This book investigates the historical function, cultural significance, and eventual decline of the judicial ordeal as a mechanism for determining guilt or innocence in medieval society. Robert Bartlett, a noted historian, utilizes a wide array of barbarian law codes and ecclesiastical records to analyze how these physically demanding tests were integrated into the legal frameworks of Christian societies. He argues that the ordeal was not merely a primitive superstition but a structured institution that evolved alongside changing theological and political pressures in Europe and America.

Experts recognize this work as a foundational text for understanding the intersection of medieval law and religious belief. Readers frequently note the clarity of the prose despite the complex historical subject matter.