Reclaiming the Atonement: An Orthodox Theology of Redemption, vol. 1: The Incarnation

by Patrick Henry Reardon

Publisher:

Ancient Faith

, 2015

Overview

In Reclaiming the Atonement, vol. 1: The Incarnation, Father Patrick Reardon presents the first of three volumes exploring redemption and salvation through the lens of Scripture, patristics, and liturgics, as well as through history, philosophy, language, literature, and psychology. He brings all these perspectives together to show how the whole of Christ’s work—from Incarnation to Ascension—accomplishes the “at-one-ment” of God with man.

Key Features

• Discusses the incarnation in a grounded analytical manner
• Examines the ideas of salvation and redemption from an Orthodox perspective

Contents

• Life in the Church
• Anselm, the Fathers, and Holy Scripture
• Primitive Christology
• Incarnation and Deification
• Christ and Adam
• Becoming Flesh
• From Scroll to Page
• Jesus’ Public Ministry
• The Transfiguration
• The Last Things
• The Destiny of Israel
• An Added Word: Salvation History and Life in the Church

Top Highlights

“First, ‘at-one-ment’ conveys the force of the Pauline idea of reconciliation.” (Page 17)

“Consequently, a properly theological grasp of sin requires that we begin, not with how it allegedly affects God, but how it truly affects man. What is the deprivation caused by sin? It is the loss of the divine life, the true human destiny.” (Page 69)

“What does it mean when we declare that Christ has saved us? From what has He saved us, and for what purpose has He saved us?” (Pages 8–9)

“The tradition represented by Athanasius regarded the divinizing of man as the purpose of the Incarnation.” (Page 18)

“Understanding salvation to consist in the union of human beings with God, the Church—rather early in the history of sacred theology—perceived (and went on, in her conciliar determinations, to define) an intimate connection between the truth of salvation and the truth of the Incarnation. Briefly stated, this means that man’s salvation required the Savior, God’s divine and eternal Son, to become an integral human being.” (Page 23)

Praise for the Print Edition

This book should be required reading for all Evangelicals, like myself, who tend to gravitate uncritically toward sola scriptura. While paying close and reverent attention to every etymological and syntactical nuance in the original Greek and Latin of the Bible, Reardon is careful to inscribe his analysis of orthodox theology within the sacramental life of the Church, the writings of the Fathers, and the dynamic conversation between the Testaments and the faithful.

—Dr. Louis Markos, professor in English and scholar in residence, Houston Baptist University

Father Patrick Henry Reardon offers an exegetical tour de force in this reconsideration of the atonement. It was a thorough and complete delight to ponder and ingest. I am confident it will find a delighted reception even beyond an Orthodox readership among all those who love and treasure the Sacred Scriptures.

—Rev. William Weedon, chaplain, LCMS Director of Worship

A thorough analysis of a neglected issue. Though atonement and redemption were not neglected in the Patristic Period, they have not settled as profoundly as most Eastern Orthodox theological points. Patrick Henry Reardon is pastor of All Saints’ Orthodox Church in Chicago and senior editor at Touchstone where he has written brilliantly on many theological and ethical issues. Reclaiming the Atonement: An Orthodox Theology of Redemption, Volume 1, is on the incarnation. It works step by step through key writings of the early Christian tradition from Irenaeus to Anselm to discern the mystery of the incarnation and the atoning work of Christ becoming formed in us. A wonderful read.

—Dr.Thomas C. Oden

Patrick Reardon is a gifted polymath given by God to the church catholic—Orthodox, Catholic and Protestant alike. His book Reclaiming the Atonement is a well-conceived and theologically sound interpretation of the central, saving miracle of the Christian faith, namely, the Incarnation of the Word. If St. Athanasius were alive today, he would no doubt exclaim Axion (it is worthy)!

—Bradley Nassif, PhD, professor of biblical and theological studies, North Park University

Product Details

• Title: Reclaiming the Atonement: An Orthodox Theology of Redemption, vol. 1: The Incarnation
• Author: Patrick Henry Reardon
• Publisher: Ancient Faith Publishing
• Publication Date: 2015
• Pages: 296
• Christian Group: Orthodox
• Resource Type: Monograph
• Topic: Theology

About Patrick Henry Reardon

Patrick Henry Reardon is the pastor of All Saints Orthodox Church in Chicago, Illinois, and a senior editor at Touchstone: A Journal of Mere Christianity. He was educated at Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, St. Anselm’s College in Rome, the Pontifical Biblical Institute in Rome, the University of Liverpool, and St. Tikhon’s Orthodox Seminary. He is the author of several books and more than 500 articles, editorials, and reviews published in Books and Culture, Touchstone, The Scottish Journal of Theology, The Catholic Biblical Quarterly, Pro Ecclesia, St. Vladimir’s Theological Quarterly, and other journals across three continents.