Atonement & Penal Susbsitution?

[DeniseFath]

I’m trying to better understand exactly how Jesus’ death on the Cross was redemptive for us and am getting very confused by all the different terminology - atonement, penal substitution, etc.

Can anyone recommend any books - or I guess any resources really - that talk about the Catholic teaching on this?

Thanks and God bless!

 

[windlessuser]

I’m trying to better understand exactly how Jesus’ death on the Cross was redemptive for us and am getting very confused by all the different terminology - atonement, penal substitution, etc.

Can anyone recommend any books - or I guess any resources really - that talk about the Catholic teaching on this?

Thanks and God bless!

The Catechism of the Catholic Church
The Holy Bible

Main sources that all supplementary material will pull from

 

[lux]

I cannot recall if it was Karl Keating or Frank Sheed I was reading, who explained that atonement, penal substitution, redemption, etc., were all human terms that simply BEGIN to express our understanding of the Lord’s sacrificial gift to us.

Peace be to you

 

[MarcoPolo]

I understand St. Anselm to have written on the atonement. I don’t think the Church has any official teaching on the precise nature of atonement, but there are some ideas that are not compatible. Strict penal substitution is a fallacy as far as I have studied. See here from the other day.

 

[Chesster]

You may want to try Christus Victor by Gustaf Aulen.