Restitution

By the 16th century, the old Judeo-Christian idea of a last judgement had long been a cornerstone of Christian faith. Indeed, Christians feared and admired God much more than trusted in his redeeming love. At the Council of Trent, the Roman Church again confirmed this old idea in the face of Protestant doubts. These beliefs found expression in the sacrament of penance and its transformation into a procedure that strongly resembled legal proceedings.<br><br>Another aspect of those beliefs was the restitutio – an institution which today appears as a rather odd mix of law and religion. Augustine had taught that no sin could be forgiven unless the sinner returned what he had stolen from another man (non remittetur peccatum nisi restituatur ablatum). According to Catholic belief, this meant that the redemption of sins required the sinner to return all property taken or received from another man and to make good all damage for which he was responsible.