Perspectives on justice

“A man has stolen one hundred dollars: when caught, he will be fined one hundred dollars. Such is the famous “eye for an eye” principle in the Old Testament. Brought up in Christian schools, I was always told the principle was one of pure revenge. That is probably just a slander on Judaism, but I'll give my teachers the benefit of the doubt, and assume they may have dimly sensed there was something dubious about justice itself.

To be forever matching offenses with equivalent punishments is no good way to spend one's time, much less is it a good way for God to spend eternity. A truly superior being would utter the word Forgiveness with an immense sigh, not only of love, but of relief, so much effort would he be saving himself at the adding machine.

...What, after, all, are plays about? Action and reaction. A slaps B's face, and B slaps A's face back.”

Eric Bentley, The Life of the Drama (1964), 323-324

“Lawrence! Why are you slapping that monkey? Who's evolved? Who's evolved?”

Teddy Roosevelt, Night at the Museum (2007)

“12. Whether it is fitting for God to forgive a sin out of mercy alone, without any restitution of what is owed to Him

Anselm. Let us now return to the main argument and see whether it is fitting for God to forgive a sin out of mercy alone, without any restitution of the honour taken away from him.

Boso. I do not see why this should not be fitting.

A. To forgive a sin in this way is nothing other than to refrain from inflicting punishment. And if no satisfaction is given, the way to regulate sin correctly is none other than to punish it. If, therefore, it is not punished, it is forgiven without its having been regulated.

B. What you say is logical. [Note: in a previous section, Anselm and Boso have agreed that they shall, for the purpose of this discussion, reject nothing logically proven and accept nothing illogical or unproven.]

A. But it is not fitting for God to allow anything in his kingdom to slip by unregulated.

B. I am in fear of sinning, if I want to disagree.

A. Therefore, it is not fitting for God to forgive a sin without punishment.

B. That follows.

A. There is another thing which also follows, if a sin is forgiven without punishment: that the position of sinner and non-sinner before God will be similar—and this does not befit God.

B. I cannot deny it.

A. Consider this too. Everyone knows that the righteousness of mankind is subject to a law whereby it is rewarded by God with a recompense proportional to its magnitude.

B. This is our belief.

A. If, however, sin is neither paid for nor punished, it is subject to no law.

B. I cannot interpret the matter in any other way.

A. Therefore, sinfulness is in a position of greater freedom, if it forgiven through mercy alone, than righteousness—and this seems extremely unfitting. And the incongruity extends even further—it makes sinfulness resemble God. For, just as God is subject to no law, the same is the case with sinfulness.”

St. Anselm, Cur Deus Homo (~1093)