Doing research in the archives of the British and Foreign Bible Society is great fun at times.
Only that some of the funny stuff I come across is very serious.
Like this note in a Bible edited by Edmund Beck and printed in 1549 by John Day and William Seres.
In essence, the editor of this Bible recommends that husbands “beat the fear of God into wives’ heads”.
Alas, no further guidelines are offered as to what implement would best help one husband fulfill this most commendable spiritual end. I am afraid we are now in a hermeneutical deadlock. Unless a degree of liberty is left with the reader of the Bible when it comes to the “application” itself.
23 octombrie 2012 at 6:09 am
So shocked by the text, but glad you brought it to the public. Maybe
you have gotten the date wrong, I think the article date is
actually 2012.
23 octombrie 2012 at 10:37 am
For a second, I thought that that was a page from the holy Koran
23 octombrie 2012 at 2:01 pm
No, it can’t have possibly been taken from the Quran. It should have read something like “slay them wherever you find them”. Or something to that effect.
24 octombrie 2012 at 11:54 am
Wait, wait… My Koran does let me beat my wife if she’s disobedient! Quote: “As to those women from whom you fear disobedience, first admonish them, then refuse to share your bed with them, and then, if necessary, BEAT THEM” (that’s from page 177, An-Nisa, 4:[34-35]… whatever that means).
P.S. Yes, I have my own Koran, a free gift from some members of the religion of peace who were allowed to bless us, those living in CA, with the inspired words of the Prophet, peace be upon him
…
I was at the California State Fair and this Muslim group was given a tent inside the fairgrounds and they gave a free Koran to each infidel who passed by.
Yeah, this took place at the State Fair. What was not fair, though, was the fact that four Gideons people who were giving away free New Testaments were kicked out from the fairgrounds by the security guys. I met them in the street when I got out. I recognized two of them (I worked with the Gideons for two years). You should have seen the look on their faces when they realized what holy book I was holding in my hands
24 octombrie 2012 at 6:47 am
Let me just say that as horrible as it sounds, at least it is proposed in the most… intellectual fashion.
24 octombrie 2012 at 9:13 am
Which, I’m afraid, would not be equally true about the beating itself.
30 octombrie 2012 at 9:54 am
Thanks for bringing this to light.
Imagining how one understood religion/christianity in light of this recommendation to faith practice in the family gives me pause. Perhaps this is why so many people misunderstand God/Christian faith.
15 noiembrie 2012 at 10:17 am
Probabil in contextul comentatorului, bătaia era un mijloc uzual de persuasiune si „enforcing” în toate structurile de autoritate din societate, inclusiv în relațiile de muncă, în politică și administrație și în armată. De ce să fie lăsata famila pe dinafară?