2C: Atonement Flashcards
Atonement
reconciliation- bringing back together two parties that have been estranged. in theology, restoring the relationship between humankind and god
Atonement theory
any attempt to explain how Jesus’ crucifixion led to reconciliation between humankind and god
Crucifixion
Jesus’ death on the cross - seen as playing a role in gods plan for reconciling humankind
The Fall
the event in which humankind and god became estranged
Original Sin
the first sin of humankind and its ongoing systemic effects
Expiation
removing guilt by paying a penalty
Propitiation
averting anger by making an offering
Sacrifice
killing an animal as some kind of an offering to avert gods anger
Scapegoat
part of the Yom Kippur observances in the Hebrew scriptures- transferring guilt onto an innocent being
The Lamb of God
description of Jesus by John the Baptist
Ransom
paying a price to set someone free. this type of theory later influenced Christ as victor theory
Satisfaction Theories
models of atonement which rely on the need to do something to make amends for damage caused or offence given, or to honour a debt of gratitude. this type of theory influenced later substitutionary theories
Christ as Victor
atonement theory which says that Jesus’ death released humans from bondage to sin and the devil by waging a war against sin and evil, and overcoming it
Substitution
literally refers to ‘taking someone’s place’. there are several atonement theories which see Jesus as a means of substitutionary atonement. the most well known (and controversial) of these is penal substitution
Penal Substitution
atonement theory which says that Jesus took the punishment for the sins of humankind
Moral Example
atonement theory which says Jesus’ death showed human beings god’s love and how to live well
Origen
2nd century church father who proposed ‘Ransom theory’
Anselm
12th century theologian who wrote ‘Cur Deus Homo’ (why god became man) and developed the satisfaction theory
Gustav Aulen
Swedish theologian who wrote the book ‘christus victor’ which revived and updated random theory using a military metaphor - of a battle between good and evil, of which good (in Christ) emerged victorious
Augustine
influential 4th century theologian who accepted the moral example model
Abelard
12th century theologian who revived the 4th century moral example model
Protestant Reformers
included theologians such as Martin Luther and John Calvin who protested at some Roman Catholic practices and beliefs. the protestant reformers favoured penal substitution theory
Evangelical Christians
Christians characterised by their emphasis on salvation by faith, which lays importance on a personal, individual response to the stoning work of Jesus on the cross
Biblical Conservatives
christians who favour objective theories of biblical inspiration such as divine dictation or divine guidance
Salvation
what happens to human beings when they are reconciled with god - ie they are saved from the consequences of sin
Christology
branch of Christian theology which focuses on beliefs about the person and work of Jesus
What does atonement literally mean?
bringing two estranged parties back together again. ie reconciliation
What are the two ‘estranged parties’ in the context of Christianity?
humankind and God
What is estrangement the result of?
the fall
Tree quote from Irenaeus
“through a tree we were made debtors to god; so through a tree we have our debt cancelled”
(tree 1 symbolises tree of knowledge. Adam and Eve are from it which resulted in the fall. tree 2 symbolises the cross. Jesus was crucified to restore our relationship)
What is atonement?
the process by which people are reconciled with god through the death of Jesus on the cross
What does the doctrine of the original sin teach?
we all carry the son with us and are thus separated from god. therefore, humans and god need to be reconciled
Who was William Tyndale and what did he do?
he was one of the first translators of the Bible into English. he created the words ‘at’ and ‘one’ to create atonement
What other versions of the word ‘atonement’ are there?
Hebrew - Kippur
Greek - Katallage
(both mean reconciliation)
Why is atonement needed according to Christianity?
premise 1: god is loving and just (so he does not want to punish his creation for eternity)
premise 2: human beings were made to be in a relationship with god but this was broken by the fall (Genesis 2-3)
premise 3: all human beings are sinful (Romans 3v23)
What are the implications of the 3 premises?
- if god is just, then sin must be punished
- if god is loving, then god doesn’t want to eternally punish his own creation
What does the cross symbolise in the context of the atonement?
a bridge that provides a way for humans to get back to god
What models does the New Testament use to convey how god reconciled humankind with himself through Jesus’ death?
- Jesus as ‘the lamb of god who takes away the sin of the world’
- payment of a ransom to free a slave
- a military victory
What does expiation mean?
removing guilt by paying a penalty. allows their guilt to be dealt with
What does propitiation mean?
turning away wrath by making an offering. acknowledges sin but still restored the relationship between humankind and god
What does expiation focus on?
removal of guilt
- a person who has done wrong feels guilty. paying the penalty for their wrongdoing is a way of showing remorse and allows their guilt to be dealt with. once the penalty is paid the person who has done wrong no longer needs to carry their guilt around.
