During the course of his lifelong reflection on history and philosophy, Eric Voegelin was drawn to speculate on the nature of law. This volume consists of many of Voegelin's significant writings in this area, most notably the previously unpublished ""The Nature of the Law"". Voegelin completed ""The Nature of the Law"" in 1957. In it he undertakes a philosophical analysis of the law to determine its nature, or essence, and comes to the conclusion that the law does not exist as a discrete entity but instead constitutes the structure of a society. Also included in this volume is Voegelin's detailed outline for the jurisprudence course he taught at Louisiana State University from 1954 to 1957. Voegelin is concerned here more with the criteria for legal order than he is with the nature of law.