ABSTRACT
This chapter addresses the fact that the death penalty is typically rejected in African moral philosophy, including in Metz’s own moral thought. It argues that the Atonement intuitively meets the criteria for a rare exception where the death penalty is indeed permissible. This is primarily because the Atonement restores humanity’s capacity for friendly relationship with God. Alternatively, Christ’s death can perhaps be understood as a sacrifice, not as an execution. The permissibility of such sacrifices is well-established in the African tradition and nothing about them implies that the person sacrificed lacks a dignity or intrinsic value.
