The signs of sin : seriousness of offence in biblical law / Jonathan Burnside.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Burnside, Jonathan.

Series:

Journal for the study of the Old Testament. Supplement series ; 364.

Journal for the study of the Old Testament. Supplement series ; 364

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Offenses in the Bible.

Criminal law (Jewish law).

Jewish law--History and criticism.

Bible. Old Testament--Criticism, interpretation, etc.

Bible. Old Testament.

Jewish law.

Physical Description:

xvi, 282 pages : illustrations ; 24 cm.

Other Title:

Seriousness of offence in biblical law

Place of Publication:

Sheffield : Sheffield Academic Press, 2003.

Summary:

What makes one crime more serious than another, and why? This book investigates the problem of "seriousness of offence" in English law from the comparative perspective of biblical law. Burnside takes a semiotic approach to show how biblical conceptions of seriousness are synthesised and communicated through various descriptive and performative registers. Seven case studies show that biblical law discriminates between the seriousness of different offences and between the relative seriousness of the same offence when committed by different people or when performed in different ways. Recurring elements include location and the offender's social statue. The closing chapter considers some of the implications for the current debate about crime and punishment.

Notes:

Slight revision of the author's thesis (doctoral)--University of Liverpool.

Includes bibliographical references (pages [254]-267) and index.

ISBN:

0826462189

OCLC:

52415067