Previous Challenge Entry (Level 3 - Advanced)
Topic: WOUND (11/26/20)
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TITLE: A Wound for a Wound? | Previous Challenge Entry
By Bruce Phenix
12/02/20 -
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To the modern person this principle of retaliation, enshrined in law, may well seem harsh or even barbaric, and the knowledge that the principle existed in the Babylonian, Roman and other ancient law codes is not likely to alter that perception. Such a modern viewpoint on the matter probably underlies the words often attributed to Gandhi, “An eye for an eye leaves the whole world blind.”
If we wish to view this matter fairly, however, it is important for us to realise four things. Firstly, the purpose of this legal principle was to limit the severity of the available redress to a punishment equal to the crime, discouraging the excesses of blood-feuds or vendettas. Secondly, the principle was applicable not to private vengeance or retribution but to the civil or public justice of the courts, where it acted as a guide for judges who fixed the penalty in such cases. Thirdly, this form of justice applied equally to all Israelites, and so gave some measure of protection to the poor and powerless if they had to deal with the rich and powerful. And fourthly, it was probably only the death penalty that was regularly enforced in this way, with financial compensation being the usual redress for physical injuries. (In fact, the only clear Biblical example of a bodily injury in kind being inflicted on someone is in Judges 1:6-7, where the Judahites cut off the thumbs and big toes of the Canaanite king Adoni-bezek, as he himself has done to seventy other kings.)
Jesus quotes and comments on the principle of retaliation in Matthew 5:38-41: “You have heard that it was said, ‘An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.’ But I say to you, Do not resist an evildoer. But if anyone strikes you on the right cheek, turn the other also; and if anyone wants to sue you and take your coat, give your cloak as well; and if anyone forces you to go one mile, go also the second mile.” The power and appeal of Jesus’s profound words are clear from the widespread use to this day of the expressions ‘turn the other cheek’ and (with a slight change) ‘go the extra mile’. It seems clear, however, that in this passage Jesus is not questioning the application of the principle of proportionate redress in civil law; rather, he is questioning its application to personal conduct. In other words, Jesus is telling those who wish to be his disciples that they need to show a spirit of generosity, humility and gentleness in their dealings with others, restraining the impulse to resist or retaliate when mistreated and being willing to forgo any legal right to redress.
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And a well-written article.
May I suggest you take those long paragraphs and break them down into several shorter paragraphs? Find the natural, comfortable breaks in thought and apply them. A good rule of thumb is to start a new paragraph after each verse you quote. Your commentary on the verse becomes a "new" thought.
It will cause your articles to be easier on your readers.