Ransom Theory (Atonement)
A price is paid to set the captives free
The ransom theory reads Christ's death as a ransom that frees humanity from bondage to sin, to death, or to the devil. It draws on the Gospel saying that the Son of Man came to give his life as a ransom (lytron) for many, and was developed by early Fathers such as Origen and Gregory of Nyssa. The image is one of liberation: captives bought back and released.
How it traveled
- MatthewAntioch · 80explains
- The Great CatechismNyssa · 395explains
- The Homilies of St. John Chrysostom on the Epistle to the HebrewsConstantinople (Istanbul) · 407explains
- On the Holy TrinityHippo Regius · 430explains
- Anselm's Cur Deus HomoCanterbury · 1109explains
- Treatise on the Incarnation (qq[1]-59)Paris · 1274explains
- Book Second. of the Knowledge of God the Redeemer, in Christ, as First Manifested to the Fathers, Under the Law, and Thereafter to Us Under the GospelGeneva · 1564explains
- A History of the Work of RedemptionNorthampton, Massachusetts · 1758explains
Key passages(20)
Anselm's Cur Deus Homo · Anselm of Canterbury
Book Second. of the Knowledge of God the Redeemer, in Christ, as First Manifested to the Fathers, Under the Law, and Thereafter to Us Under the Gospel · John Calvin
The Diatessaron. · The Diatessaron of Tatian
Treatise on the Incarnation (qq[1]-59) · Thomas Aquinas
Book Second. of the Knowledge of God the Redeemer, in Christ, as First Manifested to the Fathers, Under the Law, and Thereafter to Us Under the Gospel · John Calvin
The Life of Constantine with Orations of Constantine and Eusebius · Eusebius of Caesarea
A History of the Work of Redemption · Jonathan Edwards
A History of the Work of Redemption · Jonathan Edwards
Anselm's Cur Deus Homo · Anselm of Canterbury
Expositions on the Book of Psalms · Augustine of Hippo
The Commentary and Homilies of St. John Chrysostom on Galatians and Ephesians · John Chrysostom
The Homilies of St. John Chrysostom on the Epistle to the Hebrews · John Chrysostom
Book Third. the Mode of Obtaining the Grace of Christ. the Benefits It Confers, and the Effects Resulting from It · John Calvin
Ephraim Syrus: Nineteen Hymns on the Nativity of Christ in the Flesh · Ephrem the Syrian
On the Holy Trinity · Augustine of Hippo
The Harmony of the Gospels · Augustine of Hippo
Lectures or Tractates on the Gospel According to St. John · Augustine of Hippo