Christus Victor: An Historical Study of the Three Main Types of the Idea of the Atonement

Christus Victor: An Historical Study of the Three Main Types of the Idea of the Atonement by Gustaf Aulen. paperback edition. ISBN: 9780020834007.

s/ An Historical Study of the Three Main Types of the Idea of the Atonement The term Christus Victor comes from the title of Gustaf Auléns groundbreaking book 1st published in 31 which drew attention to early Church understanding of the Atonement. In it he identifies three main types of Atonement The earliest was what he called the "classic" view of the Atonement, more commonly known as Ransom Theory or since 31 known sometimes as the "Christus Victor" theory. This is the theory that Adam & Eve made humanity subject to the Devil during the Fall, & that God, in order to redeem humanity, sent Christ as ransom or bait so that the Devil, not knowing Christ couldnt die permanently, would kill him, & thus lose all right to humans following the Resurrection. A 2nd theory is the "Latin" or "objective" view, commonly known as Satisfaction Theory, beginning with Anselmian Satisfaction (Christ suffered as a substitute on behalf of humankind satisfying the demands of Gods honor) & later developed by Protestants as penal substitution (Christ is punished instead of humanity, thus satisfying the demands of justice so God can justly forgive). Some have argued that the penal substitution theory of the atonement was expressed by early church fathers, such as Justin Martyr c.100-165, Eusebius of Caesarea c.275-339 & Augustine of Hippo 354-430. A 3rd is the "subjective" theory, commonly known as the Moral Influence view, that Christs passion was an act of exemplary obedience which affects the intentions of those who come to know about it. It dates back to Anselm of Laons protégé, Abelard, its originator.