d to by everyone and used as a source of authority. People can debate what it means, but not what it says. "The truth is given once and for all and need only to be transmitted" (193). It was the humble acceptance of the Pentateuch and the teachings embodied therein that gave it the power to become the foundation of their society.
Having a written set of laws changes the way a society relates to its leaders, because the leaders draw their power from these laws. Cannon is an early form of constitution. "It includes guidelines for the ruler, the judiciary, priests, and other cult officials" (60). The story of Kind David and Bathsheba, found in the second book of Samuel, chapters 11 and 12, shows how King David is subject not just to the individual laws, but to the whole spirit of justice from which they were written.
The Pentateuch acted like an anchor for the Jews during good and bad times alike. When things were going well they gave praise to God for his goodness. When things were bad they blamed themselves and returned to the ways of their Torah in the hopes of regaining God's favor. This document became the very foundation of their society.
The Jews adhered to the laws of the Torah very closely for hundreds of years. Whenever their political situation was threatened, their oppressors attempted to force them to recant their religion as well and found it very difficult to do. Yet the refusal of the Jews to compromise generally resulted in martyrdom, which does little to perpetuate political dominance.
This changed rather suddenly while the country of Judah was under Grecian rule. When Antiochus IV outlawed the Torah in Jerusalem in 168 BCE, many of the Jews rebelled against it. The original groups lost soldiers because they would not fight on the Sabbath. Greek armies took advantage of this to slaughter them.
Even by modern standards this is outrageous. Not the fighting on the Sabbath, but att...