The stoning-place was twice the height of a man, and this the criminal
ascended. One of the witnesses then pushed him from behind, and he
tumbled down upon his chest. He was then turned over upon his back: if
he was killed, the execution was complete; but if not quite dead, the
second witness took a heavy stone and cast it upon his chest; and if
this did not prove effectual, then the stoning was completed by all
present joining in the act; as it is said (Deut. xvii. 7), "The hands of
the witnesses shall be first upon him to put him to death, and afterward
the hands of all the people."
"Criminals who were stoned dead were afterward hanged." These are the
words of Rabbi Eliezer; but the sages say none were hanged but the
blasphemer and the idolater. "They hanged a man with his face toward the
people, but a woman with her face toward the gallows." These are the
words of Rabbi Eliezer; but the sages say a man is hanged, but no woman
is hanged.... How then did they hang the man? A post was firmly fixed
into the ground, from which an arm of wood projected, and they tied the
hands of the corpse together and so suspended it. Rabbi Yossi says, "The
beam simply leaned against a wall, and so they hung up the body as
butchers do an ox or a sheep, and it was soon afterward taken down
again, for if it remained over night a prohibition of the law would have
been thereby transgressed.
Pages:
284
285
286
287
288
289
290
291
292
293
294
295
296
297
298
299
300
301
302
303
304
305
306
307
308