Capital crimes, under Hebrew law, were classified by Maimonides according to their respective penalties. His arrangement will be followed in this chapter.[64]
Hebrew jurisprudence provided four methods of capital punishment: (1) Beheading; (2) Strangling; (3) Burning; (4) Stoning.
Crucifixion was unknown to Hebrew law. This cruel and loathsome form of punishment will be fully discussed in the second volume of this work.
Thirty-six capital crimes are mentioned by the Pentateuch and the Talmud.
Beheading was the punishment for only two crimes:
- (1) Murder.
- (2) Communal apostasy from Judaism to idolatry.
Strangling was prescribed for six offenses:
- (1) Adultery.
- (2) Kidnaping.
- (3) False prophecy.
- (4) Bruising a parent.
- (5) Prophesying in the name of heathen deities.
- (6) Maladministration (the "Rebellious Elder").
Burning was the death penalty for ten forms of incest—criminal commerce:
- (1) With one's own daughter.
- (2) With one's own son's daughter.
- (3) With one's own daughter's daughter.
- (4) With one's own stepdaughter.
- (5) With one's own stepson's daughter.
- (6) With one's own stepdaughter's daughter.
- (7) With one's own mother-in-law.
- (8) With one's own mother-in-law's mother.
- (9) With one's own father-in-law's mother.
- (10) With a priest's daughter.[65]