#verse 07 | with dignity and honor

[insilverbay]

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[wordforwordbiblecomic]

How were Paul and Silas beaten?

In Acts 16:19-24, Paul and Silas are dragged before the two magistrates (Phillipi having duumviri - meaning “The two men”), and they “ordered them to be stripped and beaten with rods” and they were “severely flogged”.

When creating the Word for Word Bible Comics, I have to really dig into the culture and research how things actually happened at that time and in the places we’ve come to recognise from Scripture. In order to draw this event featuring Paul and Silas, I needed to understand what kind of rod they would use and how it was done.

We learn from verse 16:37 that the beating was in public and “the Greek verb gives the special Roman form of punishment, that of being beaten with the rods of the lictors. This, therefore, takes its place as one of the three instances to which St. Paul refers in 2 Corinthians 11:25.” (Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers)

Lictor is the title of a special position: “A lictor (possibly from Latin ligare, meaning 'to bind') was a Roman civil servant who was an attendant and bodyguard to a magistrate who held imperium (Imperial authority). […] They carried rods decorated with fasces and, outside the pomerium, with axes that symbolized the power to carry out capital punishment. Dictatorial lictors had axes even within the pomerium. They followed the magistrate wherever he went, including the Forum, his house, temples, and the baths. Lictors were organized in an ordered line before him, with the primus lictor (lit. 'principal lictor') directly in front of him, waiting for orders. If there was a crowd, the lictors opened the way and kept their master safe, pushing all aside except for Roman matrons, who were accorded special honor. They also had to stand beside the magistrate whenever he addressed the crowd. […] Lictors also had legal and penal duties; they could, at their master's command, arrest Roman citizens and punish them.” (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lictor)

More info can be found here: (https://imperiumromanum.pl/en/roman-constitution/roman-republic/lictor/)

So the Lictor carry a fasces. This turns out to be a specific bundle of elm rods or whips. When I saw how they looked, I wasn’t sure if the Lictor struck with one rod of the whole bundle. But In this image (below), we can see that he has one from the set. Also, I read the Fasces was “the insignia of their office, as well as the dignity of the magistrate on whom they attended, consisted of a number of elm rods, bound with a thong into a bundle, which they carried on their shoulder. An axe was bound up in the bundle, and its head jutted forth from it. [...] The bundle, in fact, comprised the apparatus of the lictor as the executioner of the magistrates' sentence. The thong served him to bind the criminal, with the rods he inflicted beatings, and (in capital punishment cases) with the axe he beheaded." (https://donna-connections.blogspot.com/2009/07/stripes-and-rods.html)

From subtleties in these verses and the wider scripture Paul and Silas may have been struck more than 39 times, as it says “‘And when they had laid many stripes on them‘ - The Jews were by law prohibited from inflicting more than 40 stripes, and usually inflicted but 39, (2 Corinthians 11:24). But there was no such law among the Romans. They were unrestricted in regard to the number of lashes, and probably inflicted many more. Perhaps Paul refers to this when he says ‘In stripes above measure.’ (2 Corinthians 11:23) that is, beyond the usual measure among the Jews, or beyond moderation.” (Barnes' Notes on the Bible)

It seems the lashing was not limited to the back as a quote from Cicero gives an account of a man named Gaius Servilius who was beaten by a Lictor “[He was beaten] until finally the senior Lictor Sextius…took the but end of his stick, and began to strike the poor man violently about the eyes, so that he fell helpless to the ground, his face and eyes bleeding profusely. Even then his assailants continued to rain blows on his prone body…Such was the treatment he then received; and having been carried off for dead at the time, very soon after did die.” (In Verrem 2.5.142)

It’s not coloured yet, but this is the Lictor with his fasces from my current work on the up and coming Word for Word Bible Comic.

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[ltsharif]

(via It is useless to cry over spilt milk)  Quran Chapter 21 – 45 & 46 (Pt-17, Stg-4) (L-2054) درس قرآنIt is useless to cry over spilt milkChapter “The Prophets” – (Suratul – ‘Ambiyaaa’ – 21) ‘A-‘uu-zu  Billaahi minash-Shay-taanir- Rajiim. (I seek refuge in Allaah from Satan the outcast.)Bis-Millaahir-Rah-maanir-Rahiim. (In the name of Allaah, the Beneficent, the Merciful.) قُلْ إِنَّمَآ أُنذِرُكُم بِٱلْوَحْىِ وَلَا يَسْمَعُ ٱلصُّمُّ ٱلدُّعَآءَ إِذَا مَا يُنذَرُونَ 45  وَلَئِن مَّسَّتْهُمْ نَفْحَةٌمِّنْ عَذَابِ رَبِّكَ لَيَقُولُنَّ يَٰوَيْلَنَآ إِنَّا كُنَّا ظَٰلِمِينَ 4645.  Say (O Muhammad, unto mankind): I warn you only by the Inspiration. And the deaf hear not the call when they are warned.46.  And if a breath of thy Lord’s punishment were to touch them, they assuredly would say: Alas for us! Lo! We were wrongdoers.45.  Qul  ‘innamaaa  ‘unziru-kum  bil-  wahyi  wa  laa  yasma-‘us-summud-du-‘aaa-‘a  ‘izaa  maa  yunzaruun.46.  Wa  la-‘im-massat-hum  naf-hatum-min  ‘Azaabi  Rabbika  la-yaquulunna  yaa-waylanaaa  ‘innaa  kunnaa  zaalimiin.    CommentaryIt is official duty of Muhammad, the Messenger of Allaah Almighty (grace, glory, blessings and peace be upon him) as well as all other Messengers (peace be upon them) that they should communicate His Message to the people without let or hindrance, and manifest before them entirely by their word and deed that there is no personal benefit hidden in this matter. Their object is not to acquire wealth and property, honor and dignity. They should say to the people: you think wrong that we wish to become King of you or desire to collect worldly comfort.Therefore, it has been commanded in this verse: O Messenger (grace, glory, blessings and peace be upon him)! Say to the people clearly! It is not self-made command of mine which I warn you from the bad consequence of your wrong deeds. Your actual Worshiped, God and Lord has sent Inspiration unto me that putting off the Commandments mentioned in Holy Qur’an carelessly and performing not in accordance with its Orders wholeheartedly, is at last cause of destruction. If now you become deaf and hear not my call, then these are manners of your ruin. If there is a well in the way covered by straw and weeds, which cannot be seen, then those who know; they warn by calling, but the deaf do not hear. Say to them whose hearts are deaf: You are going toward the abyss of the Fire. You do not understand the warning. If now any little flame of fire touch you then you will be able to do nothing. Your eyes and ears will be opened and you will begin to cry: Alas for us! Neither we heard the Sayings of the Messengers (peace be upon them) and nor obeyed.Transliterated Holy Qur’an in Roman Script & Translated from Arabic to English by Marmaduke Pickthall, Published by Paak Company, 17-Urdu Bazaar, Lahore, Lesson collected from Dars e Qur’aan published By Idara Islaah wa Tableegh, Lahore (translated Urdu to English by Muhammad Sharif).https://muhammadsharif120.wordpress.com/2018/12/07/it-is-useless-to-cry-over-spilt-milk/