Latin expression meaning "like punishment," and, therefore, the law of retaliation that allows for the taking of like for like.
It is often assumed from the qualification, "life for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot" (or its variation) that the Mosaic injunction of Deut 19:21, e.g., permit retaliation of equal measures upon those who offend against us. Those of us who live in close contact with Muslims will know how easy it is to read this law from such a perspective. Such an understanding, however, reads this law to our neighbours, those who offend us for our benefit. In essence, it says to our neighbours, "Friend, please behave while you live in our neighbourhood. Remember, if you do anything nasty to us, we will take it back on you, an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth." A closer look at the command (both as it is formulated here, and in the other instructions at Exo 21:22-27 and Lev 24:19-20), however, shows that retaliation was never its intent. The tenor of the law requires us to read the law to ourselves, so that we are obliged to say to our neighbours, "Friend, please be assured that you can live in peace in our midst. Remember that if I do you any evil, you may extract from me what I defraud of you, an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth." This seems to be the perspective from which Jesus expounds the lex talionis; anyone struck on the right cheek would—assuming these words are taken as permitting revenge—have the right to thump the attacker in his right cheek. Radicalizing the ethics of the Older Testament as he so often does, Jesus calls for turning the left cheek to him instead (Mat 5:38-42). In the light of Jesus' exposition, obeying Moses' instruction here would mean we go beyond "not lying against our neighbour" to "speaking truthfully" in his defence even if it is not expedient for us to do so.
©ALBERITH
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