finally If some reactions were related to the direct behaviour of those officiating or of the condemned or to the crime, other reactions express the interpretations of scene itself. From the point of view of the state it would be quite concerning if those attending, or at least some of them, understood the execution in another way than intended. Could one even understand the people as challenging the state through their interpretations? For certain rulers at certain moments it would not have been an unconceivable thought. Those whose ideas mainly were active in this respect were, however, probably men with a bit less power such as judges, university teachers, and administrators, all concerned with the defence of the state and its messages in a struggle with other perceptions. Apart from the state, some interpretations of the scene and the condemned had natural roots in churches and theology. Oldest of them is clearly martyrdom which continues to be of interest as long as executions or torture exist. From a Christian perspective, martyrdom can help to understand the executed in two ways. Either here is someone killed for the faith that had been confessed or here is someone endeavouring to travel this horrible path following Christ. Thus the difference between the interpretations using martyrdom and those starting in the possible salvation of the condemned is slight. Strangely enough, however, even by theologians the possibility of salvation could be questioned and thereby, in their understanding, as the hope of salvation left the condemned there was really no need for neither church nor priest to remain. Both in state and church general developments came to exist in the handling of both the situation and the individual. The states for long periods were not particularly interested in the condemned as being anything else than a body used to demonstrate its power and, hopefully, deter other subjects. The lack of preparation and of most spiritual solemnity could be combined with an execution that both could seek to be very painful but also to destroy things like the identity and honour of the executed, not only remove life but everything in a total destruction.943 Such a death foreshadowed some of the strategies used against these crimes, seeking through their atrocity to be deterring. 943 About such executions see Krischer 2017 p 86. 270
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