Hand of oath
An oath hand is a gesture of the right hand that is intended to confirm the words spoken when taking an oath or oath (e.g. oath of office ) .
In the typical position, the right hand is raised, the palm of the hand facing the viewer, the thumb , index and middle finger (the oath fingers ) stretched parallel to one another and the ring finger and little fingers bent.
In another common position of the oath hand, not only the three oath fingers, but all fingers of the raised right hand are stretched parallel to one another. In some cases the left hand is placed on a Bible at the same time as this hand position .
Sometimes the hand of the oath is completely dispensed with when taking an oath.
meaning
The use of the oath hand with the three outstretched fingers when taking the oath symbolizes the submission of man to the Triune God and his invocation as an oath helper , with all the consequences for the salvation of the soul in the hereafter in the event of perjury . In the Middle Ages , perjury could be punished by cutting off the hand of an oath ( mirror penalty ).
The oath fingers symbolize the Trinity , in Christian theology the essential unity of God the Father , Son of God ( Jesus Christ ) and the Holy Spirit . According to the Lucerne oath reminder of 1671, the thumb stands for God the Father, the index finger for the Son of God and the middle finger for the Holy Spirit. Furthermore, the bent ring finger symbolizes the soul , the bent little finger the body and the palm of the hand symbolizes justice .
use
gesture
In German criminal law , for example, a witness should raise his right hand when swearing in ( Section 64 (4) StPO). However, this is not an essential part of taking the oath.
Traditionally, the hand of the oath shows who is being sworn in in Switzerland , for example those holding public office or soldiers, but not who is taking the non-religious vow instead of the oath. In this case, too, the gesture is usually not legally required.
heraldry
The hand of the oath can be found in coats of arms as a common figure or symbol . If the hand of the oath reaches out from a cloud or is surrounded by a nimbus , it becomes the hand of God .
Others
The rival king Rudolf von Rheinfelden (around 1025-1080) was repudiated in the decisive battle at Hohenmölsen against the incumbent Roman-German King Heinrich IV . This was propagated as a divine judgment , since Rudolf had sworn the feudal oath with King Henry IV with this hand . The mummified hand of the oath, attributed to Rudolf, can be viewed in the Merseburg Chapter House at Merseburg Cathedral . A replica of this oath hand made in 2013 is in the Fricktaler Museum in Rudolf's place of origin Rheinfelden .
The commemorative coin of the Weimar Republic from 1929 shows a hand of oath on the face of the 10th anniversary of the adoption of the Weimar Constitution .
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The memorial stone for the victims of the Second World War in Berlin-Marzahn shows a larger than life hand of an oath. The memorial stone next to the celebration hall of the Parkfriedhof Marzahn was created in 1952 by the sculptor Erwin Kobbert and commemorates bomb victims of the Second World War .
The German CSU politician Friedrich Zimmermann (1925–2012) earned his perjury in connection with the Bavarian casino affair the nickname "Old Schwurhand" ( corruption of Old Surehand ).
Medical symptom
| Classification according to ICD-10 | |
|---|---|
| G56.1 | Other lesions of the median nerve |
| ICD-10 online (WHO version 2019) | |
In medicine, the "sworn hand" is also the symptom of a disease , nerve paralysis of the median nerve . This can occur on both the right and left hand.
literature
- Uwe Fleckner, Martin Warnke, Hendrik Ziegler (eds.): Handbook of political iconography. Volume 1: abdication to homage. Beck, Munich 2011, ISBN 978-3-406-57765-9 , p. 421 ff.
- Eberhard von Künßberg : oath gesture and oath finger interpretation (= the legal symbol . H. 4). Herder, 1941, ZDB -ID 534979-5 .
Web links
Individual evidence
- ↑ Merkel irritates parliament. The hand on the oath stayed down. In: RP online. October 28, 2009, accessed February 16, 2016 .
- ↑ Kurt Ranke (Ed.): Encyclopedia of Fairy Tales. Concise dictionary for historical and comparative narrative research. Volume 11: Exam - Chimera Tales. de Gruyter, Berlin et al. 2004, ISBN 3-11-017565-7 , p. 427 f.
- ^ André Holenstein: Rituals of Verification. The oath as a means of establishing truth and stabilizing expectations in the Middle Ages and in the early modern period. In: Edgar Bierende, Sven Bretfeld, Klaus Oschema (ed.): Rites, gestures, ceremonies. Social symbolism in the Middle Ages and early modern times (= Trends in Medieval Philology. Vol. 14). de Gruyter, Berlin et al. 2008, ISBN 978-3-11-020802-3 , pp. 229-252, here p. 236 .
- ↑ A beautiful exposition of the Eyd oath / what every finger means and knows / presented to all pious Christians for the eyes / and described . Augsburg 1798 ( online - with woodcut illustration of an oath hand).
- ^ Karl-Peter Julius, Heiko Ahlbrecht, Jürgen Brauer, Björn Gercke, Hans-Joachim Kurth, Michael Lemke, Helmut Pollähne, Karl-Heinz Posthoff, Erardo C. Rautenberg, Eike C. Schmidt, Dieter Temming, Bettina Weißer, Ines Woynar, Mark A. Zöller: Code of Criminal Procedure (= Heidelberg Commentary ). 5th, completely revised and expanded edition. Müller et al., Heidelberg et al. 2012, ISBN 978-3-8114-7180-1 , p. 268, paragraph 5.
- ^ Eduard Freiherr von Sacken: Catechism of Heraldry: Fundamentals of Heraldry. Verlagbuchhandlung J. J. Weber, Leipzig 1862, page 52
- ↑ United Cathedral Donors to Merseburg and Naumburg and the Collegiate Foundation Zeitz (Foundation): Rudolf von Schwaben. Retrieved February 16, 2016 .
- ↑ Nadine Böni: Rudolf's oath hand is now also in the museum showcase. In: Aargauer Zeitung . September 24, 2013, accessed February 16, 2016 .
- ^ Dietrich OA Klose : Die Mark - a German fate. History of the mark up to 1945 . State Coin Collection, Munich 2002, ISBN 3-922840-18-3 , p. 118 .
- ↑ Jens Bauszus: Politician Lies. Walter Ulbricht's heirs. In: Focus Online . June 15, 2011, accessed February 16, 2016 .