TIP OF THE DAY 132: Time by covenant and dispensations; Excursus: classification of law

I am adding these posts to the previous tip list L/V 10 Tip of the Day (when it doesn't time out)

QUESTION: What are the Biblical eras by covenant and dispensation?

SOFTWARE: Built from a series of smart All searches.

ANSWER:

EXCURSUS QUESTION: How are the laws of the Torah classified outside of the traditional classes shown in Brannan, Rick, ed. Commandments of the Law. Bellingham, WA: Faithlife, 2015.?

ANSWER: From a previous post of mine: Vote at (God's) Commandments classification chart — Logos Community

One annoyance I have with Logos is its tendency to choose a single option that stresses one particular aspect and present it without mention of the alternative. For example, I would like to see multiple ways of classifying the commandments/laws. Some of the options (from Perplexity):

Jewish Classifications

Traditional Rabbinic Classification [We have this in an interactive]

613 Mitzvot (Commandments)

• 248 Positive Commandments
• 365 Negative Commandments

Maimonides' ClassificationMaimonides organized the 613 commandments into 14 books in his Mishneh Torah:

• Knowledge
• Love
• Seasons
• Women
• Holiness
• Asseverations
• Seeds
• Divine Service
• Sacrifices
• Purity
• Injuries
• Acquisition
• Judgments
• Judges

Modern Jewish ApproachesContemporary Jewish scholars often classify commandments based on their ethical and ritual functions:

• Ethical Commandments
• Ritual Commandments
• Social Justice Commandments
• Family-related Commandments

Christian Classifications

Traditional Ten Commandments Division

• Commandments relating to God (1-4)
• Commandments relating to Humans (5-10)

Luther's ClassificationMartin Luther categorized commandments in his catechism:

• First Table (Commandments 1-3): Duties to God
• Second Table (Commandments 4-10): Duties to Neighbors

Reformed Tradition ClassificationOften divides the law into three categories:

• Moral Law
• Ceremonial Law
• Civil Law

Historical Classifications

Augustine's ClassificationAugustine proposed a division of the Decalogue:

• Commandments concerning God (1-3)
• Commandments concerning the Sabbath (4)
• Commandments concerning human relationships (5-10)

Thomas Aquinas' ApproachAquinas classified laws in his Summa Theologica:

• Eternal Law
• Natural Law
• Human Law
• Divine Law (Old and New Law)

Contemporary Scholarly Approaches

Form-Critical ClassificationBased on the literary form of the commandment:

• Apodictic Laws
• Casuistic Laws

Socio-Historical ClassificationCategorizing commandments based on their historical context:

• Pre-Monarchic Commandments
• Monarchic Commandments
• Exilic/Post-Exilic Commandments

Thematic ClassificationMany modern scholars classify commandments based on their primary themes:

• Worship-related Commandments
• Ethical Commandments
• Social Justice Commandments
• Purity Laws

Jacob Milgrom's Holiness Classification

Jacob Milgrom, a renowned scholar of Leviticus, proposed a classification based on the concept of holiness:

• Ritual Purity Laws
• Moral Purity Laws
• Genealogical Purity Laws
• Land Purity Laws

Mary Douglas' Anthropological Approach

Mary Douglas, applying anthropological insights, suggested:

• Boundary-Marking Commandments
• Structural Commandments
• Symbolic Commandments
• Integrative Commandments

Walter Brueggemann's Covenantal Classification

Brueggemann categorizes commandments within a covenantal framework:

• Commandments of Fidelity
• Commandments of Freedom
• Commandments of Justice
• Commandments of Blessing

John H. Walton's Ancient Near Eastern Context Approach

Walton classifies commandments based on their ancient Near Eastern cultural context:

• Identity-Forming Commandments
• Order-Maintaining Commandments
• Relationship-Defining Commandments
• Wisdom-Oriented Commandments

Richard E. Friedman's Source-Critical Classification

Friedman, using source criticism, categorizes commandments based on their presumed textual origins:

• J Source Commandments
• E Source Commandments
• P Source Commandments
• D Source Commandments

Phyllis Trible's Feminist Interpretation

Trible offers a classification from a feminist perspective:

• Gender-Inclusive Commandments
• Patriarchal Commandments
• Liberating Commandments
• Ambiguous Commandments

Traditional Three-fold Division

This widely accepted scheme, particularly in Reformed theology, divides the Old Testament law into three categories:

• Moral Law: Considered eternally binding (e.g., Ten Commandments)
• Ceremonial Law: Fulfilled in Christ (e.g., sacrificial system)
• Civil Law: Specific to ancient Israel's governance

New Covenant Theology Approach

This perspective emphasizes the distinction between Old and New Covenants:

• Old Covenant Laws: Abrogated with the coming of Christ
• New Covenant Laws: Derived from Christ's teachings and apostolic writings

Dispensationalist View

Dispensationalism categorizes laws based on different dispensations or eras:

• Edenic Law
• Adamic Law
• Noahic Law
• Mosaic Law
• Messianic Law (Millennial Kingdom)

Lutheran Two Kingdoms Doctrine

This approach distinguishes between:

• Laws of the Earthly Kingdom: Governing civil affairs
• Laws of the Spiritual Kingdom: Governing spiritual matters

Catholic Natural Law Theory

Developed by Thomas Aquinas and others:

1. Eternal Law: God's rational plan for the universe
2. Natural Law: Moral law knowable through reason
3. Divine Law: Revealed in Scripture
4. Human Law: Positive law enacted by human authority

John Calvin's Use of the Law

Calvin proposed three uses of the law:

• Pedagogical Use: Revealing sin and need for grace
• Civil Use: Restraining evil in society
• Didactic Use: Guiding believers in righteous living