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medieval-religion: Scholarly discussions of medieval religion and culture Atonement (2) I concluded yesterday's offering by saying that three "models" of the atonement had been particularly influential, and they might be summed up in the words "Ransom" "Satisfaction" and "Example." All three could find support in the New Testament, and today I would mention some of these New Testament texts. In favour of "Ransom" we find Mark 10:45 and Matthew 20:28, "For the Son of Man also came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many"; or 1 Timothy 2:6, "The man Christ Jesus, who gave himself as a ransom for all"; or 1 Peter 1:18, "You know that you were ransomed from the futile ways inherited from your fathers, not with perishable things such as silver and gold, but with the precious blood of Christ, like that of a lamb without blemish or spot"; or again Revelation 5:9, "Worthy are tho to take the scroll and to open its seals, for thou wast slain and by thy blood didst ransom men for God from every tribe and tongue and people and nation." The word "Satisfaction" is not I think used of the death of Christ in the New Testament, but we find "propitiation" or "expiation" (Greek "hilasmos", Latin "propitiatio") in the text, "If any one does sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous, and he is the expiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the sins of the whole world" (1 John 2:1-2). There are moreover numerous instances of Christ's death being described as a sacrifice offered to God, notably 1 Corinthians 5:7, "Christ, or paschal lamb, has been sacrificed"; or the Letter to the Hebrews, 7:27, "He has no need, like those high priests, to offer sacrifices daily, first for his own sins and then for those of the people; he did this once for all when he offered up himself." As for "Example", we find in 1 Peter 2:21, "Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example, that you should follow in his steps"; and we might press into service John 15:13, "Greater love has no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends." Tomorrow I shall discuss how these models were employed in the early Church. Bill. ===== ____________________________________________________________ Yahoo! Messenger - Communicate instantly..."Ping" your friends today! Download Messenger Now http://uk.messenger.yahoo.com/download/index.html ********************************************************************** To join the list, send the message: join medieval-religion YOUR NAME to: [log in to unmask] To send a message to the list, address it to: [log in to unmask] To leave the list, send the message: leave medieval-religion to: [log in to unmask] In order to report problems or to contact the list's owners, write to: [log in to unmask] For further information, visit our web site: http://www.jiscmail.ac.uk/lists/medieval-religion.html