Rethinking the Atonement: New Perspectives on Jesus's Death, Resurrection, and Ascension

by David M. Moffitt, N. T. Wright (Foreword by)

Overview

Traditional views of the atonement tend to be reductive, focusing solely on Jesus's death on the cross. In his 2011 groundbreaking book Atonement and the Logic of Resurrection in the Epistle to the Hebrews, David Moffitt challenged that paradigm, showing how the atonement is a fuller process. It involves not only Jesus's death but also his resurrection, ascension, offering, and exaltation.

In the succeeding years, Moffitt has continued to expand and clarify his thinking on this issue. This book offers a more fulsome articulation of his work on the atonement that reflects his recent thinking on the topic. Moffitt continues to challenge reductive views of the atonement, primarily from the book of Hebrews, but he engages other New Testament passages as well. He offers fresh insights on sacrifice and atonement, the importance of resurrection and ascension, Jesus's role as priest, and a new perspective on Hebrews.

This important book brings Moffitt's award-winning and influential scholarship to a broader audience. The book includes a foreword by N. T. Wright.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781540966230
Publisher:	Baker Publishing Group
Publication date:	11/15/2022
Pages:	320
Sales rank:	592,882
Product dimensions:	5.90(w) x 8.90(h) x 0.90(d)

About the Author

David M. Moffitt (PhD, Duke University) is reader in New Testament studies at the University of St. Andrews in St. Andrews, Scotland. His book Atonement and the Logic of Resurrection in the Epistle to the Hebrews received a Manfred Lautenschläger Award for Theological Promise in 2013. He is the coauthor of New Testament Basics: A Guide for Reading and Interpreting the Text and the coeditor of Son, Sacrifice, and Great Shepherd: Studies on the Epistle to the Hebrews and A Scribe Trained for the Kingdom of Heaven: Essays on Christology and Ethics in Honor of Richard B. Hays.

Table of Contents

Abbreviations xi

Foreword N. T. Wright xv

1 Rethinking the Atonement: An Introduction 1

2 Modeled on Moses: Jesus's Death, Passover, and the Defeat of the Devil in the Epistle to the Hebrews 9

3 Wilderness Identity and Pentateuchal Narrative: Distinguishing between Jesus's Inauguration and Maintenance of the New Covenant in Hebrews 29

4 Isaiah 53, Hebrews, and Covenant Renewal 47

5 "If Another Priest Arises": Jesus's Resurrection and the High-Priestly Christology of Hebrews 73

6 Blood, Life, and Atonement: Reassessing Hebrews' Christological Appropriation of Yom Kippur 87

7 Weak and Useless? Purity, the Mosaic Law, and Perfection in Hebrews 101

8 Serving in the Tabernacle in Heaven: Sacred Space, Jesus's High-Priestly Sacrifice, and Hebrews' Analogical Theology 117

9 It Is Not Finished: Jesus's Perpetual Atoning Work as the Heavenly High Priest in Hebrews 135

10 Observations on Directional Features of the Incarnation and Jesus's Sacrifice in Hebrews 159

11 Jesus's Heavenly Sacrifice in Early Christian Reception of Hebrews: A Survey 181

12 Righteous Bloodshed, Matthew's Passion Narrative, and the Temple's Destruction: Lamentations as a Matthean Intertext 205

13 The Sign of Jonah and the Prophet Motif in the Gospel of Matthew: Moving toward the Gentile Mission 229

14 Atonement at the Right Hand: The Sacrificial Significance of Jesus's Exaltation in Acts 241

15 Affirming the "Creed": The Extent of Paul's Citation of an Early Christian Formula in 1 Corinthians 15:3b-7 261

Author Index 289

Scripture and Ancient Writings Index 293