Theories of Atonement

[Thomas]

Having made a few posts on the topic of Sacrifice on the Christian board – me getting my thoughts in order as much as anything else – I thought I'd pop in some reflections on the various atonement theologies within the broader Christian tradition.

Basically, atonement theologies rest on themes of ransom, redemption, propitiation, substitution and morality.

Recapitulation Theory: of Irenaeus (c.155-191): that Christ 'sums up' and restores humanity by living through and overcoming the limitation on the human state, undoing the damage of Adam's sin. (My favoured theory.) Based on a close reading of St Paul.

Other theories, which apart from Pater Abelard's, I tend to regard as less favourable as time goes on.

Christus Victor an early patristic theology: a cosmic victory over evil powers.
Ransom Theory another early theory: a ransom paid to Satan to liberate humanity from bondage.
Satisfaction Theory of Anselm of Canterbury (1033-1109): that Christ's death 'satisfied' the infinite debt owed to God.
Moral Influence Theory of Peter Abelard (1079-1142): that Christ's death serves to demonstrate divine love, thereby inspiring repentance and moral transformation in believers rather than satisfying legal or cosmic requirements.
Penal Substitution Theory of Reformers like Luther (1483-1546) and Calvin (1509-1564): Christ bore the specific penalty of sin.

There's probably other theories out there.

 

[IndigoChild5559]

Having made a few posts on the topic of Sacrifice on the Christian board – me getting my thoughts in order as much as anything else – I thought I'd pop in some reflections on the various atonement theologies within the broader Christian tradition.

Basically, atonement theologies rest on themes of ransom, redemption, propitiation, substitution and morality.

Recapitulation Theory: of Irenaeus (c.155-191): that Christ 'sums up' and restores humanity by living through and overcoming the limitation on the human state, undoing the damage of Adam's sin. (My favoured theory.) Based on a close reading of St Paul.

Other theories, which apart from Pater Abelard's, I tend to regard as less favourable as time goes on.

Christus Victor an early patristic theology: a cosmic victory over evil powers.
Ransom Theory another early theory: a ransom paid to Satan to liberate humanity from bondage.
Satisfaction Theory of Anselm of Canterbury (1033-1109): that Christ's death 'satisfied' the infinite debt owed to God.
Moral Influence Theory of Peter Abelard (1079-1142): that Christ's death serves to demonstrate divine love, thereby inspiring repentance and moral transformation in believers rather than satisfying legal or cosmic requirements.
Penal Substitution Theory of Reformers like Luther (1483-1546) and Calvin (1509-1564): Christ bore the specific penalty of sin.

There's probably other theories out there.

I'm not going to get involved in this conversation, but there are two things in the Torah (Genesis to Deuteronomy) that Christians commonly get confused, and are important to any discussion on this topic.
1. The Passover lamb didn't atone for anything.
2. The passage on sin offerings that begins in Levitcus 4 only applies to unintentional sins.

 

[Thomas]

I'm not going to get involved in this conversation, but there are two things in the Torah (Genesis to Deuteronomy) that Christians commonly get confused, and are important to any discussion on this topic.
1. The Passover lamb didn't atone for anything.
2. The passage on sin offerings that begins in Levitcus 4 only applies to unintentional sins.

I would not dispute that.

1: As I see it, a specific ritual which conforms to the universal idea of sacrifice, an offering towards deliverance?
2: The Book of Numbers 15
"27 But if one soul shall sin ignorantly, he shall offer a she goat of a year old for his sin. And the priest shall pray for him, because he sinned ignorantly before the Lord: and he shall obtain his pardon, and it shall be forgiven him."

"30 But the soul that committeth any thing through pride, whether he be born in the land or a stranger (because he hath been rebellious against the Lord) shall be cut off from among his people: 31 For he hath contemned the word the Lord, and made void his precept: therefore shall he be destroyed, and shall bear his iniquity."
So there is no sufficient or acceptable sacrifice for wilful sin.

So much so that a man found gathering sticks on the Sabbath (v32), "That they brought him to Moses and Aaron and the whole multitude. And they put him into prison, not knowing what they should do with him. And the Lord said to Moses: Let that man die, let all the multitude stone him
without the camp. And when they had brought him out, they stoned him, and he died as the Lord had commanded." (v34-36).

All this fits with Girard's mimetic theory.

 

[IndigoChild5559]

So there is no sufficient or acceptable sacrifice for wilful sin.

This is correct. The way the Torah looks to me, willful sin cannot be atoned for. The way we deal with our willful sin is repentance, not sacrifice. It doesn't mean there aren't social consequences--courts of justice can and should deal with these things. But the state of our soul is restored to righteousness by repentance. "The righteous man stumbles seven times and rises up again. Proverbs 24:16

By repentance I don't mean some cheap, easy grace you get by saying the sinner's prayer. I mean going to the one you have wronged and doing all you an to make it right again. Then and only then do we approach God. But his mercy is incredible. "He shall return and grant us compassion; He shall hide our iniquities, and shall cast into the depths of the sea all their sins." Micah 7:19

For You do not wish a sacrifice, or I should give it; You do not desire a burnt offering. The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; O God, You will not despise a broken and crushed heart. Psalm 51:18-19

I realize many Christians have a different take on this, that "Without the shedding of blood there is no remission of sins." Hebrews 9:22 I wasn't even going to comment further, but I was impressed that you caught on about unintentional versus intentional sin.

I will now leave the discussion to Christians.