DOCSLIB.ORG

Crucifixion, the Nahum Pesher, and the Rabbinic Penalty of Strangulation*

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Crucifixion, the Nahum Pesher, and the Rabbinic Penalty of Strangulation* Crucifixion, the Nahum Pesher, and the Rabbinic Penalty of Strangulation* DAVID J. HALPERIN DEPARTMENT OF RELIGION UNIVERSITY OF NORTH CAROLINA, CHAPEL HILL O ne of the more fervently debated questions in Jewish 0 historiography is that of the Jewish attitude toward crucifixion during the last two centuries of the Second Temple period. Some scholars have held that Jewish courts practised crucifixion or at least did not disapprove of it in theory;' while other scholars assert that Jews regarded crucifixion as an alien and loathsome method of execution imposed by the Roman oppressor.2 In this article, I will examine some peculiarities of rabbinic jurisprudence in the light of a philological observation drawn from the Qumran Nahum Pesher; and I hope thereby to shed new light on this old problem. I Nahum 2:11-13 compares the "bloody city" of Nineveh to a "lion's den," where "the lion tore enough for his whelps and strangled prey for his lionesses; he filled his caves with prey and his dens with torn flesh" (v. 12, RSV). 3 * This paper developed from a lecture which I gave in a course taught jointly with Professor John H. Schiutz, Department of Religion, University of North Carolina. I read an earlier version of it at a meeting of the American Oriental Society, Toronto, April, 1978. 1 am grateful to Professor Schutz and our students, to my colleague Professor John Van Seters, to my teacher Professor Mordechai Friedman, and to my friends Marc Bregman and Professor Sid Z. Leiman, for their comments and suggestions. I E. Stauffer, Jerusalem und Rom im Zeita/terJesu Christi (1957), pp. 123-27; E. Bammel, "Crucifixion as a Punishment in Palestine," in Bammel, The Trial ofJesus (1970), pp. 162-65; Y. Yadin, "Pesher Nahum (4Q pNahum) Reconsidered," IEJ 21 (1971), pp. 1-12 (but cf. Yadin's qualification in Megillat hamMiqdas [1977], 1, p. 289n 11; J. M. Ford, " 'Crucify him, crucify him' and the Temple Scroll," Expository Times 87(1976), pp. 275-78; M. Hengel, Crucifixion (1977), pp. 84-85; J. A. Fitzmyer, "Crucifixion in Ancient Palestine, Qumran Literature, and the New Testament," CBQ 40 (1978), pp. 493-513. 2 P. Winter, On the Trial of Jesus (1961), pp. 62-66; H. Cohn, The Trial and Death of Jesus (1971), pp. 208-39; J. M. Baumgarten, "Does tIh in the Temple Scroll Refer to Crucifixion?" JBL 91 (1972), pp. 472-81. 3 MT (v. 13): 'aryeh (oref bede gorotaw ume/anneq lelib'otaw wayyemalle' (eref h3oraw ume'onotaw (erefah. The text quoted in 4QpNah differs from MT on a number of points; the only one that we need note is its reading melhanneq lelibyotaw (eref for umehanneq lelib'otaw. CRUCIFIXION, THE NAHUM PESHER, AND STRANGULATION An imperfectly preserved fragment of a commentary (peser) on Nahum, found in the Fourth Cave at Qumran, expounds this verse as follows:4 33 The lion tears by the agency of his cubs, I and strangles prey for his lionesses. [.. This refers to] the Young Lion of Anger, who smites by means of his great ones and the men of his council. [. Hefilled with prey] his cave, and his den with torn flesh. This refers to the Young Lion of Anger [ ven]geance [?] on those who seek smooth things, in that he hangs men alive (yitleh 'anasim hayyim) 1 ] in Israel previously. The Pesher continues: ki letaluy #ay 'al ha'es, then a broken word which is usually reconstructed as some form of qr', and then the beginning of the next Scripture-lemma (behold, I am againstyou, etc.). The interpretation of these words, and their link to the following lemma, is a very vexed problem into which we need not enter.6 Most scholars' believe that the Pesher alludes to an uprising against the Hasmonean ruler Alexander Jannaeus (104-78 B.C.), who celebrated his ultimate victory by crucifying eight hundred rebels "while he feasted with his concubines in a conspicuous place."8 What in the text of Nahum led the Qumran commentator to think of crucifixion? The only apparent basis for this exegesis is the words mehanneq lelibyotaw teref, "strangles prey for his lionesses."9 The 4 4QpNah, i, 4-8; published by J. M. Allegro, Discoveries in the Judaean Desert of Jordan, V (1968), p. 38. 