In all societies, law is an absolutely necessary bracket that, through a common compulsory way of acting, guarantees the ties between individuals, groups, and communities usually drifting apart due to their different material and ideal interests. Law assumes this task of promoting the cohesion of society through two basic functions. First, it minimizes violence by regulating social conflicts; second, it secures norms by means of sanctions and thus stabilizes expectations of behavior into socially acceptable actions.

The Codification of Law in the Ancient near East and in Israel

Norms of behavior enforced through the penalty of sanctions and the rules for minimizing violent conflicts were primary forms of law originally transmitted orally. In state-run societies, legal functions tended to be taken over by the state or were put under public supervision. In monarchies, if and for what function laws were written down and codified depended upon...