This book grows out of the conviction that, as the author says, "it is necessary to think about forgiveness not in spite of Auschwitz but because of Auschwitz. " Drawing on the Bible and church history, Geiko M�ller-Fahrenholz shows how the idea of forgiveness has been distorted, abused and largely lost, and why it is so important to reclaim this healing art, not only in personal relations but especially in the relations between nations and peoples. He devotes one chapter to a careful analysis of the work of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission set up after the end of apartheid in South Africa, and its relevance to many other situations of deeply rooted hostility and conflict in the world today.