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Questions & Answers

Commandment

Faith Q&A › Metropolitan Youssef › Holy Scripture › Commandment

The question

Why in the Ten Commandments does it say, “thou shall not kill” yet, in Leviticus, it states to kill the adulterers. Later, Jesus came and saved the adulteress (Mary Magdalene) from being executed.

The answer

Mary Magdalene was never identified as the adulteress that was being stoned. Rather, she is known to have been possessed by seven demons that Christ exorcised from her. Killing as a form of violence was and is not condoned. However, capital punishment was allowed under the Old Testament and is also under the New Testament as a punitive consequence to execute law and justice.

Answered by His Eminence Metropolitan Youssef (opens in a new tab)

Related questions

Questions answered by His Eminence Metropolitan Youssef (opens in a new tab) of the Coptic Orthodox Diocese of the Southern United States. Question 2076 on the Diocese’s Q&A site. Questions and answers © Coptic Orthodox Diocese of the Southern United States. All rights reserved.