Death Of Jesus Research Articles

The Doctrine of Atonement: From Luther to Forde by Jack D. Kilcrease

Reviewed by: The Doctrine of Atonement: From Luther to Forde by Jack D. Kilcrease Adam Morton The Doctrine of Atonement: From Luther to Forde. By Jack D. Kilcrease. Eugene: Wipf & Stock, 2018. 177 pp. This volume assesses the contributions of several modern Lutheran theologians to atonement theology. It also represents, in the last two chapters, one of the longer secondary treatments of Gerhard Forde’s theology. While appreciative of certain elements of these theologians, Kilcrease’s view is predominantly critical. Chapter one establishes a methodological basis for the “Confessional Lutheran Paradigm,” consisting in a particular configuration of scripture, Luther, and confessional writings, the yardstick by which Kilcrease will measure his modern interlocutors. That paradigm’s content is explicated in chapter two, which treats Luther’s view of atonement, and chapter three, which takes up Melanchthon and the Concordists. Kilcrease follows Theodosius Harnack in his interpretation of Luther, focusing on themes related to penal substitution. Concepts such as exchange, bridal mysticism, ransom, and satisfaction are tracked through the early Psalms lectures, Freedom of a Christian, the catechisms, and the 1535 Galatians commentary. Melanchthon’s contribution, considered mainly through the 1555 Loci communes, is assessed as in essential agreement with Luther’s, as are those of Chemnitz and the Formula of Concord. Finally, Johann Gerhard’s adoption of the threefold office of Christ, and Matthias Flacius’ doctrine of Christ’s active and passive righteousness are taken up as signal developments for Lutheran scholasticism. Chapter four examines three theologians termed “moderate revisionists” on the doctrine of atonement: Werner Elert, Gustaf Aulén, and Gustaf Wingren. Of these, Elert and Wingren are judged basically faithful to the confessional paradigm. Wingren in particular is taken as a useful supplement for his development of the recapitulation theme, while Aulén receives significant opprobrium for his rejection of penal substitution. “Radical revisionists” Wolfhart Pannenberg, Robert Jenson, and Eberhard Jüngel, so labelled for having subordinated soteriology to [End Page 467] other philosophical concerns, are the subject of chapter five. While Kilcrease is at times appreciative of these theologians, all three are deemed suspect on atonement and so on justification. Chapters five and six engage the theology of Gerhard Forde, first on his view of the law, and then on the matters of atonement and justification. Again, while in places appreciative (even defending Forde from misplaced polemics), the book’s overall reception of Forde is negative, arguing that Forde’s atonement theology compromises the doctrine of justification. The volume is valuable for drawing attention to atonement motifs in modern Lutheran theology, and assessing their place within larger frameworks. Kilcrease is at his best when challenging the questions asked and not asked by theologians. He is to be credited for making this reviewer a more attentive reader of Forde. The book is recommended for those looking to engage deeply on these matters. That said, the book failed to convince on two fronts. In places (for example, the assertion that for Forde the believer becomes righteous in himself by faith, losing external grounding, 158), this reviewer recalls Forde having written the opposite view. Kilcrease may have misunderstood the relationship between believer and preached word in Forde’s theology. Second, Kilcrease’s case for the confessional paradigm is at points thin. Readers may note that the author’s Luther citations appear to say little on a central thrust of his argument, namely, that the crucifixion constitutes a payment to the Father which removes wrath by satisfying the law. Resisting the suggestion that Melanchthon and Luther might not have been of one mind, he notes, “It would be strange if two theologians working in such great cooperation would not have noticed that they did not understand the death of Christ in the same way” (55). Indeed, aspects of the relationship between Luther and Melanchthon can appear strange, in light of evident disagreement on some weighty matters. Kilcrease has certainly presented a “Confessional Lutheran Paradigm” worthy of consideration. Whether his view is sufficiently [End Page 468] proven as to constitute the Confessional Lutheran paradigm is best left to the reader. Adam Morton Holy Trinity Lutheran Church Lancaster, Pennsylvania Copyright © 2019 Johns Hopkins University Press and Lutheran Quarterly, Inc

