The Book of Deuteronomy

The Book of Deuteronomy stands as a milestone within the Bible of both Jews and Christians. As the fifth of the great books of Moses it links the biblical tradition to the birth of civilization in the ancient Near East, formulating a system of laws which relate to the earliest of humankind's written law codes. In Deuteronomy these laws are woven into a tradition of spiritual development and education which have provided several of the most central themes of western spirituality. Whether in setting out fundamental political principles, social policy or in nurturing right attitudes to worship, wealth and poverty, Deuteronomy holds a central place within the Judaeo-Christian tradition. Sometimes misunderstood, and sometimes dangerously misapplied, it nevertheless provides the modern reader and preacher with vital insights into the inseparability of faith from the quality of human life and close inter-relationship between morality and the structure of society. The present-day preacher will not have far to look to find that the issues with which it deals remain vitally important ones for contemporary society.