sian government, published a book going even further. I study the debate after, and to some extent before, the book by Steinbart. In the book Steinbart recommended that some of those condemned to death should not be prepared by the clergy for their execution and death. This would be correct retribution for a murderer that had not let the victim prepare and the horror of somebody thinking that hell waited would be appropriate for the watching crowd. Steinbart, himself coming from Lutheran roots, taught reformed theology, but his ideas were mostly immanent and lacking transcendence. He held no hope for those condemned to die as he saw conversion as something that would take time and also had to include deeds by the individuals. Therefore the story of the criminal on the cross (Lk 23:39–43) was problematic for him and his view was that this was a special miracle Jesus had made that was of no relevance for us. The theological focus of most of the latter debate came to be the understanding of conversion and thereby of salvation. The book of Steinbart made a big splash and was discussed in books, pamphlets, and also in books about related subjects, such as pastoral care. The discussion caused by the Prussian legislation and the book by Steinbart was revitalised in 1784 as aresult of an order by the senate in Hamburg prohibiting the presence of the clergy at executions. Two priests in Hamburg then published texts pro or contra the legislation and others followed suit. Starting in Saxony in the 1820’s the discussion again produced several texts. It was a mostly German debate, but some of it, particularly the original book by Steinbart, was known also in Denmark and Sweden. But did Steinbart start this debate or did he build on already existing ideas? Although ideas such as those held by Steinbart do not seem to have existed in Geneva with its heritage of Calvin the central ideas questioning late conversion and the example of the criminal at Golgotha existed in other reformed environments in Britain and the Netherlands in the seventeenth and eighteenth century. Then a systematic view is applied on legislation and other means used to counter these crimes. These measures and ideas have been divided into three principal but not mutually exclusive strategies of which the first summary 286
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