Ukrzyżowanie Syna Bożego uśmierzające gniew Boga Ojca. Szkic z historii myśli teologicznej

The salvific meaning of the death of Christ and the problem of God’s wrath, understood as God’s hatred of sin, have long been intertwined in the history of theology. In some soteriological formulations, we can observe attempts to directly link the death of Christ with God’s wrath, that is, that the chief meaning of Christ’s passion lies in providing appeasement. The article outlines the main historical phases of this kind of theological synthesis. It seeks to trace the relationship between the salvific dimension of the cross of Jesus and theological interpretations of God’s wrath. The article has been divided into three parts. The first presents the development of the interpretation of the death of Christ in Patristic and Scholastic theology. The second part discusses the culmination stage of the theological link between the death of Christ and God’s wrath, beginning with the Reformation concept of “penal substitution” and then following this idea's contestation over time. The article's third part explores contemporary attempts at understanding this relationship, i.e. the death of Christ viewed within the context of God’s wrath.

Book Review: The Crucifixion: Understanding the Death of Jesus Christ

Book Review: The Crucifixion: Understanding the Death of Jesus Christ

기독교의 죽음과 화장(火葬)례에 대한 신학적 이해에 관한 연구

기독교는 인간의 삶을 본질적 차원에서 성찰하고 재구성하는 해석적 신앙으로, 삶 의 중요한 국면들에 전환적 계기를 제공하고 한계적 상황에 존재가능성을 여는 실마 리를 제공한다. 신앙의 해석적 실천으로서, 기독교 예식은 교회와 개인의 생애주기마 다 삶에 밀접히 접근하여 삶을 변혁적으로 재형성해간다. 그런데 이러한 삶의 재형성 이 가장 심연한 차원에서 발생하는 사건이 ‘죽음’이다. 죽음은 인간의 삶을 본질적 차 원에서 성찰하고 본래적인 내용과 방향으로 초대하는 생애주기이다. 그러므로 죽음에 대한 이해와 그에 대한 기독교적 해석은 인간의 전 생애의 물음과 신비를 다룬다. 이 런 점에서 기독교의 장례예식은 기독교 신앙과 인간의 삶의 중간에 자리하면서 근원 적인 차원에서 삶을 재해석하는 통과의례이다. 그러나 오늘날 기독교의 장례예식은 그 본래적 역할에서 방향을 잃고 표류한다. 기독교의 죽음에 대한 몰이해와 더불어 대중화된 교회 화장례(火葬禮) 대한 신학의 부재는 기독교 장례예식이 삶을 성찰하고 재구성하는 그 본래적 역할을 위축시키고, 그 의례적 기능을 빈약하게 만들고 있다. 따라서 본 연구의 목적은 죽음에 대한 기독교의 바른 이해에 정초하여 오늘날 기독교 장례 방식 가운데 가장 대중적인 화장을 기독교적 시각으로 재이해하며, 화장(火葬)을 기독교적 의례의 특성들을 갖춘 기독교 화장례로 발전시키는데 요구되는 그 신학적 해석의 기틀을 제공하고자 한다. 기독교의 장례전통은 화장이 아닌, 매장례이지만, 성 경은 불(火)과 관련된 신학적 이미지와 상징들을 다양하게 제공한다. 특별히, 힌두와 불교 문화권과 달리, 기독교 성경은 불을 하나님의 임재와 구원, 종말적 회복과 관련 한 상징으로 사용하고 있다. 따라서 한국교회가 기독교 장례와 관련하여 성경적 상징 인 불의 이미지들에 관심을 갖고 활용하게 될 때, 기독교 화장례를 위한 보다 풍성하 고 성경적인 신학을 정립할 수 있으며, 그렇게 될 때, 보다 생산적이고 유의미한 장례 예식의 실천을 기대할 수 있다.

