How did the Law of Moses endeavor to raise humanity to levels of greater righteousness?

In his commentary on the Sermon on the Mount, St. Augustine examines the development of the relationship between a person and his fellow human being, beginning from primitive humans who initiated harm to others, to the perfect human who rejoices in bearing the weaknesses of others:⁹⁹³ “It is the lesser righteousness of the Pharisees not to go beyond measure in revenge, that no one should give back more than he has received: and this is a great step. For it is not easy to find anyone who, when he has received a blow, wishes

992 See Fr. Tadros Yacoub Malaty and Maged Sous, Faith and Permissiveness ( Al'-iman Wal'-iibaha, Arabic) (1998): pp. 10ff.

993 All the quotes in this section come from St. Augustine of Hippo, Our Lord’s Sermon on the Mount 1.19.56–57 (NPNF I/6:24–25).

merely to return the blow; and who, on hearing one word from a man who reviles him, is content to return only one, and that just an equivalent; but he avenges it more immoderately, either under the disturbing influence of anger, or because he thinks it just, that he who first inflicted injury should suffer more severe injury than he suffered who had not inflicted injury. Such a spirit was in great measure restrained by the law, where it was written, ‘An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth’ [Ex. 21:24]; by which expressions a certain measure is intended, so that the vengeance should not exceed the injury. And this is the beginning of peace: but perfect peace is to have no wish at all for such vengeance … by means of which enactment the transition is made from the highest discord [i.e., the human desire to take vengeance beyond the extent of one’s injury] to the highest concord [taking vengeance commensurate to one’s injury], according to the distribution of times.” But St. Augustine shows us that the Gospel of Christ takes us even further than the Law:

• a. The morally primitive person injures his brother.

• b. “That man, however, who is not the first to do harm to anyone, but who yet, when injured, inflicts a greater injury in return, either in will or in deed,” has not yet reached the level of the law given by Moses.

• c. The Law of Moses requires a person not to repay more evil than he suffered.

• d. More advanced is the person who “does not pay back as much, but less; as, for instance, one blow instead of two.”

• e. “He who, rising above this, pays back nothing at all, approaches the Lord’s precept, but yet he does not reach it.”

• f. As for Christian perfection: “not only are you not to pay back what may have been inflicted on you, but you are not even to resist other inflictions. For this is what He also goes on to explain: ‘But whosoever shall smite you on your right cheek, turn to him the other also’ (Matt. 5:39) … And so, as regards those whom the Lord, the Physician of souls, was instructing to take care of their neighbours, what else could He teach them, than that they endure quietly the infirmities of those whose welfare they wish to consult? For all wickedness arises from infirmity of mind.”