Corporal Punishment in the Bible by William J. Webb

Author:William J. Webb [Webb, William J.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: InterVarsity Press
Published: 2011-07-11T00:00:00+00:00

An Obligation to Take the Redemptive Spirit Further

This book has argued for reading the corporal punishment texts—the rod, the whip and the heavy knife—within their ancient historical context. Only from the horizon of an ancient Near Eastern world can a reader understand these troubling texts in a different light—one that encounters their redemptive-movement meaning. The forty lashes of Deuteronomy 25:1-3 must be understood against its ancient social context, which included beatings of up to two hundred lashes or strokes, open wounds, bodily mutilations and other forms of torture-like punishment (see chap. 3). The hand amputation text of Deuteronomy 25:11-12 (the only case of prescribed mutilation within the Bible) is actually less harsh than its Assyrian counterpart, and Scripture as a whole evidences considerable restraint within—and redemptive movement away from—an ancient world where one might have expected ten to twenty such mutilation prescriptions (see chap. 4). Similarly, the slave-beating texts of Exodus 21:20-21, 26-27 as we read them within their ANE context show dramatic movement toward greater protection and dignity of the slave.[5] These texts illustrate that an important component of meaning within the corporal punishment texts is their redemptive movement. The essence of this redemptive-movement meaning may be framed as follows:

less harsh, softer forms of punishment

movement toward greater kindness and gentleness

increased protection and safety of the person being beaten

explicit emphasis on the honor and dignity of the person being punished

much greater restraint compared to ANE brutality

summary: a better treatment of human beings in punishment or disciplinary scenarios

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