Greek island hydrofoil ferry
Greek island shoreline
Leaving the harbor of a Greek island
Parthenon at night in Athens, Greece
Parthenon during the day in Athens, Greece
Roof of the Parthenon
Ruins of the Temple of Zeus in Athens
Street Vendor's Book Display — Nietzsche (Thus Spoke Zarathustra) and Camus (The Stranger) — Secular gods
Top of the Mars' Hill in Athens, Greece

Authority of Law

Standing to the right-side of the entrance of the U.S. Supreme court is the statue entitled, Authority of Law. The statue's sword illustrates the enforcement power of the law. Instructively, the tablet of marble is inscribed with the Latin word, LEX, and it is in front of the sword. Lex is the Latin word for law. In other words, the statue teaches us that the power of the sword needs to be subservient to estabilished law and not the arbitrary orders of rulers.

Aristotle wrote in Politics the following,

Surely all matters of this kind are better regulated by law than by the will of man, which is a very unsafe rule.Aristotle (350 BC), Politics, Book 2 (part 10).

Law as teacher

Contemplation of JusticeLaw has two duties.

1. Its first duty is to teach and promulgate what is morally good.

2. Its second duty is to punish the evil doer.

The law's first duty as teacher may be seen in the Contemplation of Justice in front of the U.S. Supreme Court building in Washington, D.C. Here the seated lady is contemplating a figurine of Justice in her right hand. The figurine is blindfolded and holding a folded scale, indicating that justice should be applied without partiality (blindfolded) and should be applied in measure (scales) according to the measure of evil done. The book of  law is under the lady's left arm, indicating that human law needs to be written and promulgated before its enforcement. 

Before its enforcement, law must be promulgated by written code and teaching so the law is known and understood by the ruled.

So He declared to you His covenant which He commanded you to perform, that is, the Ten Commandments; and He wrote them on two tablets of stone. Deuteronomy 4: 13

Now this is the commandment, the statutes and the judgments which the LORD your God has commanded me to teach you, that you might do them in the land where you are going over to possess it. Deuteronomy 6: 1

For Ezra had devoted himself to the study and observance of the Law of the LORD, and to teaching its decrees and laws in Israel. Ezra 7:10

Book in left arm of the Contemplation of JusticeeWherefore, in order that a law obtain the binding force which is proper to a law, it must needs be applied to the men who have to be ruled by it. Such application is made by its being notified to them by promulgation. Wherefore promulgation is necessary for the law to obtain its force.  Thomas Aquinas, Summa Theologica, 1st Part of 2nd Part, Question 90, Article 4, I  answer that.

Regarding God's natural law, it is understood by reason, conscience, human biology, and scripture.

Humankind has an inherent knowledge and understanding of good and evil (the tree of the knowledge of good and evil Genesis 2:17). 

The natural law is promulgated by the very fact that God instilled it into man's mind so as to be known by him naturally. Thomas Aquinas, Summa Theologica, 1st Part of 2nd Part, Question 90, Article 4, Reply to Objection 1.

Standing on Mars' Hill (Areopagus) looking toward the Acropolis

View of Parthenon from Mars HillThen Paul stood in the midst of Mars' hill, and said, Ye men of Athens, I perceive that in all things ye are too superstitious. For as I passed by, and beheld your devotions, I found an altar with this inscription, TO THE UNKNOWN GOD. Whom therefore ye ignorantly worship, him declare I unto you. God that made the world and all things therein, seeing that he is Lord of heaven and earth, dwelleth not in temples made with hands; Neither is worshipped with men's hands, as though he needed any thing, seeing he giveth to all life, and breath, and all things; Acts 17:22-25

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