Sources of Atonement Theology: Jacob of Serug
(c.451 - 521 AD)
An old clay oil lamp from Nazareth, Israel. Photo credit: Olivia Armstrong.
The Writings of Jacob of Serug
Jacob of Serug, Canticle on Edessa, speaks of Jesus' blood as life-giving, cleansing, and purifying of us, not appeasing of God; this is important as a historical witness to the Syriac-speaking church, and further east into Persian Christianity, despite Jacob's monophysite views
Jacob of Serug, Homily on Habib the Martyr, speaks of fire in Scripture and contemporary martyrdom as purifying or not, based on one's choices, which is consistent with medical substitutionary atonement and the rest of the patristic interpretation of divine fire in Scripture
Sources of Atonement Theology
These resources explore the foundation of “Medical Substitution” as the best understanding of the Bible, and the original understanding of the church. There are also links to books, web articles, etc. from representatives of the three broad Christian traditions.
