The Death Penalty In The Justice System Of The Old Testament

Religion plays a big role in some people 's lives and can influence their opinion on capital punishment. In the U.S. the two largest religions are Christianity and Judaism, within both of those religions some people are for capital punishment and some are against capital punishment. Several christian groups in the late 1970s formalized their religious and moral reasons against the imposition of the death penalty. “Among them was, capital punishment: violated the command by Jesus to employ the ethic of love, perpetuated the evil of retaliation, ignored the guilt that the society may have had in the causation of the crime, and prevented the possibility of any kind of rehabilitation of the criminal” (Flamehorse).

For individuals that are not Babylonian in belief, there is also much discussion of the lex talionis in the pages of Christianity under Exodus: “you shall give life for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand” (Wolf). According to the Bible, the following crimes are cause for death: contempt, trespassing on holy ground, sorcery, prostitution, idolatry, and adultery. Executions were held in the colonial age as a way to “reflect God’s law” and keep the order. The Book of Exodus also sentences murderers to the death penalty: “whoever strikes a man a mortal blow must be put to death” (Wolf). The death penalty was incredibly successful in the past, and as human nature has stayed the same, so should its traditions.

Many people view the death penalty differently and they view capitol punishment as the ultimate warning because if they know they will be killed for their actions, then they are less likely to do so. The supporters of the death penalty also state that the procedures used to kill the prisoners are extremely effective and have the ability to turn off the brain before any pain is felt, therefore, making the death penalty inoffensive. Lastly, and possibly one of the biggest reasons why people still support executions, stems from the biblical verse “an eye for an eye”. This principle, in respect to the death penalty, means that a man who has injured another man must be punished to the same degree.

Even though the deservedness of the capital punishment is stricter and more difficult to achieve today and the ways in which a person is put to death is more humane, the groups that are most active against the death penalty have not backed down. Political, civil rights, and biblical groups have all come together. The political groups are fueled with the interpretations of the 8th and 14th amendments and that it is just simply goes against the constitution because of the "cruel and unusual punishment" that capital punishment seems to bring upon these victims. Civil rights groups on the other hand are opposed to capital punishment because of the seemingly overwhelming disproportionate amount of minorities receiving the death penalty compared to the amount of whites. Last but not least are the religious groups. I find it ironic how in the beginning of American society there were so many instances of putting people to death due to crime while claiming to follow the good book and how now the good book says it is against the word of God to utilize capital punishment methods. "Thou shall not kill," says the Bible. The Bible also says however, "whoso sheddeth man 's blood, by man shall his blood be shed". (Berns 1979: 13) This is not to say that God gave us the power or even the authority to kill, but it is awfully

If an individual commits a gruesome murder of another and is caught, he will be brought before a jury of his peers who will decide his ultimate fate. If convicted of his crimes, the criminal could face the death penalty. Seemingly endless trials and appeals will plague the remaining life this criminal has. His days will be spent in solitary confinement, often with below-standard conditions and treatment. In the end, he will die a painful death, a final performance before an audience, before his curtain falls. When his last breath leaves his lips, the American judicial system can mark off another successful execution, attributed to the name of almighty justice. Something is wrong with this picture. In a society that claims to be advanced in methods of morality and humanity, capital punishment has no place. Capital punishment is the state-sponsored execution of an individual, serving as punishment and atonement for the crime the individual committed. Through legal precedent, the punishment is not applied to mentally-challenged individuals, those whose sanity is questioned, and children under the age of 18 (“Cruel & Unusual?” 4-6). In a post-Hammurabian society, it is not considered appropriate to rape a rapist, burn an arsonist, or steal a kidnapper’s children (Bedau A3). In the same way, we should not be content to execute a killer, willfully enabling revenge and parading it

Capital punishment was written into God’s will for the Jewish nation in the Old Testament. The death penalty was a viable form of punishment for at least sixteen separate offenses. People

Christians say that Jesus taught them that they should try to change the offender to not seek revenge. The 6th commandment says people should not kill yet society would employ a paid executioner if the death penalty was re-introduced. There could be a mistake being made by an innocent person for a crime he or she did not commit, there is also evidence that this has happened in the past.

First and foremost, we need to recognize that God gave the principle of capital punishment before the establishment of the old testament law code. In Genesis 9:6, we have read that

The death penalty has been present, in one way or another, for virtually as long as human civilization has existed. The reasons why are apparent; it is intrinsically logical to human beings that a person who takes the life of another should also be killed. This philosophy is exemplified in the famous Biblical passage, "An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth." However, in light of recent research into ethics, criminology and the justice system, the time has come for us to re-examine our ageless paradigm of revenge.

It is very interesting that this idea is supported in Judaism because there are over thirty accounts of capital punishment in the Old Testament. There are also very well known quotes from the Old Testament on capital punishment such as “a life for a life, an eye for an eye, tooth for a tooth”(Deuteronomy 19:21), and “A man who spills human blood, should have his blood spilled” (Genesis 9:6). Although the Jewish and Roman Catholic views are very similar to one another, the one thing that makes these two views different is that the Jewish faith says that the death penalty should exist. Steven Davidoff stated supports this when he stated, “The Jewish view on the death penalty is that it should exist but it should never be used” (Davidoff 93). This is a very interesting statement because what it is telling us is that the Jewish faith believes that the death penalty should be used as a deterrent. This idea is a great way to look at capital punishment because if the idea of death being a punishment is enforce many criminals are more likely to think twice before committing a serious crime. Despite the current view on capital punishment, in early Jewish Law the idea of the death penalty was supported, but this was due to the fact that other laws and Israel traditions at the time clashed. Forming the theory that a select few crimes should be punishable by death. Although it was supported under Jewish Law it was a very rare occurrence mainly because of the fact that there were many requirements that needed to be proven before the punishment can be

a human being, he must be put to death. Anyone who takes the life of

The belief systems of a civilized society have often dictated the punishment in criminal procedures. In biblical days, the belief system called for stoning for violation of many

Unofficially, capital punishment has a long history in the United States. However, it was not officially ruled as constitutional until 1976. Since then, “more than 900 executions have been carried out,” (ProQuest Staff). Early arguments against the death penalty were made by opponents who stated it violates the Eighth Amendment of the Constitution on the basis of the process being a form of cruel and unusual punishment. On the contrary, supporters of the measure maintain that it is not unconstitutional and is an appropriate consequence reserved for the most heinous cases. Also, at first glance, the research may seem to favor death penalty supporters and their arguments for capital punishment. In a 2007 article in the New York Times, author

Hello, James; overall, great post. First off, I agree with your point that in the Old Testament, God was a bit stricter as it relates to crimes and capital punishment. Then, in the New Testament, He taught on more about forgiveness of crimes. On the other hand, one of the origins of capital punishment is in the Book of Genesis. “The LORD said, “What have you done? Listen! Your brother’s blood cries out to me from the ground” (Genesis 4:10). In this scripture, God has condemned Cain for killing his brother Abel. God did not order Cain to be put to death for his crime. However, from this point on, He expected for all of His children to know what is expected them. “It is common to hear the death penalty described as "barbaric" with reference

has the power to give and take away life as he chooses.  All men are to preserve