Abandoning Penal Substitution: A Patristic Inspiration for Contemporary Protestant Understanding of the Atonement
In recent decades, there has been a resurgent interest among Protestant theologians in the so-called Christus Victor theory of the atonement. Firmly grounded in patristic thought (esp. Irenaeus of Lyons), this understanding of the work of Christ was first studied and formulated by a Swedish Lutheran...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2021-09-01
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| Series: | Religions |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2077-1444/12/9/785 |
| _version_ | 1827681398968811520 |
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| author | Sergey Koryakin |
| author_facet | Sergey Koryakin |
| author_sort | Sergey Koryakin |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | In recent decades, there has been a resurgent interest among Protestant theologians in the so-called Christus Victor theory of the atonement. Firmly grounded in patristic thought (esp. Irenaeus of Lyons), this understanding of the work of Christ was first studied and formulated by a Swedish Lutheran, Gustaf Aulén, in 1931. Recent works by Darby Kathleen Ray, J. Denny Weaver, Thomas Finger, Gregory Boyd, and others develop Aulén’s endeavor and present new versions of the Christus Victor model. These scholars directly or indirectly demonstrate that the main framework of the patristic understanding of atonement was more faithful to Scripture and less problematic in terms of dogma and ethics than the traditional Protestant penal substitution theory. A short analysis of contemporary versions of the Christus Victor motif shows that this model of atonement proves to be more relevant in responding to the challenges of today’s world by providing substantial background for Christian spiritual life and ethics. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-10T07:15:35Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-8fd2e29d8a5f46ff8dd65ec5c5e93d73 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2077-1444 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-10T07:15:35Z |
| publishDate | 2021-09-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Religions |
| spelling | doaj.art-8fd2e29d8a5f46ff8dd65ec5c5e93d732023-11-22T15:04:38ZengMDPI AGReligions2077-14442021-09-0112978510.3390/rel12090785Abandoning Penal Substitution: A Patristic Inspiration for Contemporary Protestant Understanding of the AtonementSergey Koryakin0Department of Christian Ministry and Theology, Moscow Evangelical Christian Seminary, 129327 Moscow, RussiaIn recent decades, there has been a resurgent interest among Protestant theologians in the so-called Christus Victor theory of the atonement. Firmly grounded in patristic thought (esp. Irenaeus of Lyons), this understanding of the work of Christ was first studied and formulated by a Swedish Lutheran, Gustaf Aulén, in 1931. Recent works by Darby Kathleen Ray, J. Denny Weaver, Thomas Finger, Gregory Boyd, and others develop Aulén’s endeavor and present new versions of the Christus Victor model. These scholars directly or indirectly demonstrate that the main framework of the patristic understanding of atonement was more faithful to Scripture and less problematic in terms of dogma and ethics than the traditional Protestant penal substitution theory. A short analysis of contemporary versions of the Christus Victor motif shows that this model of atonement proves to be more relevant in responding to the challenges of today’s world by providing substantial background for Christian spiritual life and ethics.https://www.mdpi.com/2077-1444/12/9/785atonementthe work of Christretributive justicepenal substitutionsatisfactionnonviolence |
| spellingShingle | Sergey Koryakin Abandoning Penal Substitution: A Patristic Inspiration for Contemporary Protestant Understanding of the Atonement Religions atonement the work of Christ retributive justice penal substitution satisfaction nonviolence |
| title | Abandoning Penal Substitution: A Patristic Inspiration for Contemporary Protestant Understanding of the Atonement |
| title_full | Abandoning Penal Substitution: A Patristic Inspiration for Contemporary Protestant Understanding of the Atonement |
| title_fullStr | Abandoning Penal Substitution: A Patristic Inspiration for Contemporary Protestant Understanding of the Atonement |
| title_full_unstemmed | Abandoning Penal Substitution: A Patristic Inspiration for Contemporary Protestant Understanding of the Atonement |
| title_short | Abandoning Penal Substitution: A Patristic Inspiration for Contemporary Protestant Understanding of the Atonement |
| title_sort | abandoning penal substitution a patristic inspiration for contemporary protestant understanding of the atonement |
| topic | atonement the work of Christ retributive justice penal substitution satisfaction nonviolence |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2077-1444/12/9/785 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT sergeykoryakin abandoningpenalsubstitutionapatristicinspirationforcontemporaryprotestantunderstandingoftheatonement |