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Cover of Atonement

Atonement

Jewish and Christian Origins

  • Biblical Studies & Commentaries
  • Publisher: Eerdmans
  • Published: 2020

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Publisher's Description

A historical survey of atonement theology through ancient Jewish and Christian sources What is the historical basis for today’s atonement theology? Where did it come from, and how has it evolved throughout time? In Atonement, a sterling collection of renowned biblical scholars investigates the early manifestations of this core concept in ancient Jewish and Christian sources. Rather than imposing a particular view of atonement upon these texts, these specialists let the texts speak for themselves so that the reader can truly understand atonement as it was variously conceived in the Hebrew Bible, the Dead Sea Scrolls, the Pseudepigrapha, the New Testament, and early Christian literature. The resulting diverse ideas mirror the manifold perspectives on atonement today. Contributors to this volume—Christian A. Eberhart, Crispin Fletcher-Louis, Martha Himmelfarb, T. J. Lang, Carol A. Newsom, Deborah W. Rooke, Catrin H. Williams, David P. Wright, and N. T. Wright—attend to the linguistic elements at work in these ancient writings without limiting their scope to explicit mentions of atonement. Instead, they explore atonement as a broader phenomenon that negotiates a constellation of features—sin, sacrifice, and salvation—to capture a more accurate and holistic picture. Atonement will serve as an indispensable resource for all future dialogue on these topics within Jewish and Christian circles.


Endorsements (3)

“Taking a broad approach to the topic, this fine collection of essays by international experts combines close textual analysis with fascinating overviews of the diverse Jewish and early Christian discourses concerning repair of the ruptured relationship between humanity and God. Readers will find insights aplenty, and some real gems.”

John M. G. Barclay

“For a variety of reasons, understanding the atonement will be a project that will never finish. Every generation of scholars must put its shoulder to the oar. In this volume the reader will encounter the intellectual guidance of some of the foremost experts in the field.”

Gary A. Anderson

“It is rare to find a source which combines such varying voices and expertises in the way this volume does. Drawing on fresh and original scholarship in both Hebrew Bible and New Testament, Judaism, and early Christianity, Atonement should become required reading for anyone interested in this contested concept which remains central to the religious self-understanding of both Christians and Jews.”

Loveday Alexander

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