Atonement and the Logic of Resurrection in the Epistle to the Hebrews

by David M. Moffitt

Scholars often explain Hebrews' relative silence regarding Jesus' resurrection by emphasizing the author's appeal to Yom Kippur's two key moments--the sacrificial slaughter and the high priest's presentation of blood in the holy of holies--in his distinctive portrayal of Jesus' death and heavenly exaltation. The writer's depiction of Jesus as the high priest whose blood effected ultimate atonement appears to be modeled upon these two moments. Such a typology discourages discrete reflection on Jesus' resurrection. Drawing on contemporary studies of Jewish sacrifice (which note that blood represents life, not death), parallels in Jewish apocalyptic literature, and fresh exegetical insights, this volume demonstrates that Jesus' embodied, resurrected life is crucial for the high-priestly Christology and sacrificial soteriology developed in Hebrews.

Genres: Theology

338 pages, Paperback

First published July 27, 2011

About the author

Dr Moffitt’s research interests orbit around the various ways the earliest Christians understood Jesus and their own identities in relation to Jewish scripture, practices, and beliefs. His work is especially focused on the Epistle to the Hebrews and the strategies the text employs to interpret early Christian claims about Jesus’ person, death, resurrection, and ascension in high-priestly and sacrificial terms. His book on Hebrews (Atonement and the Logic of Resurrection in the Epistle to the Hebrews) attempts to show that the Christology and Soteriology developed by the author rests upon his correlation of the basic narrative of early Christian proclamation (i.e., Jesus’ life, death, resurrection, and ascension) with the ritual process of the Yom Kippur sacrifices, the end goal of which was the restoration and maintenance of fellowship between God and creation (i.e., atonement).

Reviews

[Scott Gregory · Rating 2 out of 5]

In my opinion, if Moffitt's core contribution (that atonement occurs not on the cross at Jesus's death but in heaven after the resurrection) is correct, he does not prove it in this book. This work is crippled by argumentative inaccuracies, including circular reasoning and frequent mis-prioritizations of his evidence. He places too much theological weight on a thin latticework of tenuous connections.

However, this book has galvanized the conversation on atonement in Hebrews and beyond, and for that reason it has great value. Also, I am thankful that Moffitt shines a spotlight on the resurrection in Hebrews. Overall, this work is required reading for any student of the atonement or Hebrews.

[Jacob O'connor · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've been a Bible student for over 25 years. Hebrews has always been one of my favorite books, and I've even sought to memorize it. Because of this I was astonished that Moffitt raises a controversy that I had never considered. Hebrews doesn't make much of Jesus's resurrection. Or does it?

Bible nerds will enjoy taking this trip with David Moffitt. If you're not a Bible nerd, I invite you to become one. It's amazing. Just when you think you've mined the Bible for all you can get, you open up a whole new chasm. There's no end to the exploration.

[Charles Meadows · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fabulous. "Logic of resurrection" here refers to the fact that Hebrews does not speak much of the resurrection of Jesus. Moffitt points out that for Jesus to effect atonement in heaven a resurrection is just assumed. He draws heavily on the work of Jacob Milgrom in Leviticus, and comes up with a picture of atonement that is not simple "penal substitution", at least as far as Hebrews in concerned.

[Joshua · Rating 5 out of 5]

Best treatment of Hebrews to date. Should be the standard text for all future commentary on the letter.

[Tommi Karjalainen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved it! Clearly written, convincingly argued. There is a slight risk to throw the baby (cross) with the bathwater, but Moffitt balances this by arguing for a holistic view of Jewish sacrifice where the whole of the ritual counts.