Аннотация:The article raises questions of cultural and historical prerequisites of the death penalty in the form of blood revenge and ethical and philosophical aspects associated with the perception of this phenomenon in public life. A number of specific characteristics of blood revenge as a tool for restoring social justice in the framework of everyday, religious and philosophical mode are considered. Historical relationships between the phenomenon of vendetta and death penalty in the process of formation the state institutionalism are established. The methodological research frameworks are the historical and genetic methods, the principle of determinism, the method of analogy and induction, axiological analysis. The aim of the research is clarifying the key characteristics of blood revenge in connection with the historical formalization of capital punishment. Particular attention is paid to the discourse of justice, issues of difference and similarity of the concept of “revenge” and “retribution”. Research objectives are identifying the historical prerequisites for the emergence of death penalty as a punitive tool in the hands of the authorities; searching for religious, cultural, moral and utilitarian reasons that cause effects on formation of blood revenge in ancient societies; clarification positions of abolitionism on this issue. The hypothesis of the research is that all previous discussions pros and cons the death penalty initially conducted in the field of arguments and assumptions that obviously lead to deadlocks. It generates an endless stream of disputes and discussions on this topic.