What Did the Cross Accomplish?

In this book, readers will enjoy a fascinating and cordial discussion between N. T. Wright and Simon Gathercole on the meaning and nature of the doctrine of atonement. These two highly respected scholars discuss in clear and understandable language the meanings of the crucifixion of Jesus Christ. Their discussion explores various theories of atonement and looks closely at the Old Testament to discover Paul's meaning of his words that "Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures."

Wright presents his case first, then Gathercole responds with a contrary point of view. Their discussion confronts questions including: What exactly is this "scandal of the cross"? What role does the notion of sacrifice, as understood in its ancient context, play in the atonement of Christ? Is the atonement a "victory"? How so? Was Christ a "substitute," taking humankind's place on the cross and suffering the death and judgment that sinners deserve? How does the death of Christ on the cross rescue or liberate sinners from death? Does the cross achieve benefits for only humans, or do those benefits extend to the entirety of creation? This book is a succinct conversation in which all these questions receive attention, with nuanced differences between the two interlocutors. This conversation along with Robert Stewart's introductory framework make this book an excellent primer to the study of the atonement, and readers will come away with a deeper understanding of the meanings of the cross.

N. T. Wright is one of the world's leading Bible scholars. He is currently Research Professor of New Testament and Early Christianity at the University of St Andrews and Senior Research Fellow at Wycliffe Hall, University of Oxford. From 2003 to 2010 he served as Bishop of Durham. He has taught at Cambridge and McGill universities and has been featured on ABC news, Dateline NBC, and Fresh Air. Wright has written over eighty books, including The Day the Revolution Began: Reconsidering the Meaning of Jesus's Crucifixion and the eighteen volumes in the New Testament for Everyone series.