelites Would Not Have Understood the Torah as Providing Divine Moral Instruction Proposition 22: A Divine Command Theory of Ethics Does Not Require that the Torah Is Moral Instruction Proposition 23: Taking the Torah Seriously Means Understanding What It Was Written to Say, Not Converting It into Moral Law Summary of Conclusions Appendix: The Decalogue Further Reading Subject Index Scripture Index.