Full Description
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.
Contents
Acknowledgements
Introduction
1. Imago Dei and Human Immolation
2. Method
3. The Blasphemer of Leviticus 24:10-23
4. The Sabbath-gatherer of Numbers 15:32-36
5. Homicide in the Pentateuch
6. The Management of Mimetic Rivalry in Leviticus 18 and 20
7. Sexual Offences and Mimetic Rivalry in Deuteronomy 22:13-29
8. The Rebellious Son of Deuteronomy 21:18-21
9. Conclusion
Bibliography
Index
