John Van Seters challenges the long-standing academic consensus that the Covenant Code serves as the foundational, oldest legal text within the Hebrew Bible. By re-examining the relationship between the Covenant Code, Deuteronomy, and the Holiness Code, Van Seters argues that the Covenant Code is a later composition that relies upon these other texts as primary sources. This work utilizes historical-critical methodology to dismantle the traditional chronological framework of biblical law.

Scholars recognize this text as a significant intervention in biblical legal studies that forces a re-evaluation of established chronological assumptions. Readers frequently note the academic density of the prose and the rigorous, technical nature of the comparative analysis provided by the author.