The Flesh Made Word: Bodily Inscription and Religion in Celine et Julie Vont en Bateau

In Celine et Julie Vont en Bateau Jacques Rivette works through his discomfort with the theological function of the author, a discomfort stemming from the material effects of authorship on the bodies of his actors. Examples of bodily incision and bruising proliferate throughout the film, part of a process of violent characterization imposed by an authoring demiurge. The film explores several methods of escape from this process, starting with exotic travel and fairy tales, but culminates around repeated allusions to the crucifixion of Christ. The film advances a heretical Christology by positing God as a sadistic author and the wounded body of Christ as the paradigmatic example of being inscribed as a character against one’s will. As this characterization obviously engenders being inscribed in a narrative as well, the structure of the film probes at the notion of both Christianity and narrative cinema as means of escape.

Psychologically informed engagement with the Matthean pericopes on Pilate and Judas through Jungian lenses: The sensing, intuition, feeling and thinking approach

Within the passion narrative Matthew adds important pericopes to the Marcan text concerning both Pilate and Judas. These additional pericopes provide a rich resource for exploring the psychological motivation of and the psychological consequences for these two key actors in the betrayal and crucifixion of Jesus. The present study employs the Jungian framework of the sensing, intuition, feeling and thinking (SIFT) approach to Biblical hermeneutics to explore the interpretation of Matthew 27:19–25 (concerning Pilate) through the lenses of sensing and intuition, and the interpretation of Matthew 27:3–10 (concerning Judas) through the lenses of thinking and feeling among 24 experienced preachers in Ontario, Canada. The findings confirm the hypotheses advanced by the SIFT approach that significant differences emerge between the psychological perceptions of sensing types and intuitive types, and that significant differences emerge between the psychological evaluations of thinking types and feeling types.

ABUNDANT SUFFICIENCY AND INTENTIONAL EFFICACY: PARTICULAR REDEMPTION AT THE SYNOD OF DORT

This article looks at the background to the Synod of Dort (1618–1619) and examines the debate there on the issue of particular redemption or definite atonement, with a specific focus on the use of the classic distinction between sufficiency and efficacy made famous by Peter Lombard’s Sentences. It also looks at the variety of Reformed responses to the Remonstrants, including those on the death of Christ that might be categorized as hypothetical universalist. It calls into question the usefulness of the terminology of “four-point Calvinists” to describe delegates such as John Davenant.

Into exile: theological perspectives on hearing the voices of Black queer Pentecostal men seeking asylum in the UK

ABSTRACTThis paper presents fieldwork data extracted from a wider doctoral research project. The voices of five Black, gay Pentecostal men from countries in the Caribbean and Africa who are seeking asylum in the UK are heard and reflected upon theologically. The study contributes to ongoing practical theological conversation about the nature and practice of knowing the ‘other’. Three perspectives are used to interpret the men's experience of rejection, sometimes extreme violence and flight into exile; multiplicity of identity; multiple overwhelmings; and exile itself in relation to the author's reflexivity and the lived spirituality of the interviewees. The article concludes by placing their voices in dialogue with Christ's crucifixion and resurrection calling for, following Girard, an end to their scapegoating.

René Girard: una original respuesta al problema del universale concretum

El nuevo concepto de razón que asumió la modernidad implicaba la negación de uno de los fundamentos del cristianismo: el valor universal de la salvación ofrecida por Jesús. Desde tal perspectiva no era posible que el acontecimiento histórico de la muerte de Jesús pudiera tener un sentido para el hombre de todos los tiempos. En este artículo pretendo mostrar cómo la hipótesis de René Girard ofrece una respuesta alternativa, a partir de un enfoque antropológico, al aparente imposible del universale concretum.

