the execution and its message an address by Christoffer Angeldorff preparing him for confession, Absolution, and communion. Angeldorff said that God demanded that a killer must voluntarily let himself be killed. If he would not agree to be executed, mercy, forgiveness, salvation, and every contact with God would be impossible.245 Both Holmgren and Angeldorff clearly widened a rule of the Law of the Church from 1686 that stated where a confession was made to a serious crime that still could cause mayhem the priest should wait with the Absolution until confession also had been made to the judge. If the serious crime could no longer cause additional damage the priest could shortly postpone but not refuse Absolution and communion.246 When Holmgren instead demanded a public confession as necessary for the Absolution, he not only took a more severe line than the law warranted, but also made a theological statement about the conditions necessary for Absolution. Thus, Holmgren saw providing a confession to the court as a theological important part of his task. He saw no conflict between the spiritual and temporal roles he bore. At that time there existed an obligation for prison chaplains to seek the confession before the court of those being held in order to confess when sufficient evidence had not been produced even though the court was quite certain that this person was guilty to a serious crime. These prisoners were also rarely be admitted to communion. In at least one case, a prisoner was even denied reading the Bible and other ’religious’ books. When this became publicly known and criticised in 1834, the government ordered if such measures were being considered, any decision had to be taken by the government itself.247 It is therefore not clear whether Holmgren and Angeldorff were particularly extreme by the standards of the day. 245 ”Och omöjlig är förlåtelsen, omöjlig nåden, omöjlig saligheten att vinna, så länge mördaren skyler sig undan, och det olyckliga, det spillda människoblodet ännu förgäves ropar efter sin hämnd. Så sträng är Gud, att frivilligt, gladeligt, med enfaldigt hjärta och uppriktig bekännelse måste den, som i en olycklig förblindad stund utgjuter en medmänniskas blod, framställa sig själv som ett vedergällningsoffer, och låta taga sitt liv för det liv han själv utsläckt; annars kan Gud i evighet icke med honom inlåta sig, varken till att verka en sann ånger, en levande tro eller en uppriktig helgelse.”Angeldorff 1838 p 6. 246 1686 års kyrkolag 1936, 7:4, p 24 sq. 247 Inger 1976 p 71, 137 sqq. 84
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