ABSTRACT
There is a rather straightforward view of disaster and suffering. This has been called the classical view. It says that not doing the right thing invites disaster and subsequent suffering. Violating instructions leads to punishment and sanctions. This view has come into Judeo-Christianity from centuries, millennia, of oral near-East history, eventually passing into written texts. Jewish tradition has in fact been called "the religion of laws", as many of its early books are dedicated to governing and controlling the most intricate aspects of daily existence. The genius of this arrangement, of course, was that religion was essentially totalitarian, ever-present in ancient Israel, undeniably pressed into the capillaries of people's lives. A religion of laws offered relatively simple explanations for disasters and suffering. Disaster was brought about by the violation of such laws, and the spurning of their divine source. As with all laws, of course, there was room for interpretation.