The Ideal of a Radical Christian Intellectual

The life and work of Ignacio Ellacuría, S.J. is of radical vision and revolutionary change. His dynamic life and works accompanied El Salvador and the Universidad Centroamericana through perhaps the most tumultuous years of the country’s history, yet there has been limited work done to examine his contributions. This paper shows how Ellacuría viewed the role of a Christian intellectual and Christian university within his philosophical and theological framework. I argue that Ignacio Ellacuría held, similarly to his soteriological views, that the intellectual must also be willing to sacrifice all for the sake of her/his work in a pattern of discipleship/martyrdom that is prefigured by his exemplars Christ and Socrates. It was this dedication to praxis and theory that western theology and philosophy had respectfully lost since their foundations, which he sought to restore to a central role. In conclusion, the Christian intellectual and institution, according to Ellacuría, must use its voice and life in service of the people even to the point of martyrdom; he would argue, the implicit reason for Christian martyrdom and the crucifixion of Christ himself.

Paul and Death: A Question of Psychological Coping

Paul and Death: A Question of Psychological Coping

Sprawiedliwość Boża a usprawiedliwienie z wiary w Liście do Rzymian

Based on the occurrence of hē dikaiosynē and dikaioō in Romans we discovered that the texts constitute an interesting arrangement. He allowed us to organize the material in such a way that a fairly ordered knowledge of God's righteousness and the justification that the Christian has access to through faith in Jesus Christ emerged. Primarily, Paul was well acquainted with one of the basic principles of Judaism, which he quoted in Rom 2:13: “...the doers of the law who will be justified”. But he certainly did not identify with this premise, and merely quoted the text of the Old Testament to show that the thing was quite different – a man is justified by faith, like Abraham’s. This issue is discussed extensively by Apostle in the subsequent chapters. He begins by stating the fact of the revelation of divine justice (1:17), which becomes even more evident in the context of our injustice (Rom 3:3–5). There is also a historical-saving dimension, leading to the justice of every believer. God’s justice thus results in salvation for the sake of man, and Christ has taken up his dying on the cross and resurrected. The Apostle gave a lecture on this subject w 3:21–31, and the shortest conclusion, and at the same time, the thesis is that man is justified by faith in Jesus Christ, and not by the works required by the Law. Not only are the Jews involved, whose faith is the continuum of religious monotheism and participation in the blessing of God, but also the pagans on whom faith is involved in the saving death of Christ. The pattern of faith that results in the justification is Abraham, he believed and it was counted to him as righteousness (Rom 4:2–7). We also noted that the justification for the believer has very concrete consequences: to remain in peace (Rom 5:1–2), be saved from the wrath of God (Rom 5:9), to be set freefrom sin (Rom 6:7), giving glory (8:29–30.33). Despite such great gifts, a man can choose his own righteousness and rejecting God’s righteousness, just as the Israelites chose the way of doing the works required by the law, and rejected faith in Jesus Christ and his Gospel.

Tarkovsky’s Philosophy of Love: Agape in Stalker and Sacrifice

This article explores how the main characters in Tarkovsky’s movies Stalker and Sacrifice exhibit the Christian ideals of agape. With the New Testament, agape acquired metaphysical primacy and distinctive meaning as it came to be identified as originating from God and portraying a sacrificial act exemplified by the crucifixion of Jesus. Hence, agape necessarily entailed strong altruistic ethos and passionate commitment for the well being of others. Besides demonstrating the way in which Tarkovsky’s main heroes in Stalker and Sacrifice exhibit the ideals of agape while each going through their own unique “hero’s journey”, the article also seeks to unravel how Tarkovsky’s philosophy of love goes beyond mere “religious obstructionism”. Although Zizek argues that Tarkovsky’s ultimate message and solution to the ills of human existence is “religious obstructionism; that of self-sacrifice”, Tarkovsky’s philosophy of love provides much more complex and profound picture by entailing mystical characteristic and spiritual depth. Indeed, if one removes its metaphysical dimension, Tarkovsky’s philosophy of love may even align with the secular tempered existentialist and humanist tradition.

