Violence

Some of the violent behaviour described in the Bible could rival that of any horror film. There are many stories about harsh penalties for what seem like petty crimes, tens of thousands being struck dead as punishment for their sins, gory tales about violent rape and dark desires expressed about killing babies (Numbers 15.32-36; 16.42-50; Judges 19.22-30; Psalm 137.8,9). Many therefore find it hard to understand how a Bible with such ‘toxic texts' could possibly be the book of a loving God.

Many Christians (not to mention others) are often deeply uncomfortable with some of the more brutal commandments of God found in the Old Testament. One in particular is the command to ‘ethnically cleanse' the land of Canaan, leaving no man, woman or child who refused to leave alive (Deuteronomy chapter 20). This command was known as the herem (which means ‘the ban'). Some argue that the herem was supposed to deter the Israelites from violent conquest, since it also forbade them to take booty in war. Later Jews did not view these texts as condoning violence as normal behaviour. The book of Wisdom (12.1-22) shows that the lesson to be drawn from the conquest of Canaan was the importance of being merciful and only using violence as a last resort. Recent studies have also shown how the prophet Amos appears to condemn breaches of human rights during warfare, such as torture, slavery, murder of refugees and disrespect for the dead (Amos 1.1-2.3).

Some biblical scholars have traced the origins of sacred violence within Christianity to the story of Cain and Abel (Genesis chapter 4). On the one hand, some view it as the first story of a religious disagreement that ended in violence. On the other, some argue that at the heart of the issue was the human tendency to use others as scapegoats. They argue that Jesus fundamentally undermined such a concept of sacred violence when he died on the cross.

Much of the criticism of violence in the Bible (and specifically, the Old Testament) appears to revolve around what it says about the character of God. The book of Isaiah describes violent punishments as ‘out of the ordinary' or ‘alien' for God (Isaiah 28.21, 22). The book of Chronicles relates how Solomon - not David - was to build the temple, the central focus for Jewish worship. The reason was that David had been a bloody warrior, whereas Solomon was to be a man of peace (1 Chronicles 22.7-10). This is interpreted by many to mean that God and violence are fundamentally incompatible. The God of the Old Testament, although he might sometimes punish, is essentially presented as one of ‘tenderness and compassion' who is ‘slow to anger' (Exodus 34.6-9).