Session 2: Atonement

Atonement

• Early followers of Jesus would likely have heard about reconciliation, Jewish sacrificial systems, marketplace transactions, or criminal law.
• The 11th-century monk Anslem of Canterbury's theology, or a 3rd-century Christian in Alexandria would have likely expounded different theories.
• Different metaphors and ideas were prominent in different historical periods.
• The 1st century may have relied on simple metaphors but other periods used complex theories.
• Theological minds often interpreted simple metaphors in detail.

Christus Victor

• Different stories and theories emerged in different times and places.
• Theories resonated with the social settings of the times.
• The early church in the west had a dominant atonement model, Christus Victor. This model presents Jesus's victory over evil powers.
• Humanity was considered enslaved by evil powers, and Jesus's work was to set humanity free from those powers.

Moral Influence or Exemplary (Abelard)

• Abelard disagreed with Anslem's atonement model.
• Abelard suggests that Jesus's sacrifice was not instrumental in obtaining forgiveness.
• Abelard's model focuses on the transformative power of Jesus's love and life, rather than penal substitution.
• He focuses on the idea that Jesus's teachings and example transformed humanity's hearts.
• Abelard emphasizes that the transformative effect of Jesus was crucial for understanding atonement.

Penal Substitution

• The Reformation's most influential atonement model.
• Emphasis on the law and human society's estrangement from God.
• Atonement as satisfying God’s law by Jesus's substitutionary death.
• Christ's sacrifice was seen as a payment to satisfy God’s wrath.
• A different story of atonement told by the Reformers, in contrast to Anselm.

Divinely Sanctioned Violence

• This view of atonement highlights divine retribution following sin.
• The death of Jesus as the manifestation of God's wrath and punishment for sin.
• The cross as a paradigm of parental punishment or violence by God.
• Objections to this model include the injustice of punishing or killing an innocent person instead of the guilty party
• Historical interpretations of violence in the scriptures.

Explore various theories of atonement from early Christianity to contemporary interpretations. This quiz examines various models and their impact on the understanding of Jesus's role in overcoming evil. Delve into historical contexts and metaphors used by theological minds over time.