- in the context of christian atonement Jesus’ death is expository in that it brings about forgiveness for sinners
What does propitiation focus on?
turning away of anger
- in context of the Christian atonement, Jesus’ death is propitiatory because it satisfies the demands of a righteous and just god as sin is acknowledged and amends are made for it thus restoring the relationship between humankind and god
3 key events of sacrifice in the Hebrew scriptures
- Abraham and Issac (Genesis 22). at the last minute god provides a substitute and this (the lamb) dies instead of Issac
- the passover lamb (exodus 12). the blood from the slaughtered lamb acted as a protection for the Hebrew people when the ‘angel of death’ passed over egypt
- the scapegoat (Leviticus 16). on the day of atonement (Yom Kippur) every year a ceremony was performed to atone for the sins of the nation. sin and guilt is thus ‘transferred’ onto the innocent party (the goat)
Atonement in the old testament
- Abraham and Issac
- passover lamb
- book of Leviticus: day of atonement: a yearly ritual for removing sin from the whole people: 2 goats were offered for the sins of the people. 1st goat expelled is the scapegoat and represents satan. 2nd goat slaughtered. it’s blood was taken and sprinkled on the altar of the holy of holies. believed to cleanse from defilement and restore to purity; led to freedom and new life
- other offerings: flour, bread, oil, wine, “tithes” - prescribed to be offered as thanksgiving offerings to god, to win gods favour and forgiveness
What 2 effects can sacrifice be seen as having?
propitiation and expiation
- Christ’s death was both: propitiatory because it honoured god as an offering of a sinless and fully obedient life
- expiratory because the blood of jesus shed for humanity, cleansed humanity from their guilt before god
- epistle to the Hebrew 7:27: Jesus’ sacrifice caused human sin to be taken away “once and for all”. therefore Jesus’ death was a full expiation, or final atonement for sin
What 2 effects does evil have?
direct and indirect
What does animal sacrifice symbolise?
god’s justice - animal gets killed as a symbol of our sin.
What does animals blood symbolise?
blood. sprinkled around to purify the indirect results of sin
Key idea of the ransom theory
god tricks satan into accepting Jesus as the ransom price for humanity
Key people of the ransom theory
Origen (2nd century)
Biblical links of the ransom theory
- Matthew 20:28 and Mark 10:45: “the son of man …. came to give his life as a ransom for many”
Problems with the ransom theory
- the picture it presents of god
- the power of satan
How was the ransom theory later developed?
developed in 2 different ways to form the basis of both Christus Victor and Anselm’s satisfaction theory
How might Jesus’ death be understood as a ransom?
- after his death, St Paul believed his death paid for something (a deal). this is supported by the gospels of Matthew and Mark
- ransom theory taught that jesus’ death was a random sacrifice paid to satan by god, as the devil was claiming man as legitimate, so god sent Jesus’ body as bait
Key idea of satisfaction theory
the debt is owed to god, humans cannot pay because we are all sinful it so god pays it through the son by living the sinless and fully obedient life to offer god something that would honour god far more than a mere human life - a self offering of the divine person itself
Key people of satisfaction theory
Anselm (11th/12th century). book ‘Cur Deus Homo’. adapted from Origen’s ransom model
Biblical links for the satisfaction theory
Philippians 2:6-8
Problems of satisfaction theory
seen as too reliant on images of medieval feudalism
How might Jesus’ death be understood as debt satisfaction?
- Christ is infinite and took on a finite human form as a substitute for the sinful humans to cancel the debt
- the crucifixion showed a surplus of honour and obedience to god and all the evil of humanity was outweighed by this act of supreme good
Key idea of Christus Victor
Jesus’ death defeated the power of evil
Key people of Christus Victor
- Gregory the Great (6th century).
- Gustav Aulen (20th century)
Biblical links of Christus Victor
Hebrew 2:14-15: “through death he might destroy the one who has the power of death, that is, the devil, and deliver all those who through fear of death were subject to lifelong slavery”
Problems of Christus Victor
downplays the importance of individual salvation. god could not be omnipotent
What period was Christus Victor popular in?
Medieval
What was Christus Victor developed from?
Ransom theory
What did Gregory the Great state in regards to Christus Victor?
the devil had rights over humanity due to their sin, and god was obliged to respect this. humanity could only be free if the devil overstepped his rights. this happened: a person free of sin entered the world in the form of a normal sinful person. the devil killed Jesus but overstepped his authority in doing so because Jesus wasn’t under his jurisdiction. therefore the devil lost his rights over humanity
What did Gustaf Aulen argue?
human beings had been bound by the powers of death and the devil. the random model was not a theological hypothesis, but a passion story about god liberating his people from the bondage of sin and death
- he said “the work of Christ is first and foremost a victory over the powers that hold mankind in bondage: sin, death and the devil”
- he believed atonement is the liberation of humans from the slavery of sin through Jesus who, through his incarnation, entered human misery and redeemed it
What is the recapitulation model?
