What Is Sacrifice?

Last updated on: May 13, 2014 at 12:00 am By Peter Leithart

Geerhardus Vos nicely synthesizes different moments of sacrifice: “to the prospherein, ‘offering,’ belongs more than the self-surrender in death; its culminating part is the self-presentation in heaven. It is not merely necessary that a sacrifice be slain; it is equally necessary that the sacrifice be brought into the immediate presence of God as He dwells in the heavenly tabernacle. The sacrifice is not completed until this is done. This is not a result of the sacrifice; it is an integral... Read more

Johannine Atonement

Last updated on: May 13, 2014 at 12:00 am By Peter Leithart

In a fascinating 2009 JETS article, Nicholas Lunn shows that John’s account of Jesus’ death and resurrection follows the pattern of the day of atonement. He begins from the common observation that the tomb of Jesus, with its flanking angels and discarded linens, is analogous to the ark of the covenant (I’d be more specific: the tomb is the Most Holy Place, in which is the slab/cover/ark flanked by angels). He finds further echoes of the day of atonement in... Read more

New-Old Debate

Last updated on: May 13, 2014 at 12:00 am By Peter Leithart

One of the virtues of Steven Studebaker’s Jonathan Edwards’ Social Augustinian Trinitarianism is his attention to forgotten debates. Our contemporary debates are not as cutting-edge as we think. We – and I do include myself in we – only think so because of our ignorance and amnesia. He traces social Trinitarianism to early twentieth-century works: “Early social trinitarians emphasized the subjectivity of the divine persons and the role the relations between the divine persons play in informing human social relations.” In The... Read more

New-Old Debate

Last updated on: May 13, 2014 at 12:00 am By Peter Leithart

Ascended Lamb

Last updated on: May 13, 2014 at 12:00 am By Peter Leithart

A Lamb arrives in heaven to take the book from the Enthroned One (Revelation 5). Why a Lamb? We think of the “Lamb” in association with Passover, but Passover is not the only time when a lamb has to be offered. In fact, Passover doesn’t even requires a lamb but permits either a sheep or a kid. In Leviticus 23, which structures much of Revelation, the list of feasts begins with Sabbath and then moves to Passover and the feast of... Read more

Tragedy of Disorder