Is it ethical for a Christian to treat depression with anti-depressants?

In this essay I consider whether it is right for a Christian to use an anti-depressant to treat depression. All human beings are responsible to image God in a moral and dignified manner as mortal creatures living in a broken world. It is not easy to do so in our modern culture of narcissism and therapy, which encourages the abuse of medicine. The calling of the Christian, however, extends beyond the ethics of a common humanity. The disciple of Christ suffers by virtue of living in a fallen world, but also because of her baptism into the death of Christ. Like Jesus, believers suffer first and then find glory. Suffering and death are, paradoxically, God’s means of accomplishing and furthering salvation. In light of the body and soul components of depression, and in view of the Christian vocation of suffering, the use of anti-depressants invites careful reflection. In this essay I argue that in some cases it is appropriate to incorporate the likes of Prozac into a holistic approach to treating depression. I set forth my case in four parts. First, I show how depression is part of the plight of humanity broken in body and soul, but not without God’s mercy extended through health care and the cross. Secondly, consideration is given to the Christian’s call to and benefit from a life of cross-shaped suffering. Thirdly, I argue that the Christian mind must guard against a theology of glory clothed in the therapeutic narcissism of our age. Finally, I set forth a recovery programme grounded in the sacred means of the church and the God-given helps of modern medical science.

“The One and the Many”

ABSTRACT In this article, I employ the “Reception of Doctrine” approach to explore the hermeneutics of the doctrine of the atonement. The approach distinguishes and facilitates an interaction between the three “horizons of understanding” consisting of: (1) the horizon identifying our “pre-understanding” of the doctrine as it stands at present, (2) the horizon capturing the reading of Scripture that led to the making of judgments resulting in the doctrine’s formulation in the first place, and (3) the horizon tracing the reception of the doctrine through history. Together, these three horizons prescribe an atonement doctrine best described by the phrase “the one and the many,” where there is ample room for the various theories and models of the atonement to coexist together (the “many”), yet the models or theories are governed by the central scriptural emphasis that Christ’s death was “for us” (the “one”). I further propose that Karl Barth’s atonement doctrine is characterized by such a specification. That is, Barth remained open to various frameworks expressing the doctrine of the atonement (“the many”), as long as the core of the doctrine was clearly presented: God, in the death of Jesus Christ, is the God who is “for us” (“the one”).

Versifier la Passion. Les versions roumaines versifiées du Rêve de la Vierge dans leur contexte littéraire (XVIIe–XIXe siècles)

The paper focuses on The Dream of the Virgin, a late medieval apocryphal writing, which has enjoyed an important European transmission. According to the text, the Virgin had a prophetic dream, in which she foresaw the Passion and the death of Christ. The author discusses the tendency of certain Romanian versions, preserved in manuscripts dating from the eighteenth to nineteenth centuries, to describe the Passion in a versified form. The investigation reconstructs the context in which this tendency has first occurred and reveals that many texts (sermons, liturgical and traditional poems) meant to be read in public at significant moments of the religious calendar shared various themes with the apocryphal writing. Thus, their public use, rhythmic character and intertextuality with The Dream of the Virgin could have shaped the form of the text and occasionally they could have turned prose into poetry.

The Death of Jesus in Matthew: Innocent Blood and the End of Exile, written by Catherine Sider Hamilton

The Death of Jesus in Matthew: Innocent Blood and the End of Exile, written by Catherine Sider Hamilton

An Understanding the Pauline Christology Significance of Firstborn (Protokos) In The Light of Paschal Theology: Critical Evaluation on Colossian 1: 15-20

