Forgiveness, or revenge?
It¡¯s a deep moral dilemma. On which side does justice lie? On the one hand: ¡°Life for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot, burn for burn, wound for wound, bruise for bruise.¡± Thus the Biblical book of Exodus, a no-nonsense piece of legislation that seems not only to permit revenge but to demand it ¡ª limiting it, however, to the extent of the original injury.
On the other hand: forgiveness, a much later development. ¡°If you forgive others their transgressions, your heavenly Father will forgive you,¡± said Jesus, and when the disciple Peter asked, ¡°How many times shall I forgive my brother when he sins against me ¡ª up to seven times?¡± Jesus answered, ¡°Not seven times but seventy times seven.¡±
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