5 The commentator evidently understood bede as bldt,, and expounded accordingly. The bet in his bigedolaw we'anse 'asato must therefore be translated "by means of" (G. Vermes, The Dead Sea Scrolls in English [2nd ed., 1975], p. 232), not "against" (T. Gaster, The Dead Sea Scriptures in English Translation [19561, pp. 243, 263-64). Note the very close exegetical link between the Scriptural text and the commentator's assertion - a link to be sought throughout the Pesher. 6 A. Dupont-Sommer, "Le Commentaire de Nahum decouvert pres de la Mer Morte (4QpNah)," Semitica 13 (1963), pp. 67-68; idem, "Observations nouvelles sur l'expression 'Suspendu Vivant sur le Bois' ...," Comptes Rendus des Seances de l'Academie des Inscriptions et Belles-Lettres (1972), pp. 712-15. 7 E.g., J. M. Allegro, "Further Light on the History of the Qumran Sect," JBL 75 (1956), pp. 89-95; F. M. Cross, The Ancient Library of Qumran (2nd ed., 1961), pp. 122-26; the articles of Dupont-Sommer cited in the preceding note; E. Schurer, The History ofthe Jewish People in the Age of Jesus Christ (revised ed. by G. Vermes and F. Millar, 1973), 1, pp. 224n22; J. D. Amusin, "The Reflection of Historical Events of the First Century B.C. in Qumran Commentaries (4Q161; 4Q169; 4Q166)," HUCA 48 (1977), pp. 123-52. Against this interpretation: H. H. Rowley, "4QpNahum and the Teacher of Righteousness," JBL 75 (1956), pp. 188-93; 1. Rabinowitz, "The Meaning of the Key ('Demetrius')-Passage of the Qumran Nahum-Pesher," JAOS 98 (1978), pp. 394-99. 8 Josephus, Antiquities, XIII, 380 (tr. R. Marcus, in the Loeb Classical Library Josephus, VII [1943], p. 417); also War, 1, 97. , So Schurer-Vermes-Millar, loc. cit. It is not a decisive objection that the Scripture-lemma containing these words is not that to which the comment about "hanging men alive" is attached. Dupont-Sommer, Semitica 13 (1963), pp. 69, 73, gives examples of Biblical words or phrases that are expounded in the peser but not quoted in the appropriate lemmata. Vermes, indeed, suggests that the words me/,anneq lelibyotaw feref were repeated in the lacuna at the beginning of line 6, before "he filled with prey . (The Dead Sea Scrolls in English, p. 232). 34 JOURNAL OF JEWISH STUDIES commentator evidently understood the "strangling" - a seemingly inappropriate term for a lion's depredations'°- as a prophetic reference to crucifixion. Like some of the modern scholars who have discussed the difficult problem of the physiological cause of death in crucifixion, he perceived crucifixion as a prolonged process of asphyxiation." If we assume that the "Young Lion of Anger" was indeed Jannaeus, the Pesher's exegesis becomes particularly apt. The commentator saw an allusion to Jannaeus' concubines in the "lionesses" of Nahum's prophecy. He interpreted the "lion", who "strangles prey for the delectation of his lionesses" - so he understood the preposition of lelibyotaw'2- as the king who crucifies men for the entertainment of his concubines. We learn that the author of the Nahum Pesher regarded crucifixion as a form of strangulation, and assumed that it could be designated by the root hnq. II mSanh. 7:1 enumerates four methods of judicial execution: stoning (seqilah), burning (serefah), decapitation (hereg), and strangulation (heneq). The first two methods are clearly attested in the Bible. 