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Digest of the Divine Law
This is a new release of the original 1943 edition.
272 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1943
About the author
Howard B. Rand
35 books5 followersHoward Benjamin Rand (June 13, 1889 - October 17, 1991) was an attorney, inventor, author/theologian, publisher and the founder of the Anglo-Saxon Federation of America, a British-Israelite religious organization. In 1937 he established Destiny Publishers in his home town of Haverhill, Massachusetts and until 1968 was the editor of their publication The Message of The Covenant, later renamed Destiny Magazine.[1]
Mr. Rand graduated from the University of Maine in 1912, where he received the LL.B degree and was a member of Phi Alpha Delta. He passed the bar in Maine and Massachusetts, and served in the Maine National Guard during the great Bangor fire. An inventor, he held many patents, including the electric incandescent lamp in 1916, and the automobile headlamp socket. He held patents in the United States, Great Britain, Australia and France. His book 'Digest of Divine Law' (ISBN-10:10-9101) 1943, was a comprehensive overview of the application of the Divine Law in national life.
He married Hazel Gertrude Smith in 1913.
Mr. Rand even made a modest foray into politics, becoming a three-time candidate for Massachusetts state office on the Prohibition Party ticket.
Not very much is known about his religious background except that he was raised a Baptist but later became “non-denominational” -- doubtlessly a development stemming from his growing acceptance of and knowledge in traditional Christian thought and teaching.
Rand was assisted by William J. Cameron, the public relations executive to Henry Ford. Cameron interpreted the Bible as a racial book and was one of the earlier active proponents of the proposition that "The Jews are not God’s chosen people."[2] This began the transition of the doctrine of British Israelism into Anglo Israel theology. Also known as the Covenant People Message, True Israel theology, Euro Israelism, and Anglo Israelism. Another outgrowth of these ideas is known as Christian Identity. It should be noted however, that the term “CI” has been become exceedingly ambiguous in the postmodern age and is claimed by a wide variety of people subscribing to everything from ancient aliens theories to the most hardline tenets of Christian Identity; which have accumulated criticisms from a growing number of Christian Nationalists that it has strayed dramatically from Orthodox Christian dogma.
Due to this confusion the aforementioned terms have come into use amongst serious Christian scholars who believe in the veracity of Anglo Israel theology and embrace it as part and parcel of orthodoxy yet wish to distance themselves from the more extreme factions under the Covenant theology umbrella.
Mr. Rand shook of his mortal coil and joined the ranks of the Church Triumphant being full of years at the age of 101.
~
This article is predominantly sourced from Metapedia, with minor revisions made to information dealing with Mr. Rand’s theology.
OFFICIAL facebook page:
https://www.facebook.com/Howard-B-Ran...
Mr. Rand graduated from the University of Maine in 1912, where he received the LL.B degree and was a member of Phi Alpha Delta. He passed the bar in Maine and Massachusetts, and served in the Maine National Guard during the great Bangor fire. An inventor, he held many patents, including the electric incandescent lamp in 1916, and the automobile headlamp socket. He held patents in the United States, Great Britain, Australia and France. His book 'Digest of Divine Law' (ISBN-10:10-9101) 1943, was a comprehensive overview of the application of the Divine Law in national life.
He married Hazel Gertrude Smith in 1913.
Mr. Rand even made a modest foray into politics, becoming a three-time candidate for Massachusetts state office on the Prohibition Party ticket.
Not very much is known about his religious background except that he was raised a Baptist but later became “non-denominational” -- doubtlessly a development stemming from his growing acceptance of and knowledge in traditional Christian thought and teaching.
Rand was assisted by William J. Cameron, the public relations executive to Henry Ford. Cameron interpreted the Bible as a racial book and was one of the earlier active proponents of the proposition that "The Jews are not God’s chosen people."[2] This began the transition of the doctrine of British Israelism into Anglo Israel theology. Also known as the Covenant People Message, True Israel theology, Euro Israelism, and Anglo Israelism. Another outgrowth of these ideas is known as Christian Identity. It should be noted however, that the term “CI” has been become exceedingly ambiguous in the postmodern age and is claimed by a wide variety of people subscribing to everything from ancient aliens theories to the most hardline tenets of Christian Identity; which have accumulated criticisms from a growing number of Christian Nationalists that it has strayed dramatically from Orthodox Christian dogma.
