Biblical stories of crime and punishment are far from simple morality tales. They offer us complex characters struggling to make the right choices, or acting rashly and regretting it. They frequently undermine the principles of biblical law, or reveal their shortcomings. They consistently shift the lens through which we see wrongdoing so that at times the punishment looks more like the crime, or the crime looks more like justice. We hope to invite you to read these stories and form your own interpretations along with us.
Table of Contents
Chapter 1: Homicide The Crimes of Cain
Chapter 2: Homicide The Crimes of Moses
Chapter 3: Sex Crimes The Crimes of Sodom
Chapter 4: Sex Crimes The Betrayal of Dinah
Chapter 5: Sex Crimes The Betrayal of Tamar
Chapter 6: War Crimes The Crimes of Achan and Herem
Chapter 7: War Crimes The Crimes of Saul and David
Chapter 8: Rulers’ Crimes The Crimes of Pharaoh
Chapter 9: Rulers’ Crimes The Crimes of Jezebel
About this Textbook
Biblical Stories of Crime & Punishment is a collaborative project of the undergraduate students of King’s University College at Western University that began in the Fall 2020 semester of “An Eye for an Eye: Biblical Foundations of Crime and Punishment.” Using Prof. Mark Jones’ book Criminals in the Bible as a jumping off point, we attempted to fill a gap in the textbook market for an academic (secular, ecumenical, or humanistic) reader for stories of crime and punishment in the Hebrew and Greek Bibles. Each chapter connects a biblical story to ancient and modern concepts of crime and punishment and asks what these stories construe as criminal or wrongful behaviour, and what kind of response is or is not warranted.
As the Fall 2020 semester began, the second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic gained traction in and around London, Ontario, Canada, where King’s is located. As we all waded into the unknown waters of virtual classrooms, we wanted to leave our mark in the world of online learning. Since then, more and more students have continued to collaborate on this project. This open access textbook is the outcome of our efforts.