The Legitimation of Power in Hammurabi’s Code of Law
An appeal to the authority of deities occurs at the very start of Hammurabi’s Code of Law. In the ‘prologue’ section of the code, Hammurabi begins by laying out a brief history of the two gods who have granted him the right to rule, “Anu, king of the Anunnaki gods, and Enlil, lord of heaven and earth1.” He goes on to enumerate his god-given duties, which include the insurance of justice, protecting the weak from oppression, and the general promotion of welfare, and then proceeds to list the codes’ 282 laws. Using the authority of gods to legitimate one’s rule is an extremely common theme throughout history around the world; it is one of the three main ways rulers attempt to legitimize their power in the tripartite authority classification system created by German economist and sociologist Max Weber2. In Hammurabi’s case, the legitimation calls upon legal and traditional authority, in addition to charismatic (divine) authority. …show more content…
A few lines into the prologue he says “Anu and Enlil named me, Hammurabi, exalted prince, the worshipper of the gods, to cause justice to prevail in the land3.” Rather than deifying himself, he relies on the rhetoric of having been appointed to his position by the gods, whom he worships; the implication here being that he comes from the same place his followers do, he also worships the mighty gods of Anunnaki, and they chose him to rule over his people. This allows him to maintain a common link to his people, rather than overshadowing them by ascending to god status. However, while this is a powerful source of authority, it is not Hammurabi’s only claim to
An appeal to the authority of deities occurs at the very start of Hammurabi’s Code of Law. In the ‘prologue’ section of the code, Hammurabi begins by laying out a brief history of the two gods who have granted him the right to rule, “Anu, king of the Anunnaki gods, and Enlil, lord of heaven and earth1.” He goes on to enumerate his god-given duties, which include the insurance of justice, protecting the weak from oppression, and the general promotion of welfare, and then proceeds to list the codes’ 282 laws. Using the authority of gods to legitimate one’s rule is an extremely common theme throughout history around the world; it is one of the three main ways rulers attempt to legitimize their power in the tripartite authority classification system created by German economist and sociologist Max Weber2. In Hammurabi’s case, the legitimation calls upon legal and traditional authority, in addition to charismatic (divine) authority. …show more content…
A few lines into the prologue he says “Anu and Enlil named me, Hammurabi, exalted prince, the worshipper of the gods, to cause justice to prevail in the land3.” Rather than deifying himself, he relies on the rhetoric of having been appointed to his position by the gods, whom he worships; the implication here being that he comes from the same place his followers do, he also worships the mighty gods of Anunnaki, and they chose him to rule over his people. This allows him to maintain a common link to his people, rather than overshadowing them by ascending to god status. However, while this is a powerful source of authority, it is not Hammurabi’s only claim to