Law Schools and Romans

[Symphony]

I've heard that several U.S. law schools use to include the book of Romans as one of their texts.

Anybody heard this, and how would you go about finding out?



   

[cris]

I've heard that several U.S. law schools use to include the book of Romans as one of their texts.

Anybody heard this, and how would you go about finding out?



   

There's an article on the web by a Dr. Jack L. Arnold entitled, Introduction to Romans.  He makes mention of it but doesn't name, or, go into detail.  Here's what he said, "Law schools have been known to require their students to memorize Romans because of its masterful logic.  Never has there been a book like Romans---it is profound in doctrine but extremely practical."

I would imagine for the above reason, some schools might require their law students to read Romans.

By the way, I found a book on Amazon I thought you would find interesting,  Written on the Heart: The Case for Natural Law by J. Budziszewski.  There are several reader reviews on that page which gave the book high marks.  Check it out.  

I have about 8 books in the house that I want to read but haven't been able to get to.  I want to read this one, also.  I forget what the publishing date is.  Possibly it's available at the library.

Mentioning the library---------I'm wondering if the reference librarian at your local library could be of some help in locating information on law schools requiring their students to read Romans.  Just a thought!

cris

[Symphony]

thank you, cris.

i should go over & take a look at Amazon's critique there, on that book.

Our local library thru interlibrary loan is very good at getting just about any book.

On law schools using Romans as a reference tool is so specific, tho.  Last time i checked, there were some 185 law schools in the US; may be more, now, don't know - or less.  

Law schools are at the vanguard of any national psyche - influencial.  

I was recently reading the first account of the slave Frederick Douglass, c. 1845.  At the end, his Appendix makes a laudatory endorsement of '...the Christianity of Jesus...', as he calls it.  This was in a hard-copy edition, of 1963.

But when i went to an on-line edition of the same book, sponsored by a Berkeley group, i notice the Appendix is missing.

I may be missing something, but it's this sort of treatment that makes me wonder - even if law schools had been using the book of Romans, would that fact have long since been carefully erased?  It would just about have to be - at least from any or most law schools' archives/consciousness.

Including a book from the Bible in a law school's curriculae would be tantamount to wholesale heresy, in today's social and political climate; I'm guessing they'd have to deny it ever happened.

Most law schools and/or lawyers are at least sympathetic to, for instance, the gay rights issue; and Romans pulls no punches in it's opening chapter, on such behavior.

To find out, however, one literally would have to survey, and research, one by one, all 185 or so, law schools.  And you might have to do some sleuthing, ala Sherlock Holmes, since such 'embarrassing' detail may have long since been, shall we say, 'santized'.  

And taking the time, resources and energy to do that extra undercover work, would be cost prohibitive - to do it adequately.  You'd be paddling your canoe upstream, and possibly not much sympathy or help from, say, law school librarians.  Just a guess, but that's my thinking, on it.

But to me a very interesting topic.  A major embarrassment.  

I do recall reading somewhere, that the undergraduate curriculae at, like Harvard and Yale, included significant coursework in New Testament studies - and was required.