Gustaf Aulén (1879–1977)

I finally got around to reading this book. Aulen's stated purpose is to outline the classic view of the atonement and to compare it to the objective (latin) model and the subjective (exemplar) model. Aulen does an excellent job of describing the patriotic view and the development of penal substitution. One major difference he sees between the classic model and the later penal models is an emphasis on Christ's divinity in the former and Christ's humanity in the latter. The classic view posits that Christ's incarnation and atonement was God's way of defeating the demonic powers that held humanity captive from within. In the satisfaction model, God becomes man in order to pay the penalty due sinful humanity. Both of these models are objective, but while the penal view rescues humanity from God's punishment, the Christus Victor view sees the atonement as rescuing humanity from demonic oppression.

Aulen deals less with the subjective view, though he treats its main proponents. Before Aulen wrote this book, the Latin and subjective models were treated like a binary in atonement views. Aulen helped us recover the patriots (and Luther's) view.… (mehr)