Problems With Atonement

by Finlan, Stephen

• ISBN13: 9780814652206
• ISBN10: 0814652204
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2005-10-30
• Publisher: Michael Glazier

Summary

What kind of God would require human sacrifice for the redemption of sin? That's a question many Christians are debating today, despite long held belief that Jesus died on a cross to atone for human sin. Problems with Atonement puts the current debate over atonement theologies in perspective by examining the range of historical teachings and their biblical underpinnings in Paul.

Author Biography

Stephen Finlan formerly taught in the Religious Studies Department at Seton Hall University. He's presently a research assistant for the Ancient Christian Commentary on Scripture at Drew University.

Table of Contents

Abbreviations	vii
Standards	viii
Introduction	1	(10)
The Incarnation	3	(2)
Ritual Atonement Metaphors	5	(3)
The Logic(s) of Atonement	8	(3)
Chapter 1: Sacrifice and Scapegoat	11	(28)
1.1 Hebrew Sacrifice	11	(9)
1.1.1 As a Gift	11	(1)
1.1.2 For Purification	12	(3)
1.1.3 Purifying the Temple	15	(2)
1.1.4 The Kippering of Sin	17	(2)
1.1.5 The Basic Meanings of Sacrifice	19	(1)
1.2 Spiritualization	20	(9)
1.3 Typological Interpretation	29	(2)
1.4. Expulsion Rituals	31	(6)
1.4.1 Gentile Expulsion Rites	32	(2)
1.4.2 OT Expulsion Rituals	34	(3)
1.5 Using Scapegoat to Christianize Sacrifice	37	(2)
Chapter 2: Paul's Use of Cultic Imagery	39	(24)
2.1 The Sacrificial Metaphor in Romans 3:25	39	(3)
2.2 Scapegoat and New Creation in 2 Corinthians 5:21	42	(2)
2.3 The Currency of the Curse in Galatians 3:13	44	(4)
2.3.1 Redemption and Curse	44	(2)
2.3.2 Covenants and Curses	46	(2)
2.4 The Body of Sin in Romans 6 to 8	48	(2)
2.5 Summary of Paul's Expulsion Imagery	50	(2)
2.6 Hellenistic and "Noble Death" Motifs	52	(3)
2.7 Cultic and Social Metaphors	55	(2)
2.8 Pauline Soteriology	57	(6)
2.8.1 Explaining the Messiah to the Gentiles	57	(1)
2.8.2 What Does "Dying for Us" Mean?	58	(2)
2.8.3 Your Faith Has Saved You?	60	(3)
Chapter 3: Atonement after Paul	63	(21)
3.1 Domesticating Paul	63	(3)
3.1.1 The Conservative Deutero-Pauline Tradition	63	(1)
3.1.2 Making Redemption Dominant	64	(2)
3.2 Development of the Doctrines of Atonement	66	(13)
3.2.1 The Rescue Theories	67	(2)
3.2.2 Augustine and Gregory the Great	69	(2)
3.2.3 The Satisfaction Theory	71	(3)
3.2.4 The Moral Influence Theory	74	(1)
3.2.5 Reformation Theories	75	(4)
3.3 The Psychology of Atonement	79	(5)
3.3.1 Why Atonement Is Compelling	79	(3)
3.3.2 The Guilt-Gratitude Cycle	82	(2)
Chapter 4: Rationalizing the Atonement Doctrine	84	(33)
4.1 Restating Atonement	85	(1)
4.2 Redefining Sacrifice	86	(10)
4.2.1 Sacrifice as Soul-Repair	87	(2)
4.2.2 Sacrifice as Sacred Violence	89	(7)
4.2.2.1 The Theory of Girard	89	(5)
4.2.2.2 Exonerating Paul	94	(2)
4.3 Critiques of Atonement	96	(10)
4.3.1 Winter's Critique of Inadequate Atonement Theories	96	(2)
4.3.2 Weaver: Improving the Atonement	98	(2)
4.3.3 Wink: A Nearly Pacifist Gospel	100	(4)
4.3.4 Feminist Rejection of a Gospel of Suffering	104	(2)
4.4 Atonement: A Call for the Question	106	(3)
4.4.1 Is the Atonement Metaphor Inherently Flawed?	106	(2)
4.4.2 Can the Sacrifice Metaphor Be Spiritualized?	108	(1)
4.5 Did Jesus Have to Be Killed?	109	(2)
4.6 The Soteriology of Jesus	111	(6)
4.6.1 The Hosea Principle	112	(1)
4.6.2 Jesus at Odds with Ritual Correctness	113	(4)
Chapter 5: The Incarnation	117	(8)
5.1 The Incarnation Interpreted through Secondary Doctrines	117	(3)
5.2 Theosis	120	(5)
Bibliography	125	(10)
Index of Modern Authors	135	(3)
Index of Ancient Texts	138