Death of the Messiah and the Birth of the New Covenant: A (Not-So) New Model of the Atonement

In his ground-breaking book, Michael J. Gorman asks why there is no theory or model of the atonement called the "new-covenant" model, since this understanding of the atonement is probably the earliest in the Christian tradition, dating back to the time of Jesus. Gorman argues that most models of the atonement over-emphasise the penultimate purposes of Jesus's death and the "mechanics" of the atonement, rather than its ultimate purpose: to create a transformed, Spirit-filled people of God. The New Testament's various atonement metaphors are part of a remarkably coherent picture of Jesus's death as that which brings about the new covenant (and thus the new community) promised by the prophets, which is also the covenant of peace. Gorman therefore proposes a new model of the atonement that is really not new at all - the new-covenant model. He argues that this is not merely an ancient model in need of rediscovery, but also a more comprehensive, integrated, participatory, communal and missional model than any of the major models in the tradition. Life in this new covenant, Gorman argues, is a life of communal and individual participation in Jesus's faithful, loving, peacemaking death. Written both for academics and church leaders, this book will challenge all who read it to rethink and rearticulate the meaning of Christ's death for us. Michael J. Gorman holds the Raymond E. Brown Chair in Biblical Studies and Theology at St Mary's Seminary and University in Baltimore. He is the author of ten books, including the bestselling "Reading Paul" (2008) and "Reading Revelation Responsibly" (2011). "A richly textured statement of how the atonement reaches deeply into the scriptural story of God's mighty acts in order to present the consequences of the cross for the church's faith, hope and love." Joel B. Green, Dean, School of Theology, Fuller Theological Seminary, Pasadena, CA. "Thanks to Michael J. Gorman for taking us beyond endless discussions of the 'how' of Christ's atonement to its visible end, Christ's atonement as manifest in the life of the church for the sake of the world!" John W. Wright, Professor of Theology and Christian Scripture, Point Loma Nazarene University, San Diego, CA. Michael J. Gorman holds the Raymond E. Brown Chair in Biblical Studies and Theology at St Mary's Seminary and University in Baltimore. He is the author of ten books, including the bestselling "Reading Paul" (2008) and "Reading Revelation Responsibly" (2011).