The Sacred Image of Guilt, Innocence and Atonement

Abstract

Guilt and innocence can be viewed from both the secular and the sacred side. Modern law is no longer aware of this double-sidedness, but until the legal world of the 18^th century, which was determined by natural law, this two-sidedness was represented in many legal sources in the form of a combination of image and text as an opening for the sacred side, so to speak, followed by the legal text for the secular dimension. In my overview, I will present seven examples of this rich source material of European legal culture, which I will interpret according to the scientific method of legal iconography.