From: Nichael Cramer (nichael@sover.net)
Date: Thu Jan 29 1998 - 13:23:12 EST
From: CWestf5155@aol.com
>> [Andrew]
>> How can someone be made to *suffer adultery*? Adultery is
>> clearly presented as a sin in the Bible (7th commandment) so if a person
>> is engaged in adultery then they are sinning against God.
>> [...]
>The context does make it clear that the woman was held to be primarily
>culpable (otherwise, as many have pointed out, where is the man?).
With regards to "suffering adultery", we should recall the passage from
Leviticus in which a woman who is raped "away from the city" is raped, but
a woman who is raped close to the city --i.e. presumably close enough that
she could, theoretically at least, have called for help-- has committed
adultery; and so can be punished to the same degree as her attacker.
Now, I'm not arguing that such a notion is (necessarily) included in the
semantic scope of the terms under discussion. Nonetheless, there is surely
more to the issue than has sometimes been suggested here; or as might
appear readily apparent to the modern reader.
Nichael
-- Nichael Cramer work: ncramer@bbn.com home: nichael@sover.net http://www.sover.net/~nichael/
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