Description
Book SynopsisExamines sagas and tales from the Bible for the light they shed on the practice of law and on the meaning of a life lived in the legal profession. This book shows that the dilemmas and decisions that legal professionals confront are approached through an experience of narrative in which we come to know ourselves and our actions through stories.
Trade Review“Milner Ball has written a wonderful book, a sustained and fruitful meditation on the relation between fundamental biblical texts and possible meanings of the practice of law in modern America. He illuminates these crucial texts and the law itself in original, surprising, and highly persuasive ways. A truly impressive achievement.”—James Boyd White, author of
Acts of Hope: The Creation of Authority in Literature, Law, and Politics“Simply put, this book is extraordinary. Its author is a wordsmith of the very first order. He says strikingly original things about familiar old texts and acutely probes pressing contemporary issues. Milner Ball is deeply learned across traditional disciplinary lines, but he wears his learning lightly. A wise, clear, and funny conversationalist, he is also extraordinarily deep and inspiring.”—Aviam Soifer, author of
Law and the Company We Keep“This artful interweaving of literature and law evokes the power of biblical narrative to inform contemporary life. The result is a rich tapestry of words for sustained reflection and appropriation.”—Phyllis Trible, author of
Rhetorical Criticism: Context, Method, and the Book of JonahTable of ContentsPrologue
I. Moses
1. Law and the “Mouth” for God
2. Intercession
3. Counsel for the Situation
4. The Word in Moses’ Situation
5. The Risks
6. The Promise of Succession
7. The Promise of Justice
8. Psalm 114
II. The Encompassing Women
9. The Midwives
10. Socratic Midwifery That Isn’t
11. Socratic Midwifery That Is
12. Are You the Lawyers?
13. Miriam
14. Rachel
15. Jeremiah’s Rachel Poem
16. Law and Tears
17. The Womb of God and Tears
III. The Gospel According to John
18. The Jerusalem Trial
19. The Gospel Trail: A Divine Lawsuit
20. A Reversal and Appeal
21. The Power of the Word: Two Women
22. The Power of the Word: Moses and the Spirit
23. The Power of the Word: Disbelief
24. John’s Freedom from and for Law
25. Lawyer’s Independence
Epilogue
Acknowledgments
Appendix
Notes
Index
