Noachide laws

The Concise Oxford Dictionary of World Religions | 1997 | 596 words | Copyright

Noachide laws. The seven laws believed by Jews to be obligatory for everyone. The Noachide laws are based on those given to Adam (Genesis 2. 16) and Noah (Gen.R. 34). They are prohibitions against idolatry, blasphemy, sexual sins, murder, theft, and eating from a living animal, as well as the injunction to formulate a legal system. According to the sages, a Jew is obliged to keep the whole Torah, while every gentile who keeps the Noachide laws is a ger-toshav (‘resident stranger’). Maimonides taught that such a ḥasid (righteous person) has a share in the world to come.

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JOHN BOWKER. "Noachide laws." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of World Religions. 1997. Encyclopedia.com. 9 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

JOHN BOWKER. "Noachide laws." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of World Religions. 1997. Encyclopedia.com. (February 9, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O101-Noachidelaws.html

JOHN BOWKER. "Noachide laws." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of World Religions. 1997. Retrieved February 09, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O101-Noachidelaws.html

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