1" The third, although evidently modelled on the standard Roman death penalty for the upper classes, 4 is documented in rabbinic sources by midrash of Scriptural '° Hence Vulgate paraphrases et necavit leaenis suis, Peshitta wafsaq 'af letenyanohi (but perhaps Peshitta read mehalleq for mehanneq). Cf. J. M. Powis Smith and others, A Critical and Exegetical Commentary on . Nahum . (1911), p. 333; A. Halder, Studies in the Book ofNahum (1947), p. 61. According to K. J. Cathcart (Nahum in the Light ofNorthwest Semitic [1973], pp. 107-08), lions indeed strangle their prey, and are thus depicted in ancient Near Eastern art. But it is very plausible that the Qumran commentator, like Jerome, was surprised by the use of lnq for a lion and inferred that it must be applied, not to the lion of the prophetic image, but to the king concealed behind the image. " See J. Blinzler, Der Prozess Jesu (4th ed., 1969), pp. 381-384. We need not insist on the medical accuracy of this perception. If, as other scholars hold (ibid.), the cause of death on the cross was some sort of circulatory failure, we might expect difficulty breathing or gasping for air to be one of the more obvious symptoms. See The New Encyclopaedia Britannica (I 5th ed., 1974), articles "Cardiovascular System Diseases and Disorders" (Macropaedia, III, pp. 886-95, especially p. 894); "Shock, Physiological" (Macropaedia, XVI, pp. 699-702). 2 As in Judg. 16:25, wigal6eq lanu. Cf. BDB, s.v. I-, no. 5h (p. 515). 3 Stoning: e.g., Lev. 20:2, 24:16, Numb. 15:35, Deut. 17:5, IKi. 21:10, 13. Burning: Lev. 20:14, 21:9. Cf. A. BiOchler, "Die Todesstrafen der Bibel und der jOdisch-nachbiblischen Zeit," MGWJS50(1906), pp. 542-62, 664-91; J. Blinzler, "The Jewish Punishment of Stoning in the New Testament Period," in Bammel, The Trial of Jesus, pp. 147-61. " T. Mommsen, Romisches Strafrecht (1899, reprinted 1955), pp. 917-18; P. Garnsey, "Legal Privilege in the Roman Empire," Past and Present 41(1968), pp.
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Outlaw: Wilderness and Exile in Old and Middle
    THE ‘BESTLI’ OUTLAW: WILDERNESS AND EXILE IN OLD AND MIDDLE ENGLISH LITERATURE A Dissertation Presented to the Faculty of the Graduate School of Cornell University In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy by Sarah Michelle Haughey August 2011 © 2011 Sarah Michelle Haughey THE ‘BESTLI’ OUTLAW: WILDERNESS AND EXILE IN OLD AND MIDDLE ENGLISH LITERATURE Sarah Michelle Haughey, Ph. D. Cornell University 2011 This dissertation, The ‘Bestli’ Outlaw: Wilderness and Exile in Old and Middle English Literature explores the reasons for the survival of the beast-like outlaw, a transgressive figure who highlights tensions in normative definitions of human and natural, which came to represent both the fears and the desires of a people in a state of constant negotiation with the land they inhabited. Although the outlaw’s shelter in the wilderness changed dramatically from the dense and menacing forests of Anglo-Saxon England to the bright, known, and mapped greenwood of the late outlaw romances and ballads, the outlaw remained strongly animalistic, other, and liminal, in strong contrast to premodern notions of what it meant to be human and civilized. I argue that outlaw narratives become particularly popular and poignant at moments of national political and ecological crisis—as they did during the Viking attacks of the Anglo-Saxon period, the epoch of intense natural change following the Norman Conquest, and the beginning of the market revolution at the end of the Middle Ages. Figures like the Anglo-Saxon resistance fighter Hereward, the exiled Marcher lord Fulk Fitz Waryn, and the brutal yet courtly Gamelyn and Robin Hood, represent a lost England imagined as pristine and forested.
