“Without a cause”

This afternoon I was reading an account of the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew and the words “without a cause” stood out like neon:

“Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time, Thou shalt not kill; and whosoever shall kill shall be in danger of the judgment: But I say unto you, That whosoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment” (Matthew 5:21,22)

I suspect everyone thinks and feels that they have “cause” to be angry in the moment, but was that really what Jesus said or intended? It seems to contradict the life He lived. Particularly His words later in the same chapter:

“Ye have heard that it hath been said, Thou shalt love thy neighbor, and hate thine enemy. But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you” (Matthew 5: 43,44)

The latter is a worthy goal yet difficult to achieve if we are holding a personal “cause” so closely that we justify our anger.

But what does the text say? What do the oldest available manuscripts say? I pulled a book off the shelf to find out. Out of 24 different manuscripts “without a cause” is absent from seven, including the oldest.

Manuscript name, includes “without a cause”?

1. Papyrus 67 [P67] “Barcelona” (AD 125–50): No
2. Coptic [copsa, meg, bo] (third–fifth century): Yes
3. Old Syriac [syrs, c] (third–fourth century): Yes
4. Vaticanus [B] (AD 400): No
5. Sinaiticus [χ] (AD 400): No
6. Sinaiticus [χ2] (after AD 400): Yes
7. Old Latin [ita,b,c,d,f,h,k,l,q] (fourth–thirteenth century): Yes
8. Vulgate [vg] (fourth–fifth century): No
9. Ethiopic [ethms] (about AD 500): No
10. Ethiopic [ethTH] (about AD 500): Yes
11. Georgian [geo] (fifth century): Yes
12. Armenian [arm] (fifth century): Yes
13. Peshitta/Palestinian [syrp,pal] (fifth–sixth century): Yes
14. Bezae Canta [D] (AD 500): Yes
15. Washington [W] (AD 500): Yes
16. Old Latin [itaur] (AD 700): No
17. Byzantine (Byz [E S]) (AD 600–800): Yes
18. Paris [L] (AD 800): Yes
19. Old Church Slavonic [slav] (ninth century): Yes
20. St. Gall [?] (AD 900): Yes
21. Tbilisi [?] (AD 900): Yes
22. Greek Lectionaries [Lect] (AD 900–1576): Yes
23. Family 1,13 [f 1,13] (eleventh–fifteenth century): Yes
24. Miniscule 1292 [1292] (thirteenth century): No

This isn’t a new discussion (That’s how I knew which book to check), it’s been debated for more than 1000 years and the debate will likely continue. My conclusion? I see the statement “without a cause” in verse 22, answered by verse 44 – 46:

“Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you; that ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust. For if ye love them which love you, what reward have ye?”

If I apply that message, it doesn’t allow much room for “cause” against anyone.

Forgotten Expressions

I’ve been reading from a copy of Putnam’s Handbook of Expression: For the Enrichment of Conversation, Writing, and Public Speaking complied by Edwin Halmin Carr (1915). It’s a delightful read.

Some of the expressions in the book are still in prominent use. Many are not. Here are some forgotten expressions that caught my attention:

“The spawning place of crime, ignorance, and debauchery”

“Swifter than a weaver’s shuttle”

“I am the lonely slave of an oft-wandering mind”

“As tedious as a twice-told tale”

“As obsolete as croquet”

“As bald as a cannon-ball”

“As idle as a painted ship on a painted ocean”

“I warm to a man with gall in his liver”

“He is above the meanness of tale-bearing”

“He is a perpetual surprise even to those who know him best”

“I trust you will repeat this experience at some future date”

“I must apologize for my stupidity”

“Don’t let me detain you for doubtless you have engagements”

“The uncertainty is irritating”

“I know the nicest little secret”

“If I rightly remember”

“Don’t give way to sure fancy”

“Certain unforeseen emergencies arose to hinder me”

“I regard him as being the cleverest man of my acquaintance”

“I feel that I have no more backbone than a jellyfish”

“As burning as the thirst of the fever-stricken”

“This merits reflection”

“In perpetual protest”

“The matter is not past mending”

“An asset of incomparable value”

“A heart alive to all the beauties of nature”

“I am exceedingly sorry that your request comes to me at a time when I am so pressed by my own affairs, that I cannot, with any convenience, comply with it”

And my favorite:

“I always thought the hour struck sooner in your home than anywhere else”

Benazir Bhutto and Pakistani Politics

Benazir Bhutto, Former Prime Minister of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, was assassinated today after a political rally in Rawalpindi, Pakistan. Over a dozen of her supporters were killed and many more were injured. At least one of the attackers is dead. More details are still being gathered.

I am amazed at the level of violence and hatred brooding in the hearts of men bringing them to commit such evil. I join with others in condemning this cowardly act. There is little strength in violence.

My wife and I first heard Ms. Bhutto at a speaking engagement eight years ago. At the time Bhutto was living in exile as the leader of the Pakistan Peoples Party.

Her remarks were impressive. She spoke of the politics of personal destruction, the double standards between men and women, and the plight of those in Pakistan not knowing when the next elections will take place or if there will be elections.

She was pleased to tell us that there were no honor killings (The parents of a woman killing her for dishonoring the family) under her administration in Pakistan. She told us that the same organization that carried out the World Trade Center bombing in 1993, attempted to assassinate her. Little did we know that band of criminals would become a household name three years later.                                 

Two things she told us stand out in my mind today:

Your responsibilities to life are greater than your own wantings

In times of crisis, it is your caring for others that is your greatest strength

I do not know the details of Ms. Bhutto’s administration or the intricacies of her controversies, but I know that the winds of life can carry us into paths we have not chosen and today she has paid the ultimate price for choosing to speak out and return to Pakistan.

May the Pakistani people overcome this attack and not let it be fuel for continued destruction.

The Best Stats You’ve Ever Seen — New Eyes for Old Data

 

The Universe is filled with infinite data and our access to that data is begining to blossom. In the past decade an incredible amount of information has been placed within public reach. Once the wow factor of endless access has worn off, making the old numbers relevant and bringing the digital archive to life is challenging. Can new tools bring life to old data?

A hand full of designers are successfully pulling back the curtain to reveal hidden beauty in the numbers. Here is a synopsis of what a few of them are doing.

Hans Rosling has created something brilliant with Gapminder World. Visit his site and watch each nation progress as statistical data changes (Additional data can be displayed by clicking on the words “Life Expectancy in Years” on the far right of the Gapminder screen). To hear Dr. Rosling explain Gapminder, watch these entertaining presentations recorded at TED (June 2006, June 2007).

Amnesty International gives us an interactive bird’s eye view of the destruction in Dafur with Eyes on Dafur: Satellite Evidence.

For violence in the United States see what the LA Times has done with public data and Google maps to track every Homicide in Los Angeles County during 2007 (708 victims as of 10/30/07).

For a less detailed look into history view the interactive maps American Leadership and War and History of Religion by Maps of War.