Atonement, Law, and Justice: The Cross in Historical and Cultural Contexts

Tackling an issue of perennial interest in the Christian academy, Adonis Vidu provides a critical reading of the history of major atonement theories by exploring selected patterns, recurrent concepts, and attempts to discern broader themes. Vidu also offers an in-depth analysis of the legal and political contexts within which these atonement theories arose. The book engages the latest work in atonement theory and serves as a helpful resource for contemporary discussions.

Vidu suggests that the history of atonement thinking can be read as an ongoing conversation with the history of thinking about justice and the law. This is the only book that explores the impact of theories of law and justice on major historical atonement theories. Understanding this relationship yields a better understanding of atonement thinkers by situating them in their intellectual contexts. The book also explores the relevance of the doctrine of divine simplicity for atonement theory.

Students and scholars interested in understanding historic views of the atonement and their relation to theories of law and justice will value this work. It will also work well as a textbook for graduate courses in theology, ethics, and law.

• Contents
• Introduction
• 1. Justice, Law, and the Cross in Patristic Thought
• 2. Medieval Atonement and the Legal Revolution
• 3. The Reformation: Luther, Calvin, and the Tradition of Penal Substitution
• 4. Modernity: Atonement and the Cure of the Soul
• 5. Atonement and the Postmodern Critique of Law
• 6. Atonement and the Perfection of Divine Agency
• Indexes