By Daniel C. Juster, Th.
Today is a day of opposing philosophies with regard to congregational discipline.
In the Tenach, the Old Testament, the Jewish people were required to discipline gross immorality and gross doctrinal error by death. Such sins requiring death included murder, slander, idolatry and occult doctrine and practice, adultery, reviling parents, homosexuality, incest, and bestiality. Out of the Old Testament came judicial authorities to pronounce penalties according to crime. The judges and elders of the gate and the king and his magistrates produced a dovetailing of authority somewhat parallel to state and Federal court systems. The high priests also had special judicial authority.