In an ancient world that often celebrated violent indulgence, the Law offered a sense of stability and moral purpose. For example, the famous lex talionis, “an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth” (from Leviticus 24:20), may strike modern readers as a barbaric endorsement of revenge, but within its cultural context, this “law of retaliation” represented a deliberate move away from the excessive punishment allowed in other tribes by limiting retaliatory action to judicious, in-kind responses. In other words, you can demand restitution for your loss, but no more; this is about justice, not
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