Abstract
In The Cross and the Lynching Tree, James Cone revealed the failure of contemporary theology to address the phenomenon of lynching and the power of looking at the modern horror of lynching alongside the foundational event and central symbol of Christianity. Stories in the Hebrew Bible also resemble lynching. The stories of Cozbi and Zimri (Num 25), Achan and his family (Josh 7), and Jezebel (2 Kgs 9) help establish the assumption that executions, particularly of those identified as “other,” can resolve social crises. This understanding underlies the assumption that the death of Jesus solves a problem. Examining these stories alongside lynching can help dismantle the framework that continues to support the idea that violent death is a solution to human suffering.
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