Abstract
This book about the atonement is by Methodist Theologian Francs M. Young based on based on the Didsbury lectures of 2014. Her intention is to develop patristic insights about the cross that move from theory to theōria (i.e. spiritual insight). Chapter 1 is about ‘Passover and Passion’ which examines patristic articulations of Christ’s death as a typological Passover, noting its deficiency as a precise model for the atonement and emphasizing the effect of Jesus’ death upon a community rather than upon the individual. Chapter 2 engages Rene Girard’s scapegoat theory of sacrifice where Young prefers instead to identify the cross as a God-given means of katharsis and a sign of life which can transform a community to celebrate its God-given life. Chapter 3 examines the cross as the tree of life where the cross symbolizes how God’s gracious purposes have blossomed, salvation is about transformative growth rather than rescue from peril, it resonates with various myths of sacred trees, and the cross constitutes an ecological sign of God’s blessing. Chapter 4 touches upon art and mythology by describing literary and artistic depictions of Christ as a serpent figure with healing powers. Chapter 5, the final chapter, looks at ‘Language, Liturgy, and Life,’ where poetry swirls around with commentary on topics of theological language, myth and history, drama and liturgy, and cosmic dimension. In the end, her preference is to see the cross as a sign and symbol of life. Young provides a stirring and creative way of drawing on patristic tradition to imagine the beauty, wonder, and mystery of the cross as a gateway to divine life.