S
sw_myers
Guest
It’s been a while since my NT Theology classes, and I’ve forgotten what type of atonement theory the catholic faith believes in. Could someone help me out on this one?
- Status
M
mosher
Guest
There is not one particular theory that is “official” Catholic Teachings but rather it is the understanding that on the Cross Christ reconsiled humanity with God the Father. On the Cross He was both Victim and Priest and by this action destroyed the wages of sin which is death but rather brought eternal life. What do you need to know about the atonement specifically?
G
Ghosty
Guest
Indeed, there are multiple theories of Atonement in the Catholic Church, especially between the different Catholic Churches and traditions. It would be easier to ask what theories are rejected than it would be to expound on what theories are accepted. To my knowledge, the theory that Sanctity and Righteousness are imputed (credited) to humans due to Christ’s Sacrifice is rejected, because it diminishes the actual humanity of Christ; we’re not just arbitrarily given credit for Christ’s work, our humanity is actually the same as His humanity, so our Righteousness really is His Righteousness. There is no great chasm between humanity and Christ, but rather an incredible and mysterious unity, so it can’t simply be said that God in some way turned a blind eye to our sins because of Christ’s actions. That is the direction many Protestants went with Atonement, and it’s full of dangerous errors and shortsightedness. The intimate connection between Christ’s humanity and Divinity, and the reality that unity has with regards to our own human nature, is too important to leave unstressed.
Some Catholic theologians have said that Christ destroyed Death in dying because His death was Infinite (due to his being God), and so by uniting Divinity with humanity, human death was infinitely “filled up”; it blew out its quota, so to speak, never again having power over those who unite themselves with Christ’s death. Others have said that by Christ’s Resurection and incorruptibility, our human nature attained the potential quality of Resurection and incorruptibility, giving us a chance to become more than we were before on account of sin. Still others have said that Christ’s Sacrifice was in the manner of the Old Covenant Sacrifices, and His Divine Blood was infinitely efficacious in remitting our sins and setting us back in line with God’s infinite Justice, just as the Old Temple sacrifices had limited efficacy in that regard. Closely related to that view is the emphasis on Christ being the “Passover Lamb”, and just as the original lambs’ blood protected the children of Abraham from the Angel of Death in Egypt, so the Blood of the Lamb of God was shed to permanantly protect us from the spectre of death that’s haunted humanity since the Fall. In all of these it’s critical that Christ’s humanity and Divinity come into play, and there are more theories beyond these few I’ve listed.
Really, all of these theories are acceptable, and tell a piece of the tale IMO. It’s a Mystery that can’t be exhausted by human minds, just like all other Sacred Mysteries. We can know what doesn’t apply, but we can’t say what the Mystery encompasses in its entirety. Reducing it to “the Catholic Church teaches this particular theory of Atonement” is incorrect, though you’ll commonly see claims like that in articles on the subject.
Hope that helps!
Peace and God bless!
Some Catholic theologians have said that Christ destroyed Death in dying because His death was Infinite (due to his being God), and so by uniting Divinity with humanity, human death was infinitely “filled up”; it blew out its quota, so to speak, never again having power over those who unite themselves with Christ’s death. Others have said that by Christ’s Resurection and incorruptibility, our human nature attained the potential quality of Resurection and incorruptibility, giving us a chance to become more than we were before on account of sin. Still others have said that Christ’s Sacrifice was in the manner of the Old Covenant Sacrifices, and His Divine Blood was infinitely efficacious in remitting our sins and setting us back in line with God’s infinite Justice, just as the Old Temple sacrifices had limited efficacy in that regard. Closely related to that view is the emphasis on Christ being the “Passover Lamb”, and just as the original lambs’ blood protected the children of Abraham from the Angel of Death in Egypt, so the Blood of the Lamb of God was shed to permanantly protect us from the spectre of death that’s haunted humanity since the Fall. In all of these it’s critical that Christ’s humanity and Divinity come into play, and there are more theories beyond these few I’ve listed.
Really, all of these theories are acceptable, and tell a piece of the tale IMO. It’s a Mystery that can’t be exhausted by human minds, just like all other Sacred Mysteries. We can know what doesn’t apply, but we can’t say what the Mystery encompasses in its entirety. Reducing it to “the Catholic Church teaches this particular theory of Atonement” is incorrect, though you’ll commonly see claims like that in articles on the subject.
Hope that helps!
Peace and God bless!
S
scriabin
Guest
Excellent post, Ghosty.
Can you refer us to some good books on the subject? How did you get to know what you know?
Can you refer us to some good books on the subject? How did you get to know what you know?
G
Ghosty
Guest
Well, the best books are really the Early Church Fathers, such as St. Athanasius and St. Augustine, to name only two. Both wrote about different theories of Atonement. You could also read the writings of St. Anselm and St. Thomas Aquinas, who dealt with the issue later in time and both in their own ways.
I don’t know of any works that discuss all the different theories and how much they’re accepted, though no doubt they’re out there. I came about it the old fashioned way: asking around and reading the old sources. The basic rule to follow is “That which isn’t forbidden is fair game if it doesn’t conflict with other Truths we know”, and that’s pretty much the general rule of the Church on such matters. All I did in my post was list a few of the different theories I’ve seen put forward by Catholic theologians and Fathers that haven’t been forbidden by the Catholic Church.
St. Athanasius put forward the “death to death through death” concept, St. Augustine put forward the “Sacrifice like the Temple sacrifices” idea, and he also put forward the “Devil overstepped his bounds in plotting to kill Christ, who was sinless, and therefore lost all claim to any human soul”, St. Anselm stressed the idea of God’s Infinite Justice and Christ’s Sacrifice’s Infinite Merit, and St. Thomas Aquinas floated multiple ideas (he tended to take a very broad approach to matters of Faith, being more of a synthesizer of different ideas and explaining how they fit together logically). You can read St. Thomas’ treatment of many of these concepts all in one place, the Summa Theologica. St. Athanasius deals with in “On the Incarnation”. St. Augustine deals with the matter in so many places that it’s better to just point you in his direction and say “Read”, and St. Anselm’s theory was put forth in “Cur Deus Homo” (warning: it’s a PDF).
Many other Church Fathers wrote on the matter as well, so it’s worthwhile checking them all out. St. Thomas Aquinas gives a solid “run down” of the basic Catholic concepts of Atonement, however, so the Summa serves as a good jump-off point for quick reference.
Peace and God bless!
S
scriabin
Guest
Many thanks, Ghosty. 
- Status