Paul was claimed as the most controversial person in his theology. Many scholars said that he was influenced by Hellenistic Judaism in his theology; while others claimed it was affected by Jewish thinking. The concept of ‘protokoj’ (firstborn) was stated being influenced by Hellenistic Judaism and did not imply the rest of New Testament Theology. Some said that firstborn in Colossian 1: 15–20 was a hymn in praise of Christ, while others would say that firstborn in the Hymn Christology is congenial, but not identical with Paul’s theology. This research aimed to show the concept of firstborn as the main window showed Pauline Christology significance in the light of Paschal theology. The methods used in this research were descriptive and biblical text analysis. The conclusion of this research is that the death of Christ is the main point to see how firstborn of all creation not counted as ontological in meaning, but it has the power to show the readers about Pauline Christology. The firstborn of all creation is seen in the context of redemptive history and bring the audience to see how powerful the title to see Pauline Christology.

The Way of Divine and Human Handing-over: Pauline Apocalyptic, Centering Prayer, and Vulnerable Solidarity

The premise of this article is that in order for apocalyptic theology to be a valid form of God-talk, it must be explicit in its existential orientation by articulating the role of apocalyptic Christian practices. Following Barth’s exegetical insights, I first propose that the existential orientation for apocalyptic theology center on the divine handing-over ( paradidōmi) of Jesus in the incarnation and crucifixion, which has its positive human correlate in the apostolic handing-over of the tradition ( paradosis) by disciples like Paul. The confrontation by the apocalypse of the divine handing-over is therefore always existentially oriented. As Jesus hands over the Spirit to us (John 19:30), we are given the power to correspond existentially through the Spirit’s non-identical repetition of the death of Christ in us, to the divine prototype of handing-over through the vocation of witnessing to Jesus. Centering prayer is a Christian practice that functions within such an apocalyptic framework. Through centering prayer’s embodied practice of spiritual kenosis, the Spirit can form us, more and more, in the apostolic way of handing-over Jesus as we come daily into open situations of proclamation in which we are called to give embodied witness to the powerless power of God in the world.

El concepto de ΣΩΤΗΡΙΑ en el «De Incarnatione Verbi» de San Atanasio

The concept of salvation, although it does not constitute the nucleus of the doctrinal works of Athanasius, is the direct result of the application of the fruits of the long and bitter battle lived by the saint. The study of the theme has been centered on the analysis of the contents of the word OWTNPIA and other terms of the same root employed by the author in his work De Incarnatione Verbi. Because of these very specific interests the study cannot be considered as absolutely representative of the global thought of Athanasius in this matter. Relative to the analysis of the distinct texts, the author has carefully sifted through the thinking which underlies those affirmations, while at the same time bearing in mind the rich content of the word OWTNPIA. There exists an intimate link between the incarnation, the creation and the OWTNPIA: Creation is the work of the Father Sia Aoyou, the OWTNPIA is carried out EV auTw (Aoy~); the Word is ZWTNP. On the other hand the avcxKa[vlol<;. which presupposes the OWTNPIA and which is derived from it, performs the UttO TOU Aoyou. Salvation is initiated through the simple presence of Christ among men. The cross, on which the Word is offered as avrhiuxoc for the salvation of all men, is nothing more than the link in the chain which is the whole life of Christ. Although the author habitually fixes his gaze, directly on men, in the background in Christ, presented as the way lor leading all things back to the Father. Man appears as especially in need of redemption. Universal regeneration must begin with him. And it is precisely here where the author reveals the specific manner of the redemption. Concentrating later on the fruits of the redemption derived from the death of Christ, the author speaks of the AuTpwalc and of the OWTNPIA. The first appears rather to correspond to a state common to all of creation. The OWTNPIA directly applied to man, would add in turn, a new content even more profound. The content of OWTNPIA seems to become even more specific through the use of the substantive twn. In this sense, the OWTNPIA would include not only the idea of liberation from sin, but also the gift of stable health; and much more, participation in the very life of Christ. Salvation continues to be a fully present day reality. Beginning with the fundamental fact of the incarnation, on through his death and resurrection, Christ continues his task of saving mankind. This perennial action of the Word is looked upon as a gradual advance of his influence which pushes death before it.