Mosaic covenant

The Mosaic covenant (named after Moses), also known as the Sinaitic Covenant (named after the biblical Mount Sinai), refers to a biblical covenant between God and the biblical Israelites, including their proselytes. The establishment and stipulations of the Mosaic covenant are recorded in the first five books of the Hebrew Bible, which are traditionally attributed to Mosaic authorship and collectively called the Torah, and this covenant is sometimes also referred to as the Law of Moses or Mosaic Law or the 613 Mitzvot.

Historical-critical scholarship

Scholars have examined the sources of the Mosaic covenant, including those within the Pentateuch (such as the Deuteronomist). In the mid-twentieth century, George Mendenhall advanced comparisons of the covenant with agreements in nearby cultures.

Scholarly theories

Old Covenant (Iceland)

The Old Covenant (Icelandic: Gamli sáttmáli) was the name of the agreement which effected the union of Iceland and Norway. It is also known as Gissurarsáttmáli, named after Gissur Þorvaldsson, the Icelandic chieftain who worked to promote it. The name "Old Covenant", however, is probably due to historical confusion. Gamli sáttmáli is properly the treaty of 1302 mentioned below and the treaty of 1262 is the actual Gissurarsáttmáli.

The agreement was made in 1262-1264 between the major chieftains of Iceland and Haakon IV of Norway, and his son and successor, Magnus the Lawgiver. The signing brought about the union of Iceland with Norway, which subsequently led to Iceland's union with Denmark in 1380, by way of the Kalmar Union.

The years preceding the signing of the accord were marked by civil strife in Iceland (the so-called Age of the Sturlungs), as the Norwegian king tried to exert his influence through the Icelandic family clans, most notably the Sturlungs. Gissur Þorvaldsson, a vassal of the king, worked as his agent in the matter.