    [Show full text]
  • Video-Recorded Decapitations - a Seemingly Perfect Terrorist Tactic That Did Not Spread Martin Harrow DIIS Working Paper 2011:08 WORKING PAPER
    DIIS working paper DIIS WORKING PAPER 2011:08 Video-recorded Decapitations - A seemingly perfect terrorist tactic that did not spread Martin Harrow DIIS Working Paper 2011:08 WORKING PAPER 1 DIIS WORKING PAPER 2011:08 MARTIN HARROW MSC, PhD, Consulting Analyst at DIIS [email protected] DIIS Working Papers make available DIIS researchers’ and DIIS project partners’ work in progress towards proper publishing. They may include important documentation which is not necessarily published elsewhere. DIIS Working Papers are published under the responsibility of the author alone. DIIS Working Papers should not be quoted without the express permission of the author. DIIS WORKING PAPER 2011:08 © Copenhagen 2011 Danish Institute for International Studies, DIIS Strandgade 56, DK-1401 Copenhagen, Denmark Ph: +45 32 69 87 87 Fax: +45 32 69 87 00 E-mail: [email protected] Web: www.diis.dk Cover Design: Carsten Schiøler Layout: Ellen-Marie Bentsen Printed in Denmark by Vesterkopi AS ISBN: 978-87-7605-449-6 Price: DKK 25.00 (VAT included) DIIS publications can be downloaded free of charge from www.diis.dk 2 DIIS WORKING PAPER 2011:08 CONTENTS Abstract 4 Introduction 5 Decapitation as a weapon 5 Video-recorded decapitations 2002-2009 8 The reproductive dynamics of terrorist tactics 11 The accessibility of video-recorded decapitations as a tactic 12 Effectiveness of terrorism – impacting two different audiences 14 Why not video-recorded decapitations? 18 Iraq 18 Afghanistan 19 The West 20 Conclusion 21 List of References 23 DIIS WORKING PAPER 2011:08 ABSTracT Video-recorded decapitations have an enormous impact, they are cheap and easy, and they allow the terrorists to exploit the potential of the Internet.
    [Show full text]
  • Ancient Laws of China Death Penalty
    Ancient Laws Of China Death Penalty Unratified and habitual Henry cheeses dooms and drop-kick his limestone promiscuously and Stevieopprobriously. musteline? When Sickish Spiros Klaus capitulating never exposes his honeybunch so succinctly white-outs or quests not anyunselfconsciously cacodemons jawbreakingly. enough, is The rule penalty si dapi was lack of the traditional five capital punishment wuxing in ancient China. World Factbook of Criminal reward System China Bureau of. The People's Republic of China view laws especially. China's Death violate The Political Ethics of Capital. In their protest with ithacius, or penalty has still has been sentenced to xingliang chen zexian, death penalty was based his criminal? The addict was inspired by ancient Chinese traditions and essentially works. More smoke more countries are tending to strictly restrict cell death each one of. Death penalty Information pack Penal Reform International. Crime and Punishment in Ancient China Duhaime's Law. Can either dome or rewrite the meal penalty statute if it chooses to make law the law. Bangladesh approves the use watch the death once for rapists joining at. Criminals to the nations of ancient china is that. Yi gets the penalty of the use of the inferior officer of death penalty finds that employ the death penalty laws. 2 ringleaders of the gangs engaged in robbing ancient cultural ruins and. Capital punishment New World Encyclopedia. What look the punishments in China? Anderson notes that do something of ancient laws china remain a stake, location can be handled only with bank settlement receipts such. Japan's death penalty a spouse and unusually popular.
    [Show full text]
  • Capital Punishment - Wikipedia 17.08.17, 1130 Capital Punishment from Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia
    Capital punishment - Wikipedia 17.08.17, 1130 Capital punishment From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Capital punishment, also known as the death penalty, is a government sanctioned practice whereby a person is put to death by the state as a punishment for a crime. The sentence that someone be punished in such a manner is referred to as a death sentence, whereas the act of carrying out the sentence is known as an execution. Crimes that are punishable by death are known as capital crimes or capital offences, and they commonly include offences such as murder, treason, espionage, war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide. Etymologically, the term capital (lit. "of the head", derived via the Latin capitalis from caput, "head") in this context alluded to execution by beheading.[1] Fifty-six countries retain capital punishment, 103 countries have completely abolished it de jure for all crimes, six have abolished it for ordinary crimes (while maintaining it for special circumstances such as war crimes), and 30 are abolitionist in practice.[2] Capital punishment is a matter of active controversy in various countries and states, and positions can vary within a single political ideology or cultural region. In the European Union, Article 2 of the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union prohibits the use of capital punishment.[3] Also, the Council of Europe, which has 47 member states, prohibits the use of the death penalty by its members. The United Nations General Assembly has adopted, in 2007, 2008, 2010, 2012 and 2014,[4] non-binding
    [Show full text]
  • Criminal Justice: Capital Punishment Focus
    Criminal Justice: Capital Punishment Focus Background The formal execution of criminals has been used in nearly all societies since the beginning of recorded history. Before the beginning of humane capital punishment used in today’s society, penalties included boiling to death, flaying, slow slicing, crucifixion, impalement, crushing, disembowelment, stoning, burning, decapitation, dismemberment and scaphism. In earlier times, the death penalty was used for a variety of reasons that today would seem barbaric. Today, execution in the US is used primarily for murder, espionage and treason. The Death Debate Those in support of capital punishment believe it deters crimes and, more often than not believe that certain crimes eliminate one’s right to life. Those who oppose capital punishment believe, first and foremost, that any person, including the government, has no right to take a life for any reason. They often believe that living with one’s crimes is a worse punishment than dying for them, and that the threat of capital punishment will not deter a person from committing a crime. Costs and Procedures On average, it costs $620,932 per trial in federal death cases, which is 8x higher than that of a case where the death penalty is not sought. When including appeals, incarceration times and the execution in a death penalty case, the cost is closer to $3 million per inmate. However, court costs, attorney fees and incarceration for life only totals a little over $1 million. Recent studies have also found that the higher the cost of legal counsel in a death penalty case the less likely the defendant is to receive the death penalty, which calls the fairness of the process into question.
