Capital Punishment in the Pentateuch: Why the Bible Prescribes Ritual Killing (Hardcover) (ISBN-13: 9780567707192)

Through the application of mimetic theory Skidmore examines the social impact of capital punishment upon the community, and explores the cathartic nature of this practice within key Pentateuchal texts. Skidmore shows how Mimetic theorists such as Girard advance a view that a community ravaged by vengeance and blood feuds may be saved from extinction by scapegoating one of their own. As the community select a common scapegoat, and vent their collective violence upon this person, peace and order are restored. Though an in-depth analysis of various passages, Skidmore reveals this process in key Pentateuchal texts concerning capital punishment. These observations suggest that biblical capital punishment may have functioned as a means of protecting the Israelite community by managing rivalry and violence.

Author: Simon Skidmore
ISBN-10: 0567707199
ISBN-13: 9780567707192
Publisher: T&T Clark
Language: English
Published: 12/15/2022
Pages: 232
Format: Hardcover
Weight: 1.11lbs
Size: 9.21h x 6.14w x 0.56d