Nur der Richter kann Heiland sein

Abstract

This paper argues that since the idea of the Last Judgment includes a concept of social universality that differs from the numerical idea of the totality of individuals, universal judgment means putting to judgment the inextricable nexus of social interaction in humankind and yet holding individuals accountable for the single acts of which that nexus is made. Against this background it seems that the jurisdiction of the International Criminal Court established in July 2002 meets the demands of both concepts (I.): unity of humankind and individual accountability. Faced with this problem, this paper examines in detail the imagery of the unity of humankind in the parable of the Last Judgment (II.1.) and the idea of accountability in the doctrine of justification (II.2.). The thesis of this paper is, however, that in order to achieve justice in humankind, any court or other institution of judgment in human history has to be based on theological concepts of the unity of humankind and of accountability (III.). Any sentence passed by historical judgment therefore must be open to theological understanding, as Luther's distinction of the two uses of the law suggests. The paper argues that it is the eschatological promise of Christ coming for judgment that constitutes the unity of humankind and that the phenomenon of accountability should be considered an aspect of the merry exchange as which Martin Luther described the event of justification. Theologically speaking, universal judgment, far from bringing about the perfection of the church (as Schleiermacher holds), constitutes the eschatological community of the believers in Jesus Christ.