Abstract
This paper contains an analysis of the book “Criminal of the Bible” whose author is Mark Jones while published in 2006 by FaithWalk Publishing. In this book, Jones analyzes the context exhibited by criminal actions committed by particular characters in the Bible. These crimes are measured in comparison to the Mosaic Law that happened to have prevailed for long periods within which the Bible writings were done. Again, the author gives considerations to certain peer-reviewed opinions relating to Criminal Law philosophies covering both the past and present centuries. The paper, in its presentation, is modeled in the conventional three-part arrangement (introduction, body and conclusion). The three major elements of the paper analysis include; themes presented by the author, observed structure and controversies prompted by the book concerning their conventional interpretations as highlighted in the Bible. Before arriving at the conclusions, the paper will show various new dimensions which are brought out by the book.
Introduction
The nature and perspective of what is determined as a crime by the society and the suitable punishments for such criminal acts typically get a drift. From the book, Criminals of the Bible (2006), the author highlights existing ridges between what is considered as a crime by the Book vis- a- vis the contemporary societal crime reference. Added to this, awarded punishments and the non passed punishments indicate a better understanding of how punishment and crime can evolve within the society. For example, some particular key figures in the Bible regarded as virtuous by Christians, would be considered criminals under the present legal systems (Jones, 2006). Furthermore, the author mentions around twenty-five incidences upon which crime and punishment issues can be deliberated in this particular regard. This work, therefore, offers an overview of the book in regards to punishments and crime.
Key Themes
The prominent aspect of this book overly revolves around crime and punishment. In as much as the title of the book depicts it to be a religious piece of work, it is clear that the author’s main concern is crime and punishment in the viewpoint of the Bible.
The society’s referral to crime happens to be the key agenda of this piece of work. In the United States, for example, different states have various laws and regulations governing their societies. A classical example can be explained using the legalization of marijuana in certain states while its consumption or being in possession of the same is still regarded a criminal offense in most states. One particular state that has embraced marijuana is Colorado, which at the same time has its resident sentenced to life imprisonment for distribution of the same drug. It is this kind of phenomenon that the author is trying to engage into, though he is using the Bible as the basis for his argument.
In the book, every chapter which evaluates criminal situations originates from the scripture reference tied to the actual crime. The essentiality of such is to prove crime mentioning and biographic identity from the Bible purposely. Discussions that are philosophical in nature such as legal, political and social based criminal contexts offers the reader an easy understanding of such circumstances. For the purposes of comparison, the author highlights similar crimes which are perceived by present lenses and evaluated by contemporary legal, political and social perspectives (Jones, 2006). The author finally remarks lessons that are useful for every person to draw from the biblical stories. He extends beyond the usual preaching habits of re-reading biblical sections but rather organizes the happenings and their interpretations in ways that every reader can read and understand.
In as much as the book relates past criminal acts highlighted in the bible to the contemporary society, certain weaknesses are evident. For instance, the biblical occurrences are purely based on ancient periods which do not actually depict the present-day living owing to the ever-changing circumstances in our daily lives (Jones, 2006). Therefore, not all these analysis offer a perfect case scenario as what might have been considered wrong in the past can be deemed right in the present legal systems and vice versa.
Conclusion
In summary, the author extensively analyzes the stories which he has picked, relaying clear statements of crime, including the related characters, scriptures and lessons to be drawn. Again, he provides discussions in a thoughtful manner in past and present context. The author equally understands the importance of putting biblically mentioned actions into context to enable clear understanding.
References
Jones, M. (2006). Criminals of the Bible. Boston: Faithwalk Publishing.
