The recapitulation theory of the atonement is a
doctrine
Doctrine (from , meaning 'teaching, instruction') is a codification (law), codification of beliefs or a body of teacher, teachings or instructions, taught principles or positions, as the essence of teachings in a given branch of knowledge or in a ...
in
Christian theology
Christian theology is the theology – the systematic study of the divine and religion – of Christianity, Christian belief and practice. It concentrates primarily upon the texts of the Old Testament and of the New Testament, as well as on Ch ...
related to the meaning and effect of the
death
Death is the end of life; the irreversible cessation of all biological functions that sustain a living organism. Death eventually and inevitably occurs in all organisms. The remains of a former organism normally begin to decompose sh ...
of
Jesus Christ
Jesus (AD 30 or 33), also referred to as Jesus Christ, Jesus of Nazareth, and many Names and titles of Jesus in the New Testament, other names and titles, was a 1st-century Jewish preacher and religious leader. He is the Jesus in Chris ...
.
While it is sometimes absent from summaries of
atonement theories, more comprehensive overviews of the history of the atonement doctrine typically include a section about the "recapitulation" view of the atonement, which was first clearly formulated by
Irenaeus of Lyons.
One of the main New Testament scriptures upon which this view is based states: "
od's purpose is, inthe fulness of the times, to sum up all things in Christ, the things in the heavens, and the things upon the earth..." (Ephesians 1:10, RV). The Greek word for 'sum up' (ἀνακεφαλαιώσασθαι, anakephalaiosasthai) was literally rendered 'to recapitulate' in Latin.
In the recapitulation view of the atonement,
Christ is seen as the new
Adam
Adam is the name given in Genesis 1–5 to the first human. Adam is the first human-being aware of God, and features as such in various belief systems (including Judaism, Christianity, Gnosticism and Islam).
According to Christianity, Adam ...
who succeeds where
Adam failed. Christ undoes the wrong that Adam did and, because of his union with
human
Humans (''Homo sapiens'') or modern humans are the most common and widespread species of primate, and the last surviving species of the genus ''Homo''. They are Hominidae, great apes characterized by their Prehistory of nakedness and clothing ...
ity, leads humankind on to
eternal life (including
moral perfection).
History
As highlighted above, Irenaeus is considered to be the first to clearly express a recapitulation view of the atonement, although he is anticipated by
Justin Martyr, whom Irenaeus quotes in
Against Heresies 4.6.2:
There follows two representative quotes from Irenaeus:
For Irenaeus, the ultimate goal of Christ's work of solidarity with humankind is to make humankind divine. Of Jesus he says, he "became what we are, that He might bring us to be even what He is Himself".
[Irenaeus, ''Against Heresies'' Preface to Book 5 in A. Roberts and J. Donaldson (eds), ]
The Writings of Irenaeus
' Vol. 2 (Edinburgh: T & T Clark, 1869), p. 55 This idea has been most influential in the
Eastern Christianity
Eastern Christianity comprises Christianity, Christian traditions and Christian denomination, church families that originally developed during Classical antiquity, classical and late antiquity in the Eastern Mediterranean region or locations fu ...
, particularly within the
Eastern Orthodox Church
The Eastern Orthodox Church, officially the Orthodox Catholic Church, and also called the Greek Orthodox Church or simply the Orthodox Church, is List of Christian denominations by number of members, one of the three major doctrinal and ...
,
[ Michael Green, ''The Empty Cross of Jesus'' (Eastbourne: Kingsway, 2004; first published 1984), p. 67] having been taken on by many other
Church Fathers
The Church Fathers, Early Church Fathers, Christian Fathers, or Fathers of the Church were ancient and influential Christian theologians and writers who established the intellectual and doctrinal foundations of Christianity. The historical peri ...
, such as Ss.
Athanasius,
Gregory of Nazianzus,
Augustine, and
Maximus the Confessor.
This
Eastern Orthodox theological development out of the recapitulation view of the atonement is called ''
theosis'' ("
deification").
A more contemporary, slightly differing expression of the recapitulation view can be seen in D. E. H. Whiteley's reading of
Paul the Apostle
Paul, also named Saul of Tarsus, commonly known as Paul the Apostle and Saint Paul, was a Apostles in the New Testament, Christian apostle ( AD) who spread the Ministry of Jesus, teachings of Jesus in the Christianity in the 1st century, first ...
's theology. Whiteley favourably quotes
[D. E. H. Whietely, ''The Theology of St Paul'' (Oxford: Blackwell, 1964), p. 113: 'St. Irenaeus was fundamentally true to the thought of Paul when he said: ''Factus est quod sumus nos, uti nos perficeret esse quod et ipse''.] Irenaeus' notion that Christ 'became what we are, that He might bring us to be even what He is Himself',
although he never describes Paul's view of the atonement as a recapitulation; rather, he uses the word 'participation':
References
Notes
Citations
{{DEFAULTSORT:Recapitulation Theory Of Atonement
Atonement in Christianity
Christian terminology
Catholic theology and doctrine