Trials By Ordeal (Remastered)

Rushdoony exposes the pagan roots and theological flaws of trial by ordeal, contrasting its reliance on nature as judge with the biblical insistence that only God is sovereign over justice. Where ancient and medieval ordeals trusted boiling water or poison to reveal guilt, the biblical law of jealousy (Numbers 5) rested not on superstition, but on divine judgment in the absence of evidence. This chapter cuts to the heart of the matter: law rooted in nature exalts fallen creation, while biblical law submits all—man, nature, and judgment—to God’s sovereign authority.