Abstract
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.
Highlights
Recent decades have shown a resurgent interest in the doctrine of atonement among Protestant theologians
The growing number of conferences and books dedicated to the issue demonstrates an attempt by some authors either to reconsider the centrality of the penal substitution model for a Protestant understanding of the Gospel, or to totally disqualify it by showing the lack of substantial biblical grounding for it
A really new, Copernican approach to the topic was a small book by a Swedish theologian Gustaf Aulén, Christus Victor, published in 1931, in which he showed the importance of the patristic interpretation of the atonement “as a Divine conflict and victory; Christ—Christus Victor—fights against and triumphs over the evil powers of the world, the ‘tyrants’ under which mankind is in bondage and suffering, and in Him God reconciles the world to Himself” (Aulén 2003, p. 4)
Summary
Recent decades have shown a resurgent interest in the doctrine of atonement among Protestant theologians. A really new, Copernican approach to the topic was a small book by a Swedish theologian Gustaf Aulén, Christus Victor, published in 1931, in which he showed the importance of the patristic interpretation of the atonement “as a Divine conflict and victory; Christ—Christus Victor—fights against and triumphs over the evil powers of the world, the ‘tyrants’ under which mankind is in bondage and suffering, and in Him God reconciles the world to Himself” This article will attempt to demonstrate basic conceptual differences between the penal substitution and Christus Victor models of the atonement.
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