    [Show full text]
  • Decapitation and Disgorgement: the Female Body's Text in Early Modern English Literature
    UNLV Retrospective Theses & Dissertations 1-1-2003 Decapitation and disgorgement: The female body's text in early modern English literature Melanie Ann Hanson University of Nevada, Las Vegas Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalscholarship.unlv.edu/rtds Repository Citation Hanson, Melanie Ann, "Decapitation and disgorgement: The female body's text in early modern English literature" (2003). UNLV Retrospective Theses & Dissertations. 2568. http://dx.doi.org/10.25669/cnaf-fj97 This Dissertation is protected by copyright and/or related rights. It has been brought to you by Digital Scholarship@UNLV with permission from the rights-holder(s). You are free to use this Dissertation in any way that is permitted by the copyright and related rights legislation that applies to your use. For other uses you need to obtain permission from the rights-holder(s) directly, unless additional rights are indicated by a Creative Commons license in the record and/or on the work itself. This Dissertation has been accepted for inclusion in UNLV Retrospective Theses & Dissertations by an authorized administrator of Digital Scholarship@UNLV. For more information, please contact [email protected]. ]3]3%:/lF'riVlTriC)a[y\]qi) r)DS(3()FlCH33W[EnNnr:TrBIEin3!üLAJLIi]3()I)Tf'S TTEOCr by Melanie Ann Hanson Bachelor of Arts San Diego State University 1975 Master o f Arts University of Nevada, Las Vegas 1998 A dissertation submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor oflMWloiM)pl&y *m ISmyBUwdh (]oUegp:()f]LjlNarmll Art» Grmdmmte CoOege Umivcrgi^ of Nevmdo, Lw Vcgmm Mmy2004 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner.
    [Show full text]
  • Elephants on Acid – Psychological Science and Unethical Experiments
    Elephants on Acid – Psychological Science and Unethical Experiments Learning Targets • Review ethics in experiments with humans and non-humans • Form opinions and argue them • Work collaboratively in groups to summarize information National Standards for high School Psychology Curricula 2.1 Identify ethical standards psychologists must address regarding research with human participants 2.2 Identify ethical standards psychologists must address regarding research with non-human participants Directions: Walk around the room and read the posted experiments from an article entitled “Elephants on Acid.” On the back of this sheet you will find a list of each study. Summarize each study in one sentence (for reference) When you are done summarizing all the studies, choose the top 5 WORST experiments (the ones you find most appalling). Rank these 5 on the lines next to the study on the back page. 1 = the absolute WORST, 2 = a little less worse Next in a group, please come up with a group top 5 for the worst. Discuss each other’s lists. Give insight as to why you agree or disagree. Talk it over. Debate. (This should take more than 5 minutes) Be ready to discuss and debate your opinion, your group’s opinions and what the class thinks. Quick Ethics review to remember • Animal testing Human Research o Purpose • Informed Consent ▪ Must answer a specific, o Agreed to study important, scientific o Can drop out no questions asked question • Confidentiality ▪ Animals must be best suited • No significant Risk to answer that question o Temporary discomfort/stress okay o Care • Debriefing ▪ Animals must be cared for o Given results and housed in a humane o If used deception – explain true way purpose o Acquisition • IRB ▪ Animals must be acquired o Both animal and human testing legally o Design ▪ Must cause the least amount of suffering feasible ▪ Euthanasia may be required after study [Type here] Adapted From Mrs.
