Definition: "atoned"

Linked from Essay II, Section 22:
"...the will of man to find himself guilty and reprehensible to a degree that can never be atoned for..."

The term "atone" has religious connotations, although it is not necessarily a religious term. "Atonement" is a derivative term with strongly religious connotations. If you are unfamiliar with the Judeo-Christian concept of atonement to which Nietzsche aludes, read more about it in the Encyclopædia Brittanica Online.

[T]he process by which a person removes obstacles to his reconciliation with God. It is a recurring theme in the history of religion and theology. Rituals of expiation and satisfaction appear in most religions, whether primitive or developed, as the means by which the religious person reestablishes or strengthens his relation to the holy or divine. Atonement is often attached to sacrifice, both of which often connect ritual cleanness with moral purity and religious acceptability. Read more...

"atonement" Encyclopædia Britannica Online <http://search.eb.com/bol/topic?eu=10266&sctn=1> [Accessed May 24, 1999].
NOTE: THIS LINK IS LIMITED TO UNIVERSITY OF RICHMOND NETWORK

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