Inhabiting the Cruciform God: Kenosis, Justification, and Theosis in Paul's Narrative Soteriology

Inhabiting the Cruciform God: Kenosis, Justification, and Theosis in Paul's Narrative Soteriology
by Michael J. Gorman

This is a solid book. As an Eastern Orthodox Christian, and as a former Lutheran (LCMS), I have seen two poles of Pauline soteriology expounded from the scriptures, one focusing upon the ontological union of `in Christ' and his Church through his victory over death (which is another way of saying `theosis') and the other `Christ for us' as the ransom from sin death and the devil. While not mutually exclusive by any means, one could argue that Western theology, and Protestant theology in particular, has been a bit myopic when it comes to reading St. Paul, a reading that often has more to do with Augustine, Luther and Calvin and less to do with St. Paul and the liturgy of the faithful. This book serves as a useful corrective by showing that Paul's understanding of God in Christ is ontological, kenotic and plurotic: In God's self-emptying in Christ we are raised into his life (which is what Orthodox mean by grace). In the words of St. Athanasius, that great defender of Christ's person and natures, "God became man that man might become God." Of course this is shocking language to many, but understood scripturally the concept gives full value to the incarnation, which is the center not only of our own personal histories but of History itself, and written in the heart of God before the foundation of the world.

The Protestant theologian Karl Barth wrote in his Dogmatics that all the dubious features of Calvinism come from the fact that, in the end, Calvin separated God from Jesus Christ. I believe this to be very true of most `theology', if the term can even apply. It begins with unrecognized philosophical presuppositions that are read into the text of scripture rather than being read as it is within the context of the liturgical community, which I would argue is the most accurate method of exegesis.

Other books of interest may include: Fellow Workers With God: Orthodox Thinking on Theosis (Foundations), The Ground of Union: Deification in Aquinas and Palamas, The Doctrine of Deification in the Greek Patristic Tradition (Oxford Early Christian Studies), One with God: Salvation As Deification and Justification (Unitas Books), Partakers of the Divine Nature: The History and Development of Deification in the Christian Traditions, On The Incarnation, Christ Present In Faith: Luther's View Of Justification, Problems With Atonement: The Origins Of, And Controversy About, The Atonement Doctrine and Christus Victor: An Historical Study of the Three Main Types of the Idea of Atonement. John Behr's The Mystery of Christ: Life in Death is essential reading in understanding history and theology "in the crucified Lord of glory". Of course, a reading/praying of the liturgical texts of the Christian tradition make very plain that Gorman is more than onto something- he is rediscovering for the West what was at the heart of the early church's experience of God in Christ and the Spirit.

A Short History of the Doctrine of the Atonement

A Short History of the Doctrine of the Atonement
by L. W. Grensted

All Christians agree that Jesus is the Messiah and Savoir, but what exactly does that mean? What did his death actually accomplish and for whom was it done? Is God the Father angry at us and needs to have his wrath given out on someone? Does Jesus redeem the world, the universe, or just the elect? Is the devil holding us hostage and in need of a ransom? Is the state of death what needs to be "satisfied" and broken? What do the Gospels tell us? St Paul? The earliest church writers? The Fathers East and West? The Medieval theologians? The later Romans and Reformers? These are the types of questions that are at the heart of Grensted's classic, and until recently out of print, text. Such questions are at the very heart of what we think about the nature and "personality" of our God. Grensted rightly says that from the beginning, all Christian theology is soteriology, having to do with the stuff of salvation.

I have used this book extensively in my own study and have found it a fantastic jumping off point, since he has extensive footnotes to the Fathers, theologians and reformers, and he almost always provides a full quotation in the footnotes in the original language after he translates it in the main body of the text. Also be warned that this edition is a copy of the original text, so some pages are a little faded and there is brief underlining by a previous owner, who provided the "proof pages", but they are minimal and neatly scribed. I have found no pages missing, although the publisher's preface warns of it. I think that it must be a general disclaimer. Something that I thought could have been made much more of is the Eastern doctrine of deification (theosis), since that is to my mind the heart of eastern soteriology, and I provide a title for a book on that subject below.

Other books that go along the lines of this one are: Cur Deus Homo, On The Incarnation, Christus Victor: An Historical Study of the Three Main Types of the Idea of Atonement (which is VERY useful), The Nature of the Atonement: Four Views, Problems With Atonement: The Origins Of, And Controversy About, The Atonement DoctrineThe Background And Content Of Paul's Cultic Atonement Metaphors (Academia Biblica (Society of Biblical Literature) (Paper)), The Atonement: The Origins of the Doctrine in the New Testament (but if you can find Hengel's "The Cross of the Son of God" you will get this book along with two of his others on the subject in one binding. For a new view of Luther, see Union With Christ: The New Finnish Interpretation of Luther. For an Orthodox view, see Partakers of the Divine Nature: The History and Development of Deification in the Christian Traditions. Jordan Bajis' Common Ground is also a good comparison of Eastern and Western models.