    [Show full text]
  • "In the Matter of a Murdered Person ... " the Qur'an, 2:178
    University of Baltimore Law Forum Volume 6 Article 4 Number 3 March, 1976 3-1976 "In The aM tter of A Murdered Person ... " The Qur'an, 2:178 T. W. Lapin Follow this and additional works at: http://scholarworks.law.ubalt.edu/lf Part of the Law Commons Recommended Citation Lapin, T. W. (1976) ""In The aM tter of A Murdered Person ... " The Qur'an, 2:178," University of Baltimore Law Forum: Vol. 6 : No. 3 , Article 4. Available at: http://scholarworks.law.ubalt.edu/lf/vol6/iss3/4 This Article is brought to you for free and open access by ScholarWorks@University of Baltimore School of Law. It has been accepted for inclusion in University of Baltimore Law Forum by an authorized editor of ScholarWorks@University of Baltimore School of Law. For more information, please contact [email protected]. "In The Matter of A Murdered Person ... " The Qur'im, 2: 178 by T. W. Lapin At4:30p.m. on the.18thofJune 1975 the head of Prince Faisal ibn Musa'id of Saudi Arabia was severed from his body by two strokes of the executioner's sword. [For a detailed description of the exec;ution see appendix at the end of this article.] Prince Faisal died, on March 25, 1975, as a result of his assassination of his uncle, Faisal ibn' Abd al- 'AZlz, King of Saudi Arabia. In accordance with the 1300 year-old Shari'a, the law of Islam, a murderer was made to account for his crime. Islamic law prescribes the death pen­ alty for four crimes: murder, highway robbery involving homicide (what we would call "felony murder"), adultery by married people, and apostasy from Is­ lam.
    [Show full text]
  • ORIGINAL ARTICLES the History and Pathology of Crucifixion
    ORIGINAL ARTICLES HISTORY OF MEDICINE The history and pathology of crucifixion F P Retief, L Cilliers In antiquity crucifixion was considered one of the most brutal dehydration causing hypovolaemic shock and pain, but the . and shameful modes of death. Probably originating with the most important factor was progressive asphyxia caused by Assyrians and Babylonians, it was used systematically by the impairment of respiratory movement. Resultant anoxaemia Persians in the 6th century BC. Alexander the Great brought it exaggerated hypovolaemic shock. Death was probably from there to the eastern Mediterranean countries in the 4th commonly precipitated by cardiac arrest, caused by vasovagal century BC, and the Phoenicians introduced it to Rome in the reflexes, initiated inter alia by severe anoxaemia, severe pain, 3rd century BC. It was virtually never used in pre~Hellenic body blows and breaking of the large bones. The attending Greece. The Romans perfected crucifixion for 500 years until Roman guards could only leave the site after the victim had it was abolished by Constantine I in the 4th century AD. died, and were known to precipitate death by means of Crucifixion in Roman times was applied mostly to slaves, deliberate fracturing of the tibia and/or fibula, spear stab disgraced soldiers, Christians and foreigners - only very wounds into the heart, sharp blows to the front of the chest, rarely to Roman citizens. Death, usually after 6 hours - 4 or a smoking fire built at the foot of the cross to asphyxiate days, was due to multifactorial pathology: after-effects of the victim. compulsory scourging and maiming, haemorrhage and S Afr Med J 2003; 93: 938-941.
    [Show full text]
  • Facts and Figures
    Amnesty International THE DEATH PENALTY Questions and Answers Why does Amnesty International oppose the death penalty? Amnesty International opposes the death penalty in all cases without exception. The death penalty is the ultimate denial of human rights. It is the premeditated and cold-blooded killing of a human being by the state in the name of justice. It violates the right to life as proclaimed in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. It is the ultimate cruel, inhuman and degrading punishment. There can never be any justification for torture or for cruel treatment. Like torture, an execution constitutes an extreme physical and mental assault on an individual. Consider the disgust most people feel when they hear accounts of individuals receiving 100 volts of electricity to sensitive parts of the body as a method of torture. Surely we should feel even more disgusted by the use of 2000 volts applied to a person's body with the intent to deliberately kill? The physical pain caused by the action of killing a human being cannot be quantified, nor can the psychological suffering caused by foreknowledge of death at the hands of the state. The death penalty is discriminatory and is often used disproportionately against the poor, minorities and members of racial, ethnic and religious communities. It is imposed and carried out arbitrarily. The death penalty legitimizes an irreversible act of violence by the state and will inevitably claim innocent victims. As long as human justice remains fallible, the risk of executing the innocent can never be eliminated. Amnesty International continues to demand unconditionally the worldwide abolition of the death penalty.
