(e) Atonement and the Universe. — In two of the Epistles of the Imprisonment — those to Eph. and Col. (Phil, repeats the same circle of ideas as Rom. and Gal.) — St. Paul extends the reconciliation wrought by the death of Christ from the human race to the universe as it sustains moral relations to God ; it is the cosmic view of the atonement, and is a result of seeking to provide a basis for the ruling idea of the absoluteness of his gospel. The 'world ' for which Christ died is no longer the world of sinful men, as in 2 Co 5^^ and Ro 3^^ ; it is vaster (cf. Ro 8^**^ ) ; it includes angelic and possibly super-angelic beings, 'things in (or above) the heavens ' (Eph P°) ; God has been pleased ' through him to reconcile all things unto himself, having made peace through the blood of his cross, through him, whether they be things on earth, or things in heaven ' (Col 1*°) . Here we pass from the region of the historical and experimental into that of vision and spiritual imagination. How far the categories of juridical and ethical, into which St. Paul's doctrine has been cast elsewhere, may be api^lied to the processes of the restoration of the whole universe to perfect unity with God in Christ, it is difficult to say. R. W. DaleU argues that they are fulfilled in removing the objective cause of estrangement ; but it is evident that, if this is
* Death of Christ, 179-192.
+ .S7. Paul's Conreption of Christianity, 214 ff.
I Donmatik^, Brunswick, 1893, p. 510. iNT TheoLii. 117f. _
II E.g. Stevens, Christian Doctrine of Salvation, pt. i. ch. iv. ; Denney, Death of Christ, ch. iii. ; Pfloidorer, Paulinismus-, LeipziK, 1890, ch. iii. (Eng. tr., 1877) ; M6n6goz, Le Peche, etc., ii. ch. iii. ; H. J. Holtzmann, AT Theol. ii. 97-121 ; H. Cremer, Die Paulinische Rechtferliuunrjslehre-, Giitersloh, 1900, pp. 424-448.
^The Atonement'', 253 ff.
in itself inadequate for the realized salvation of the human race, it will not be hkely to suffice for a higher race of moral intelligences ; the personal union of sympathy and life implied in the subjec- tive and mystical view will still be necessary for at-one-ment.
The Pastoral Epistles, though probably much later than St. Paul's earlier group in which his doctrine is chiefly stated, add no fresh ideas to his interpretation. This may imply that his doctrine had ah-eady become fixed in form and could be taken for granted, or that it is unwise to lay stress upon the view that it was a slowly developed teach- ing. The influence upon other NT writers of St. Paul's doctrine of the relation of the death of Christ to the forgiveness of sins should be carefully con- sidered ; the subject goes beyond the scope of this article.
2. The type presented in the Epistle to the Hebrews. — This is distinctive. Some suspect possible affinities with the thought of tlie apostolic group in the Church at Jerusalem. The writing exhibits many resemblances in language to the Pauhne type, but the same terms are used with a different connotation, and there is an absence of many of St. Paul's characteristic forms of thought; the PauUne principle of substitution prevails, but it is presented more in the spirit and method of the Alexandrine exegesis and philosophy of religion — the relation of shadow to reaUty — or in the sym- boUsm of the Jewish sacrificial system. Although one of the most theological of all the NT writings, it assumes rather than states a philosophy of the Christian redemption. The 'death of Christ is re- garded as exclusively sacrificial. As atonement it is presented mostly on the objective side ; even more than St. Paul, the writer emphasizes the work Christ does outside us, 'on our behalf.' St. Paul's supplement to this view in his ethico-mystical doctrine is only slightly considered. The term ' in Christ ' does not occur ; the circle of ideas it represents is absent ; ethical imphcations of the vicarious view are found, but they are difi'erent and slighter. The idea of finality is the character- istic conception which dominates the presentation of Christ's redeeming work; it is 'eternal' in this sense. The ethical value of a sinless Offerer in perfect sympathy with His sinful brethren, for whom He presents His sacrifice perfect and with- out blemish, is a prominent characteristic in the doctrine of the atoning work. The perfect human- ity implied makes it possible to start the interpret- ation of the doctrine of atonement in the Epistle, with Westcott, from the Incarnation ; or, with Seeberg, from the Passion of the Offerer as identi- cal with the historic Jesus. As His perfect Priest- hood, which is almost identical with the latter, also includes the former, both in the historic fact and in the mind of the v\Titer of the Epistle, it is more satisfactory to adopt it as the ruling idea.
(1) Pnes^/iood.— Priesthood is the clearest way of access to the writer's main teaching ; it unifies the distinguishable orders of sacrifice — sin-offering, burnt-offering, etc. — in the one characteristic function of the priest, whi(;h is to offer sacrifice and so to establish and to represent the fellowship of God with man, which is the root-idf^a of atone- ment. Such fellowship is visible and incorporate in the priest's person ; through him the people draw near to God themselves, have their fellowship with Him, and become His people. The necessity for a priest and his mediation is that sin stands in the way of this fellowship ; it cannot be ignored ; its defilement is the acute problem in thought and experi(>nce which constrains the writer to set forth the Divinely appointed way for its removal. For this end God has appointed His own Son a High Priest for ever, that He may make ' propitiation'