Capital Punishment in the Pentateuch

Simon Skidmore’s book provides a fresh reading of ritual killings in the Pentateuch. A careful application of René Girard’s mimetic theory allows him to offer a more satisfying and a more robust reading of key passages in this part of the Bible than may be offered by alternative approaches. Human immolations are the outcome of a controlled release of violence to overcome mimetic rivalries, draw the community together and restore peace and order. The most important part of this book shows the illegitimate use of biblical texts by authors that try to justify capital punishment in today’s USA. Skidmore also mentions what future research may investigate in continuation of his own approach. * Wolfgang Palaver, University of Innsbruck, Austria * Arguing that ‘prescribed ritual killings’ vent mimetic rivalry on a scapegoat, restoring peace and securing a community’s core identity as ‘image-bearers of God,’ Skidmore compellingly demonstrates the analytic power of René Girard’s theory applied to capital crimes. Writing with exceptional clarity and highly nuanced attention to a full range of extant scholarship, Skidmore unifies disparate texts, thereby accounting for inconsistencies, conundrums, and tensions other scholars deem irresolvable. As readers ask, ‘How will he explain THIS one?’ Capital Punishment in the Pentateuch becomes a page-turner. Of special salience: a critique of these texts’ deployment in support of state-sanctioned executions. A notable achievement. * Martha J. Reineke, University of Northern Iowa, USA *