- Irenaeus’ argument that god was not indebted to satan, but that human beings were indebted to god as a consequence of the fall
- their debt was cancelled when jesus ‘waged war’ against the devil and ‘crushed him who had at the beginning led us captives in adam’
- still favoured by Eastern Orthodox Church
What Biblical passages does Christus Victor seem to draw on?
Psalm 110: “the lord says to my lord: ‘sir at my right hand, until i make your enemies a footstool for your feet’”
Colossians 2:15: “and having disarmed the spiritual rulers and authorities, he made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the cross”
Does Christus Victor present god more as loving or as angry?
loving. acting in Jesus to bring about human freedom
Does Christus Victor focus more on individual sin or cosmic evil?
cosmic evil
- the core premise is that the devil had rights over all of humanity due to their sin, and focuses on the world being subject to darkness
Weaknesses of Christus Victor
- Evangelistss suggest it downplays individual sin and guilt as jesus acts on a cosmic level against evil rather than dealing with individual sin
- some think it doesn’t fully explain how Jesus’ death brought victory over satan, or that it doesn’t fit with Jesus’ ministry which was to proclaim the kingdom of god rather than wage spiritual warfare
Strengths of Christus Victor
- rescues origen’s ransom model from the idea that god is in debt to the devil
- Jesus’ sacrifice is paid to the devil, but a necessary cost of defeating evil
- it takes the objective nature of evil seriously
- it seems to make sense that evil and death are defeated if Jesus was resurrected
Key idea of penal substitution
- on the cross the innocent jesus bore the punishment that guilt humankind should have suffered. he set humans free from punishment for their sins by taking that punishment upon himself on the cross, therefore satisfying the justice of god
- salvation can only be achieved through the death of Christ and through faith in him
Key people of Penal Substitution
Luther and Calvin (16th century Protestant reformers)
Biblical links of penal substitution
Isaiah 53:4-5
What Biblical passages does penal substitution seem to draw on?
- Isaiah 53:4-6: “because of our sins he was wounded, beaten because of the evil we did”
- Galatians 3:13: “Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law, by becoming a curse for us”
Does penal substitution present god as more loving or as angry?
angry, vengeful and unjust
- “it makes god sounds like a psychopath. if any human being behaved like this we would say they were a monster”
- the model is debated in Evangelical circles today as some have begun to view it as unacceptable
Does penal substitution focus more on individual sin or cosmic evil?
individual sin
- Jesus bore the punishment for the sins of humanity through his crucifixion
Weaknesses of penal substitution
- Jeffrey John; “it makes god out to be a psychopath”
- emphasises god’s justice rather than his love
- rooted in violence: ‘splits apart the trinity’ by presenting god as vengeful but jesus as loving and forgiving
- ignores the injustice of an innocent receiving punishment
Strengths of penal substitution
- a strong theory for mostly evangelicals and Biblical conservatives because it has so much Biblical support, eg suffering servant
- many argue that all the other models of atonement only work because they present Jesus as a substitute - dying to pay a ransom, defeat evil, meet the demands of justice etc
Key idea of moral example
Jesus’ life and death demonstrate gods love, which causes human beings to repent. Jesus died to show human beings the depth of god’s love for them, to lead them to repentance. it teaches that salvation can be achieved through personal moral effort
Key people of moral example
- Clement and other very early church fathers
- Augustine (4th century)
- Abelard (12th century)
Who put forward the moral example model first?
Augustine
Who restated the moral example model?
Peter Abelard in the 2th century (a reaction against Anselm’s satisfaction theory)
What biblical passages does the moral example model seem to draw on?
John 3:16: “for god so loved the world that he gave his one and only son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life”
Does the moral example model present god more as loving or as angry?
- loving towards human beings, plays down the idea of gods anger at human sin. it presents a god who hopes and waits for human beings to repent
- could be cruel as the theory doesn’t actually require Jesus’ death
Does the moral example model focus more on individual sin or cosmic evil?
individual sin
- it suggest that Jesus’ life and teachings serve as a moral example for individuals to follow, inspiring them to make ethical choices
Weaknesses of the moral example model
- it does not explain the need for crucifixion: Jesus’ life could be the moral example that inspires people to repent
- it suggest that humans can achieve salvation through their own works. not a view that evangelicals can accept
- doesn’t seem to address the enormity of human sin, humankind has not learned from Jesus’ example
Strengths of the moral example model
- appealing to modern liberals as it does not require belief in any spiritual victory achieved on the cross. compatible with the idea of being a good moral teacher
- compatible with many other theories
How can the three images be seen as contradictory?
moral example teaches that salvation can be achieved through personal moral effort. believers of this theory claim that it was taught in the 3rd century, whereas penal substitution model didn’t appear until 16th century. therefore, there should be a priority in understanding- though not necessarily an inconsistency
