a mostly german debate on conversion and salvation to send out the delinquents alone unaccompanied. The Christian choice would be to give even the deepest sunken sinner the comfort of the gospel when death is near.784 Knauth also quoted or cited other authorities. One of them was the professor and superintendent Heinrich Gottlieb Tzschirner in Leipzig who in one of the letters sent to Knauth found nothing in the accompanying of the delinquent that threatened the intention of the penalty or was disparaging for the priests. Humanity also demanded that the delinquent was not refused spiritual comfort in her final moments.785 Concern for the salvation of the delinquent was however not the only reason for priests to be present at executions, though, as two executions in Potsdam in 1774 was for Knauth proof that there could be much mockery and laughter instead of seriousness and warning.786 Knauth however himself took a step back in the controversy when he acknowledged that some delinquents should not be accompanied. This was the case if the delinquent abused the priest and even spat at him – no one should have to endure such behaviour.787 The next year another booklet on the debate was published, DasVerhältniß des Geistlichen zum Leichengepränge eines Delinquenten, which mostly participated in the debate by having a much higher opinion of the texts by Jaspis than of those by Knauth.788 Although this debate mostly took place many years ago, it sometimes crops up later. For example Heinz Kittsteiner not many decades ago has judged that Steinbart, in denying the possibility of a late conversion, had 784 Knauth 1825b p 9: ”Diejenigen thun sehr Unrecht welche die geistliche Begleitung des Missethäters abgeschafft wissen wollen. Man muß wohl unterscheiden die juristische und christliche Ansicht der Sache; daher haben Sie, lieber Hr. Pastor, recht wohl gethan, daß sie der christlichen gefolgt sind, denn gerade der tief gesunkende Sünder bedarf den Trost des Evangelii am meisten, das ihm am wenigsten in der letzten Stunde verschlossen werden darf.” This book Knauth is said to have distributed in thick parcels to theologians and superintendents ”im Auslande”, probably outside Saxony, with the aim that they should distribute them in their dioceses, Das Verhältniß 1826 p 8. 785 Knauth 1825b p 20. Tzschirner has been identified as theological being a part of the Enlightenment, see e g Schulz 1999. 786 Knauth 1825b p 30. 787 Knauth 1825b p 22 sq. 788 Das Verhältniß 1826. 213
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