It is all too common for sinful man to take the Mafia approach: "You insult me, I break your legs. You put one of ours in the hospital, we put one of yours in the morgue. You kill my brother, I kill your whole family."
The Law of Talion was a OT scribal principle not requiring retaliation, but restraining it to strict equal measure.
A familiarity with Matthew 5-7 is necessary here. Especially Jesus' series of Seven Antitheses, each of which follows the pattern, "You heave heard it said... but I say unto you..."
As people remarked at the time, "He (Jesus) speaks with authority, not like the scribes."
“The Law of Talion was a OT scribal principle not requiring retaliation, but restraining it to strict equal measure.”
I agree.
“Jesus’ series of Seven Antitheses, each of which follows the pattern, ‘You heave heard it said... but I say unto you...’”
Yes, and it is often incorrectly assumed He was changing or altering the Law. In context He said He was not destroying but fulfilling the Law. He was correcting the misinterpretation and misapplication of the Law, which He often did.
For example, “Love your neighbor, but hate your enemy” is not a quote from the Law but from the expositors. The actual word for “neighbor” (”rea”) in Hebrew can refer to a friend or enemy. It’s use over and over in the books of Moses includes when a person’s neighbor IS his enemy. The story of the Good Samaritan illustrates that a “neighbor” is really anyone with whom you cross paths. But even in that story Christ does not advocate needless self-sacrifice to the “thieves and robbers”.
So, here is the BIG question: Is this woman who burned a small child alive “neighbor”? If so, how do we love this woman as ourselves?
The answer is found in asking how we would want to be treated if we were in her shoes. This is quite hard to imagine when most of us would never commit such a heinous crime.
But, if we look at the situation from the perspective that there are temporal and eternal consequences of her actions, we can see what is in everyone’s best interest.
It is in the best interest of the family of the child and of society to rid ourselves of such criminals permanently. This requires execution.
However, when considering the perspective of eternity, even the murderer is better off being executed. When a person knows they are going to face justice, they are far more likely to seek God. And it could be that such a person would be spared from Hell. Simply locking her away will NOT accomplish this.
Let me repeat my earlier query though. Do you agree that acts in the past in the name of the Church and of Christ in which people were tortured for being convicted of heresy were wrong and contrary to the teachings of Christ?