7th Annual WML Academic Symposium

Time: 10:00 AM
Rm 224
Presenter(s): Candace J. Kinney-Wood
Title: Biblical Crime and Punishment: Dangerous Animals, Negligence, and Liability
Developed under the guidance of Dr. Amanda M. Sharp Parker , Homeland Security

One of commonly known commandments, Thou Shalt Not Kill (Exodus 20:13), goes for the “goring ox” too. The slaughter of a human being by an animal is deemed punishable in biblical text (Exodus 21:28-36). Historical accounts of animal trails have been documented for mainly homicidal murder and bestiality, as late as the early twentieth century. Who was held liable, the animal or the owner? The following research takes on a comparison and contrast approach to evaluating our modern day legal code and the biblical text provides an interesting perspective of crime and punishment, then and now.