Semper Lex Talionis is a little known society with a long history of seeing the justice prevails, and that those who persecute wrongfully and unjustly are held accountable. It is based on the early Babylonian law, present in both biblical and early Roman law, that demands persecutors who defy the rules of basic justice should receive as punishment precisely those injuries and damages they had inflicted upon their victims. Some will say that this “eye-for-an-eye“ principle should be applied literally. But justice can prevail if an enemy who brings about unjustified harm faces their own adversity. This can be sufficient retribution.
The Principal is found in the works of the Greek play-write Aeschylus, (born 525 BC“”died 456 BC, Gela, Sicily), who was the first of classical Athens’ great dramatists, and who often applied he concept of lex talionis. Of particular note is his play Prometheus Unbound. The most striking and controversial aspect of the play is its depiction of Zeus as a tyrant. Prometheus himself has proved to be for later ages an archetypal figure of defiance against tyrannical power, a role exemplified in Percy Bysshe Shelley‘s poem Prometheus Unbound (1820).
The society also embraces concepts of the Greek goddess Poena, the goddess of revenge, who in Greek mythology is the personification of punishment. As such, she was the attendant of Nemesis, the goddess of divine retribution. Her name means “penalty” and she was known to the Romans by the same name. From her name, English words such as “pain” and “subpoena” are derived.
The concept of Lex Talionis is found repeatedly. in the Bible. In fact, the Old Testament (Book of Genesis) begins with revenge and the New Testament (Book of Revelations) ends with the same hypnosis. Upon the heels of the Great Tribulation comes the Day of the Lord, as Obadiah declares in verse 15. It is a time of reckoning, or as the prophet phrases it, “As you have done, it shall be done to you.” This is a biblical law. The Romans called it lex talionis, meaning “law of retaliation” or “law of just retribution.” In biblical terms, we know it as the “eye for an eye” principle (Exodus 21:23-25; Leviticus 24:19-20; Matthew 5:38). Jesus says that whatever we measure out to others will be measured back to us (Luke 6:38). Paul writes of it as, “Whatever a man sows, that he will also reap” (II Corinthians 9:6; Galatians 6:7-8). God says that this is how He will judge Edom in the Day of His wrath: “Your reprisal shall return upon your own head.” So throughout every phase of history, the concept of Lex Talionis can be found.
How does one join Semper Lex Talionis? The qualifications are that first, an applicant must has completed military service in an honorable fashion. Secondly, the applicant must have been unjustly incarcerated, and submit a prison identification number and evidence of the unjustified detainment. Thirdly, the applicant must wear the proud insignia of Semper Lex Talionis, the revenge tattoo, shown below.
To make an application to join Semper Lex Talionis, stay tuned as a website and a contact email will be posted soon.
