A Masked View
To better understand society’s addiction to war and punishment, I explored the phrase an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth. Though written in the Old and New Testaments and the Koran, its origin was much earlier. It was codified in ancient Mesopotamia, decades before the Greek and Roman civilizations flourished and the Old Testament existed. Archaeologists found the phrase in Hammurabi’s code as one of 282 laws inscribed on a stone pillar discovered in 1901 in what is modern-day Iran.
The Babylonian empire was ruled by Hammurabi from 1792-59 B.C.E. As his holdings grew, so did the need to unify the countries he conquered. He sent experts out to gather the existing laws followed throughout his kingdom and had them compile a final list, selecting which ones to follow. An eye for an eye is more than a simple statement that says to strike back with equal force. It was meant as a guide for judges. The entire code describes differing punishments for wealthy or noble persons, commoners, and slaves. It says that the strong should not harm the weak and that members of the ruling class should receive harsher punishments than those in the lower classes. Many of the punishments were indeed quite harsh. For example:
- “If a son strike his father, his hands shall be hewn off.
- If a man knock out the teeth of his equal, his teeth shall be knocked out.
- If a man strike a free-born woman so that she lose her unborn child, he shall pay ten shekels for her loss.
- If a son of a paramour or a prostitute say to his adoptive father or mother: “You are not my father, or my mother,” his tongue shall be cut off.”
Years later, an eye for an eye was written into the Old Testament (Exodus 18:13–26; Leviticus 24:20; Deuteronomy 19:21) several times. It was also intended to guide judges and lawgivers, not justify vigilantism or settle personal grievances. However, the Pharisees and scribes took the principle to heart and started applying it to everyday situations. If someone punched you, you punched him back, ignoring the law and the religious teachings upholding society.
Jesus countered the practice of retaliation in his Sermon on the Mount. “Do not resist an evil person. If anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to them the other cheek also. And if anyone wants to sue you and take your shirt, hand over your coat as well.” According to various interpretations, Jesus did not nullify the Old Testament law but separated it from the government’s responsibility to punish evildoers. He, too, considered it the responsibility of judges, police officers, and the military to defend and protect citizens. To an individual victim, he said, “We should not seek retribution for personal slights.” Jesus preached loving your enemies, praying for those who persecute you, and giving more to those who would persecute you. I wonder how many follow these teachings today?
The Koran also contains writings about ways to treat evil doers. “We prescribed for them therein: A life for a life, an eye for an eye, a nose for a nose, an ear for an ear and a tooth for a tooth; and for wounds, an equal retaliation. Then, if one forgives it, that will be expiation for him. Those who do not judge according to what Allah has sent down, they are the unjust. —translated by T. Usmani (expiation is the act of making amends or reparation for guilt or wrongdoing; it is a form of atonement.)
According to Dr. Jasser Auda, The Koran mentions the verse as something God had revealed in the Torah (Old Testament). It doesn’t stand alone but must be considered in relation to other verses considering crime and punishment. In general, the Koran gives governments, not individuals, the right to apply criminal rulings when there isn’t a shadow of a doubt. There is room in Islamic law for relatives of a murdered person to pardon the murderer for compensation.
I think of the United Nations charter as a modern-day Hammurabi’s code. It assembled laws that member nations agreed to for “peace, dignity, and equality on a healthy planet.” The preamble reads, “to establish conditions under which justice and respect for the obligations arising from treaties and other sources of international law can be maintained.” Their work is carried out by courts, tribunals, multilateral treaties, and the Security Council, which can approve peacekeeping missions, impose sanctions, or authorize the use of force when there is a threat to international peace and security.
What influence do these world religions and the United Nations exert on society today? In my mind, not enough. Too many people who call themselves followers ignore their teachings for personal gain. They form gangs, militias, and vigilantes who take the law into their own hands. They lie, cheat, and steal. There is no justice in how they act, yet their actions are often condoned, and their leaders are put on a pedestal. Why do so many people wear a wreath of righteousness when they’ve taken advantage of the poor and helpless?
If more people practiced the laws of the land,I wouldn’t be writing books about corporate crime or concerned with how my grandchildren will deal with global warming. I wouldn’t worry that they may not have enough clean water for drinking or growing food for their table. I wouldn’t be concerned about their homes flooding or burning to the ground in unforeseen weather events. The 8.1 billion people on earth can and must act together for the common good.
A Masked View is available on my artist website at https://www.eichingerfineart.com/workszoom/4504055/mirna-and-hanan#/
References:
Website. 4c. Hammurabi’s Code: An Eye for an Eye. The Early Middle East. Ancient Civilizations. Retrieved from https://www.ushistory.org/civ/4c.asp#:~:text=%22An%20eye%20for%20an%20eye,the%20Greeks%20or%20Romans%20flowered
Website. What Does the Bible mean by “an eye for an eye?” Got Questions. retrieved from https://www.gotquestions.org/eye-for-an-eye.html
Website translation for an eye for an eye. Quran.com. Retrieved from https://quran.com/5/45?translations=20,84,17,85,101,18,95,19,22
Website. Uphold International Law. The United Nations.Retrieved from https://www.un.org/en/our-work/uphold-international-law