a mostly german debate on conversion and salvation hallowed execution of for example a man that has murdered his wife or a murderer of a child as an inspiration to do the same and die joyful, comforted by a priest. Instead, priests should use their sermons the following Sunday to enlighten their congregations on how to understand the executions.764 More than fifty years after the publication of the book by Johann Christoph Rasche it was severely criticised by Leberecht Siegmund Jaspis in a booklet concerning Johann Gottfried Kaltofen, whom Jaspis had prepared and accompanied to his execution. Rasche, according to Jaspis, had misunderstood biblical texts, Christian dogmatics, and human psychology. The attack was focused on the understanding of the story of the criminal that received the promise of Jesus to meet him in paradise (Lk 23:39-43). According to Jaspis, the man must have known much about Jesus and been well prepared to meet him. Jesus did not press his mercy upon anyone, and those not prepared cannot come to faith. The road to the execution does not give enough time and it is easy to see how wrong Rasche was in understanding the Word of God as being able to magically save the condemned in a few moments. Repentance takes time and when it happens in prison it can be doubted – is it real or only a result of the fear for impending death?765 Also Jaspis discussed and disagreed with the book by Ecker und Eckhoffen whose ideas concerning the Absolution he understood as magical, especially that even the criminal through it could be made ready for going to heaven.766 Here Jaspis seems to have misunderstood the rather peculiar text where Ecker und Eckhoffen was himself critical of such ideas. A recurring description and critique by Jaspis of the executions was that they were ’feierlich’.767 Such an execution led many of those attending to believe that a short time of preparation and the presence of a priest on the scaffold guaranteed salvation, while Jaspis could only hope for the 764 Was ist 1793 p 11 sqq. 765 Jaspis 1822 p 70 sq. 766 Jaspis 1822 p 79 sq, see also Ecker und Eckhoffen 1784 p 18 (quoting Sturm 1784a p 3), 21, 31sq, 36 sqq. 767 See e g Jaspis 1822 p 53, 63 sq, 68. ’Celebratory’. 209
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