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From: wmartin@brl-tgr.ARPA (Will Martin )
Newsgroups: net.religion.jewish
Subject: Re: Clarification
Message-ID: <11333@brl-tgr.ARPA>
Date: Mon, 24-Jun-85 15:22:54 EDT
Article-I.D.: brl-tgr.11333
Posted: Mon Jun 24 15:22:54 1985
Date-Received: Thu, 27-Jun-85 07:52:53 EDT
References: <612@sfmag.UUCP>
Reply-To: wmartin@brl-bmd.UUCP
Distribution: net
Organization: USAMC ALMSA
Lines: 27

In article <612@sfmag.UUCP> samet@sfmag.UUCP (A.I.Samet) writes:
>
>   1) The sin of male homosexuality is punishable by death  by skila
>   (stoning).  Of  the  4  methods   of execution, skila is the most
>   severe.  The only other sexual offenses punishable by  skila  are
>   certain  types  of  incest, and  having  sex  with  an animal. By
>   contrast, adultery is punishable by lesser forms of execution.
>   
Was this not true in biblical (Roman occupation) times? I ask because
there is a well-known New Testament Christian story most commonly
referred to as "The woman taken in adultery". [The story is that Jesus
comes across a scene in which a woman who had been caught in adultery is
about to be stoned to death. He intervenes, says "Let he who is without
sin cast the first stone", and the crowd disperses. He then forgives the
woman.]

Anyway, this incident depicts a woman guilty only of adultery being
subject to stoning, supposedly in a typical 1st-century Jewish
community. Would it be that the distinction between the different death
sentences was not made until later, or only by an official court, like
the Sanhedrin (if they would get involved in such), and not in an
ordinary village?

Regards,
Will Martin

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