Dear Matt:

Before the time of Mosaic Law, society was rather rough and tumble, not unlike the wild and woolly West of the American Frontier. The only law was the law of unregulated personal vengeance and/or the law of whim of those in power (e.g., Kings and royalty);  justice was arbitrary, and society was disorderly.

In these times, disputes were settled by ever escalating vengeance. If you took my eye, I'd take your eye and your arm. Then you would come back and take my arm and my leg, and on it goes into never-ending family feuds that could last for decades.

With Moses and the Ten Commandments, God introduced an objective law that all must adhere regardless of position (king or pauper). With these major commandments and the establishment of the Chair of Moses (the Magisterium of the Mosaic Covenant), various other laws and regulations were enacted to bring peace and order to society.

The "eye or an eye" law raised the bar from the wild vengeance of before. Here if you took my eye, I could not seek vengeance beyond taking your eye and nothing more. This provided equity in the resolution of disputes and ended the never-ending and escalating violence of feuds. It brought order and a measure of justice to society.

Jesus, however, raised the bar even higher. Jesus tells us that instead of getting vengeance when we are wronged we should offer forgiveness.

A similar progression occurred with marriage and divorce. Before Mosaic Law marriage was a an arrangement in which women were property to do with as one pleases. Mosaic law brought raised the bar a little in that while women were still considered property, the law provided for protection of women (as property rights of the man). Adultery was a violation of property and threatened the family line in that the woman may get pregnant from the other man.

Thus, because of the hardness of the hearts of the people at the time, divorce was allowed (again as a measure of property rights).

Jesus raises the bar and teaches us that a valid marriage cannot be dissolved for any reason and that even to look upon a woman in lust was adultery. We also learn from St. Paul that the husband and wife are equal under God and are to submit to one another.

Thus, Jesus raises marriage to a Holy Sacrament and introduces the notion that women have dignity equal to that of men and to look upon her in lust violates that dignity (before in Mosaic law coveting was a sin listed in the Ten Commandments because coveting lead to violating another's property rights. Here, Jesus suggests that the woman is worthy of dignity on her own merits as a human being and child of God.

Thus, what we see from pre-Mosaic times, to Mosaic times, to New Testament times is not a contradiction, but a progression of civilization and growing understanding and maturity in the spirit. God always deals with us where we are at. Apparently, mankind was not ready for a Ten Commandments and a system of objective law until the time of Moses. Things were still harsh, but the law provided order and the experience of Mosaic law prepared the way for the greater understanding of the law of Jesus -- to love and forgive.

The phrase, "You have heard it said", is just a language convention to refer to the regulations and laws under the Mosaic Covenant. Today, I could say, "You have heard it said that the First Amendment guarantees freedom of speech, but that freedom is not unlimited." The phrase is only a manner of speaking.

God Bless,
Bro. Ignatius Mary