From: utzoo!decvax!harpo!ihnp4!iwsl1!deg
Newsgroups: net.flame
Title: Re: Christian mercy vs. Roman law
Article-I.D.: iwsl1.111
Posted: Thu Jan 27 21:30:38 1983
Received: Sun Jan 30 09:57:47 1983
Reply-To: deg@iwsl1.UUCP (David Good)
References: ihuxr.310

Before coming to the conclusion of how great Roman Law is,
that it permitted Paul to appeal his way through the system,
consider, (Acts 24:25-27)

that Paul had had a brief hearing, and was then kept in prison
(under loose custody) by the previous Roman ruler \two years/
without trial!

that the previous ruler was looking for a bribe:
"...Go away, I will summon you.' At the same time he was hoping
that money would be given him by Paul. .... When two years had
elapsed, Felix ... desiring to do the Jews a favor ... left
Paul in prison."

that the Roman machinery was so inflexible that having asked to
appeal, Paul could not withdraw his appeal: (Acts 26:31)
"This man has done nothing to deserve death or imprisonment."
"This man could have been set free if he had not appealed to Caesar."

on the other side,
"deliver the man to Satan for the destruction of the flesh" (1Cor5:5)
is usually understood as expulsion from the church,
not some "destruction left to our imaginations",

and the same person may be talked about in 2 Corinthians 2:5:
"If any one has caused harm, he has caused it ... to you all.
For such a one this punishment by the majority is enough;
so you should rather turn to forgive and comfort him,
or he may be overwhelmed by excessive sorrow.
... Any one whom you forgive, I also forgive."

Paul's judgement was not as \formal/ as Roman Law,
but that is a function of justice operating in a small community:
if the facts are clear to all concerned,
a lengthy trial is not needed.

David Good (iwsl1!deg)