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1. Term and Problems Forgiveness is the readiness to pardon faults (Guilt). More than restitution or repayment, it seeks to restore fellowship. The fifth petition of the Lord’s Prayer refers to it as something that God does and that we ought to do in return. But what does Christian forgiveness mean when seen in the light of social, political, philosophical, psychological, and religious theories for the overcoming of guilt? Our own dealing with guilt is confronted by the external pronouncement that t…

[German Version] I. Religious Studies The word sacrifice denotes both the living creature or offering sacrificed and the ritual action (e.g. destruction) through which that creature or object is dedicated to a supernatural being. If a distinction needs to be made, English and the Romance languages can use sacrifice (Eng. and Fr.; sacrificio Ital. and Span.) for the ritual action while using victim (Fr. victime, Span. víctima, Ital. vittima) for the creature sacrificed. Etymologically sacrifice suggests an action in which the sacrificed object is “made holy/sacred” (Lat. sacrum fac…