Since the liturgy, and above all Mass, is often described as a drama, there was nothing unusual in the dramatic and liturgical character of execution being closely knit, especially as executions were to a large extent liturgical ceremonies.144 Although the condemned was expulsed from society her relationship with God was the focus for the, often hard-working, priests. Thus, we hardly could make a study of executions not applying pastoral and liturgical perspectives. At any execution it was atheological drama that was produced and played, an edifying story of the conversion of a criminal and her final safe arrival in the arms of God, or if it came to the worst, a horrible story of warning and sorrow, describing a hardened criminal and sinner’s last blasphemy and final descent into hell. The execution was liturgical in character, the grand finale of a ceremonious course of events. From the German scene Evans reports that: ”More time was taken up with prayers and pious speeches than with the actual execution itself.”145 André Krischer from England describes the priest playing the main role, the executioner having been demoted to assistant from 1550 on.146 In the Nordic countries and Germany, a hymn, the Lord’s Prayer, or a blessing was the usual sound while the executioner worked.147 Probably something resembling a full service with hymns and prayers often occurred. An interesting example is an execution April 14th 1725 in the vicinity of Borås in Sweden. A crowd had assembled to see one man and three women being executed for a murder and there exists a detailed The execution between church and state the execution and its message 1976, Zelle 1984, Dülmen 1988, Laqueur 1989, Falvey 1991, Martschukat 1995 p 195 sqq, Martschukat 2000a p 46 sqq and Schuyler 2008. 143 Dülmen 1984 p 219. 144 Martin 2010 studies the Mass from a dramatic perspective and Bergman 2011b discusses the execution as liturgy. 145 Evans 1997 p 80. Gustav Radbruch fittingly calls it: ”Die staatlich-kirchlichen Hinrichtungsvolksfeste” and sees the festivity in itself as a problem, tempting certain persons, Radbruch 1950 p 162, see also p 171. 146 Krischer 2008b p 65. 147 Bergman 1996 p 183 sqq, Martschukat 2000a p 26, Stuart 2023 p 371. 61
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