An examination of the workings of trial by ordeal from its first appearance in the barbarian law codes, tracing its use by Christian societies to its last use as a test for witchcraft in modern Europe and America. Trial by ordeal has been an important legal procedure in many periods and regions. This work discusses various recent theories about the operation and decline of the practice. The author also considers some of the general historical problems of understanding a society in which religious beliefs were so fundamental.
- ISBN10 0198227353
- ISBN13 9780198227359
- Publish Date 5 May 1988 (first published 16 October 1986)
- Publish Status Out of Print
- Out of Print 16 October 1992
- Publish Country GB
- Publisher Oxford University Press
- Imprint Clarendon Press
- Edition New edition
- Format Paperback (UK Trade)
- Pages 192
- Language English