Due to this confusion the aforementioned terms have come into use amongst serious Christian scholars who believe in the veracity of Anglo Israel theology and embrace it as part and parcel of orthodoxy yet wish to distance themselves from the more extreme factions under the Covenant theology umbrella.
Mr. Rand shook of his mortal coil and joined the ranks of the Church Triumphant being full of years at the age of 101.
~
This article is predominantly sourced from Metapedia, with minor revisions made to information dealing with Mr. Rand’s theology.
OFFICIAL facebook page:
https://www.facebook.com/Howard-B-Ran...
Ratings & Reviews
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
April 10, 2016
When I finished with choir practice and stepped to my seat at the of the middle section of chairs in the room we use for services at our congregation this past Sabbath, this book was on my chair. When I ate dinner after services with the person who gave me the book, the person expressed some impatience about reading the review to the book. Interestingly enough, when I started reading the book this morning, I found that a bookmark had been placed on the page where the author talks about the seventh commandment, which I found to be a very intriguing though a not necessarily personally relevant location, although I thought it not an accidental placement either. At any rate, while I had good motivation to read this book, and to read it fairly quickly, at just over 200 pages of very concise and direct prose, this is a book that is easy to read, and organized in such a straightforward fashion about such important material that it is likely to be an easy book to reread as well as a worthwhile resource for continued reflections on God's laws and their applications in the contemporary world. Although the printing of the book I have was made slightly more than 30 years ago, the book itself was originally published in the period just after World War II, although given its style it could have easily been written in the Victorian era, except for its reference to the Bretton Woods economic system that was just beginning as the book was published.
The contents of this book are far more concise and to the point than would be expected from such a robust pronomian book. After all, this book is in the same general genre of books as those by Theonomists, though it is far more congenial to biblical thought and far less beholden to mistaken Calvinist theology [1] or bogus and social darwinistic Austrian economics [2], and is therefore a better book than many of the others within the same broad category of books in favor of the universal application and enforcement of God's laws by a considerable amount. The book is just over 200 pages, including an appendix that speaks out against the use of the gold standard and the continual economic manipulation of central bankers, and the book's contents are far-ranging and very sound. After an introductory chapter that seeks to define the scope of God's law as remains important for Christians to follow and that existed before the covenant with Israel at Sinai, the author gives a history of the importance of God's law throughout biblical history and a critique of Christian anarchists who act without any regard for God's laws and ways. The author then discusses the importance of the Kingdom of Israel, past and future, in understanding the scope of biblical law, before discussing the importance of God's laws in providing for the well-being of individuals and families. There are then two chapters that discuss the Ten Commandments, first as they apply to man's relationship with God (the first five commandments), and the second part as they apply to our relationship with other people (the last five commandments). After this the author discusses three important laws relating to economic systems, the forbidding of interest, and taxation before including pointed and practical chapters on matters like the proper relationship between management and labor, property rights, the organization and administration of government, the judicial system, war and military service, and the king's instruction to His cabinet, which includes a thoughtful exegesis of the Sermon on the Mount as it applies to the application of God's laws for Christians today.
Overall, this is a fantastic book. While there are some minor points in which I would quibble about the application of laws, or for the author's agnostic stance on the proper day of the week on which the Sabbath should be observed, where the author's discussion seems mainly focused on a particular argument about an unbroken series of Sabbaths going back to the times of Moses, or the question as to whether it is acceptable to eat mushrooms or not, these are very minor quibbles for the most part when considered with the massive agreement, particularly in the overall approach to God's laws, that can be found in this book. The author is among the few people who has thought seriously about the application of God's laws to contemporary society [3], and as his thoughts are based on the view that God is the only being who is allowed to make laws, and that all godly law either comes about from direct divine revelation or from judgments of case law that spring from divinely given laws, it is little surprise that he should so consistently hit the mark when it came to applying God's laws to mankind. The book is old fashioned in the best way--direct, uncompromising, and openly honest, with a clarity of thought and a sober, critical attitude towards contemporary political ideologies that is nonpartisan, except as a partisan of the kingdom of heaven. This is a book that is possibly out of print, but deserves to be read, not least so that readers who are of the same belief system that God's laws are to be universally applied in the prophetic future can think about some of the applications to God's laws that can take place today on an individual or congregational and institutional level. It is impossible to guess whether this book had a past influence on the Church of God and its views on the Law, or if this book was influenced by the Church of God, but regardless of which way the influence, if any, lies, this is a book that deserves to be better known today, not least because its warnings about the oppressive nature of contemporary government are so prescient.
