Ancient texts studied in any Western civilization course obviously have relevance to today's society, either through the values ​​they themselves possess, either by the works they inspired; however, not all of the values ​​presented in these works are yet relevant in the modern world. The Tanakh, Sophocles' Antigone and Plato's Apology are no exception to this rule. Each of these works contains central ideas that are incredibly applicable to our modern culture and ideas that are far from appropriate in the 21st century. Across cultures and religions, perhaps one of the most recognizable passages in the Tanakh is the Ten Commandments (Exodus 20:1-14). Here God gives Moses ten laws that are to govern the Israelites. Although this passage may seem relevant because many people, especially those of the Jewish and Christian faith, still observe these laws, it is relevant to today's society for an entirely different reason. These Ten Commandments constitute one of the first sets of written laws and today, countries around the world still have a set of written laws to govern themselves. Other guidelines and laws are presented in Exodus 20:22-23:33 which cover topics ranging from slavery to the murder of others and all of these laws together constituted "a remarkably humane and 'egalitarian' body of social legislation." (Trulove 34). For any society to function properly, whether past or present, it is crucial that there be a set of universal guidelines guiding the people and organizations that make up the aforementioned society. Another characteristic element of many Tanakh books are the long lists. family lines. For example, the entire fifth chapter of Genesis, 32 verses in all, is a “disk…in the middle of a paper…me” (34). Additionally, Socrates comments on the corruption that plagues those who use emotional tactics or family-related appeals to try to escape harsh punishments for criminal charges (36-37). Clearly, with fraudulent charges and defenses riddled with emotional appeals, the legal system in Athens during Socrates' day was far from ideal. In the United States, the legal system is obviously more regulated than that; However, keeping in mind the corrupt justice systems of the past can help keep this negative aspect of Athenian life out of our own lives. As has been demonstrated, many of the early works of Western civilization are still applicable in today's society. Although some of the ideas contained in these ancient texts have been relevant over time and are still applicable today, while others have no place in current times, there is much to learn from the works from the past..