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Zusatztext Arguing that ‘prescribed ritual killings’ vent mimetic rivalry on a scapegoat, restoring peace and securing a community’s core identity as ‘image-bearers of God,’ Skidmore compellingly demonstrates the analytic power of René Girard’s theory applied to capital crimes. Writing with exceptional clarity and highly nuanced attention to a full range of extant scholarship, Skidmore unifies disparate texts, thereby accounting for inconsistencies, conundrums, and tensions other scholars deem irresolvable. As readers ask, ‘How will he explain THIS one?’ Capital Punishment in the Pentateuch becomes a page-turner. Of special salience: a critique of these texts’ deployment in support of state-sanctioned executions. A notable achievement. Informationen zum Autor Simon Skidmore studied for his PhD at the University of Queensland and teaches religion in the school system in Brisbane, Australia. Klappentext 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. Vorwort Examines the Pentateuch’s depiction of humanity, the image of God, and capital punishment, showing how the Pentateuch does not present all human life as inviolable. Zusammenfassung 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. Inhaltsverzeichnis AcknowledgementsIntroduction 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 BibliographyIndex ...