[1] https://edgeinducedcohesion.wordpress...
[2] https://edgeinducedcohesion.wordpress...
[3] See, for example:
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May 28, 2020
Without a doubt the best book I have read this year! Howard Rand approaches the Divine Law of God from a personal, national and financial point of view. The Bible makes the outstanding claim of blessing if we live according to its law. Relational blessing if we abide by the moral law. And national blessing if we abide by its judgements, statutes and principles. This is a bold claim! One that the author proposes we look at in depth and put to the test.
One of the interesting points is how we as believers have placed high value on the moral law but not equal value on the statutes and judgements found therein. Jesus was clear about his position on the law, in that he was not here to abolish it and yet so many Christians do not take time to study the law of God as shown in the Torah. To show how serious Jesus took the law, rather than abolish it he doubled down on it and made the people realise that the law is not just about outward observance for God sees hearts and minds. One must live right in thought word and deed, something that is impossible outside Christ.
Another interesting matter is that the Bible calls the charging of interest sinful. This is something that the majority of modern day Christians cannot stomach and would rather avoid even thought there is no way of squeezing this into the laws that are negated through the death of the Lord Jesus Christ. Howard Rand explains this by explaining how God made man, how God made work and what God values. That portion of the book alone is worth the price of picking it up.
A final point I can point to from the book is the view of government. Christians should believe, and the Bible teaches that the source of all law is God. We do not have the liberty to make whatever laws we want just because we are in political office. God saw this as paramount which is why God focuses on the Character and God Fearing quality of leaders rather than imagination, vision or even intelligence. However this is not what we value and this is not what we think or stand against. The ultimate authority is God and it is possible for legislators to pen wrong and unjust laws because there is all law is placed by the ultimate authority, God, and so any law that contradicts his word is wrong, sinful and immoral.
This book is well worth reading and I cannot recommend it highly enough.
One of the interesting points is how we as believers have placed high value on the moral law but not equal value on the statutes and judgements found therein. Jesus was clear about his position on the law, in that he was not here to abolish it and yet so many Christians do not take time to study the law of God as shown in the Torah. To show how serious Jesus took the law, rather than abolish it he doubled down on it and made the people realise that the law is not just about outward observance for God sees hearts and minds. One must live right in thought word and deed, something that is impossible outside Christ.
Another interesting matter is that the Bible calls the charging of interest sinful. This is something that the majority of modern day Christians cannot stomach and would rather avoid even thought there is no way of squeezing this into the laws that are negated through the death of the Lord Jesus Christ. Howard Rand explains this by explaining how God made man, how God made work and what God values. That portion of the book alone is worth the price of picking it up.
A final point I can point to from the book is the view of government. Christians should believe, and the Bible teaches that the source of all law is God. We do not have the liberty to make whatever laws we want just because we are in political office. God saw this as paramount which is why God focuses on the Character and God Fearing quality of leaders rather than imagination, vision or even intelligence. However this is not what we value and this is not what we think or stand against. The ultimate authority is God and it is possible for legislators to pen wrong and unjust laws because there is all law is placed by the ultimate authority, God, and so any law that contradicts his word is wrong, sinful and immoral.
This book is well worth reading and I cannot recommend it highly enough.
March 9, 2016
One of the most remarkable treatises on the pervasive applicability of God's law to society I have ever read. This is the sort of work that put Theonomy on the map before it was widely known by that name.
October 28, 2024
This seems to be one of those timeless books. This goes in depth in the Devine law of humankind. It also has accounts as to how the founding fathers of the United States used the Devine law to write the Declaration and Constitution of the United States.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews