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[German Version] I. History of Religion – II. Old Testament – III. New Testament – IV. Dogmatics and Ethics – V. Politics and Jurisprudence I. History of Religion …

[German Version] In the broad sense, a state under the rule of law is a state bound by the law (Law and legislation). Because the concept of “law” is so indefinite (predefined law to be followed by the state versus law made by the state), such a definition means little. The German equivalent ( Rechtsstaat) was first used by Carl Theodor Welcker in 1813, in a sense foreshadowed by I. Kant: “The state is an association of people, based on laws and justice” ( Metaphysik der Sitten, 1797, Rechtsleh re, §45; ET: The Metaphysics of Morals, 1996). These laws are laws dictated by reason, which th…

[German Version] I. Terminology – II. History – III. Present-day Issues – IV. Significance for Theology I. Terminology Jurisprudence means the scholarly study of law (Law and jurisprudence) as an academic discipline. The German term Rechtswissenschaft was coined by the German historical school in the early 19th century and was intended to emphasize the scientific nature of legal scholarship: …

[German Version] In addition to its general adjectival use in relation to legislation, this term is used of law-giving authority as a function of the state, also designating the institutions that enact laws (Law and legislation: V) through specific procedures (for the ecclesiastical legislative, cf. Legislation, Church). Rooted in common usage, the generally accepted precedence of the “good old law” in the M…

[German Version] I. Definition – II. Actors and Procedure – III. Criteria and Context I. Definition Legal policy is the guiding force behind legislation in the modern state (III). It seeks to respond to social situations, interests, and needs by analyzing and assessing the situations, defining the interests, and evaluating the needs. Today the shaping of society embodied in policy (Politics) is largely accomplished through legislation. The tax policy that affects the revenue of the state is embodied in tax legislation. The policies with the ¶ greatest expenditures involve the …