    [Show full text]
  • Sermon Good Friday
    Good Friday Luke 23:32-49 Rev. Bruce Stanley www.stphilsorg.au About 10 years ago I did one of those online quizzes on Facebook. The title was: “When will you die?” I answered some questions: about my health, family, exercise, diet, smoking, drinking. I thought I would do pretty well. Here is the answer I got: 29th February, 2016. So today, I’m feeling pretty good. So good in fact that I went back and thought I’d take the quiz again. By the way, I think these quizzes are stupid, but they make excellent sermon stories J So I answered all the questions and apparently I will now live to the age of 97. So there you go. 30 years to go. It’s not unusual for people to think about when they’ll die. Sometimes we might even wonder HOW we’ll die. But we don’t often think about WHO we will die WITH. We might think about who will be with us when we die. But not who will actually die WITH us. At the same time. Yet, this is one focus of the passage today – WHO Jesus dies with. And in every gospel account of the crucifixion, this is made very clear. Jesus died between two criminals. And he died the same way as those two criminals. Nailed to a cross. They were executed as criminals. Ill – Last meal: This is DANNY ROLLING (photo). He died on October 25th, 2006 at the age of 52. His last meal was lobster tail, butterfly shrimp, a baked potato, strawberry cheesecake and sweet tea.
    [Show full text]
  • Measuring the Effectiveness of Leadership Decapitation in Countering Transnational Criminal Organizations
    Calhoun: The NPS Institutional Archive DSpace Repository Theses and Dissertations 1. Thesis and Dissertation Collection, all items 2019-03 MEASURING THE EFFECTIVENESS OF LEADERSHIP DECAPITATION IN COUNTERING TRANSNATIONAL CRIMINAL ORGANIZATIONS Ortiz, Leah Monterey, CA; Naval Postgraduate School http://hdl.handle.net/10945/62280 Downloaded from NPS Archive: Calhoun NAVAL POSTGRADUATE SCHOOL MONTEREY, CALIFORNIA THESIS MEASURING THE EFFECTIVENESS OF LEADERSHIP DECAPITATION IN COUNTERING TRANSNATIONAL CRIMINAL ORGANIZATIONS by Leah Ortiz March 2019 Thesis Advisor: Erik J. Dahl Second Reader: Thomas C. Bruneau Approved for public release. Distribution is unlimited. THIS PAGE INTENTIONALLY LEFT BLANK Form Approved OMB REPORT DOCUMENTATION PAGE No. 0704-0188 Public reporting burden for this collection of information is estimated to average 1 hour per response, including the time for reviewing instruction, searching existing data sources, gathering and maintaining the data needed, and completing and reviewing the collection of information. Send comments regarding this burden estimate or any other aspect of this collection of information, including suggestions for reducing this burden, to Washington headquarters Services, Directorate for Information Operations and Reports, 1215 Jefferson Davis Highway, Suite 1204, Arlington, VA 22202-4302, and to the Office of Management and Budget, Paperwork Reduction Project (0704-0188) Washington, DC 20503. 1. AGENCY USE ONLY 2. REPORT DATE 3. REPORT TYPE AND DATES COVERED (Leave blank) March 2019 Master's thesis 4. TITLE AND SUBTITLE 5. FUNDING NUMBERS MEASURING THE EFFECTIVENESS OF LEADERSHIP DECAPITATION IN COUNTERING TRANSNATIONAL CRIMINAL ORGANIZATIONS 6. AUTHOR(S) Leah Ortiz 7. PERFORMING ORGANIZATION NAME(S) AND ADDRESS(ES) 8. PERFORMING Naval Postgraduate School ORGANIZATION REPORT Monterey, CA 93943-5000 NUMBER 9.
    [Show full text]