3. The Johannine type. — This is a sufficiently definite term to stand for a characteristic view of the atonement in the Apostolic Church found in the Fourth (iospel, in the three Cntholic Epistles bearing the name of John, and in the Apocalypse. Criticism still leaves the problem of authorship in much uncertainty, but tends to greater agreement in ' ascribing all these writings to the same locahty, to pretty much the same period, and to the same circle of ideas and sympathies.'* Reflecting probably the thought and experience of the last quarter, or even the last decade of the first century, they are later than all our other sources ; and, being dominated by theological interest, they are
* Denney, Death of Christ, 241.
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ATONEMENT
of particular importance for judging the views taken of the death of Christ and its relation to sin towards the close of the Apostolic Age.
Whilst the Epistle which deals with the death of Chi-ist presents a more reflective interpretation of it than is found in the Gospel, both unite in dwelling upon the ethical and spiritual results of Christ's death in the experience and possibihties of the Christian sanctification rather than upon its relation to the satisfaction of the Divine law of righteousness. But the latter is by no means overlooked ; it is present frequently by imphca- tion, it is occasionally exphcitly referred to. The Johannine type is distinctly more favourable to the conception of 'at-one-ment' than to that of atonement ; it is ethical and mystical rather than juridical. So much is this so that selected sayings could be collected which would easily weave them- selves into a theory that Jesus saves by revelation, by the illumination of Divine hght which becomes the light of life and the assurance of our fellowship in the life eternal. Redemption by revelation would be a fair interpretation, say, of the Prologue to the Gospel and of those portions of it in which the ideas of the Prologue rule. Salvation is in Christ's Person : * this is Life eternal, that they should know thee the only true God and him whom thou didst send, even Jesus Christ ' ( Jn 17^) . Jesus redeems men by reveaUng to them the truth about God in Himself; His work is supremely that of the Prophet of God, who so redeems His people into fellowship with God. Knowledge of God as He is draws men from sin. Christ dies, but this is inevitable because He is the Word made flesh, and must therefore share the end of all flesh and die, and 'so fulfil the destiny of a perfect man by a perfect death as by a perfect hfe. * Broadly speak- ing this is true, but it is certainly not the only Johannine view of the saving work of Christ. It may be suggestive to discern the contrast between the Pauline view that revelation is by redemption, and the Johannine that redemption is by revela- tion, but it is not exhaustive ; for the Joharmine writings are also pervaded by a conviction of the necessity and saving value of Christ's death ; He is as truly 'propitiation' as 'revelation.' St. Paul's view that, apart from His pui-pose of dying for redemption, Christ would not have come in the flesh at all, is not avowed by St. John, but it is not contradicted by him ; his main interests are much more with the realities and issues of redemption than with its presuppositions and processes. Sin is the real problem for him as for St. Paul, and the death of Christ is the only means of removing it. This is stated in Gospel and Epistle with a wealth of variety. Whether they afford material for a fuU theory of expiation, as some expositors assume, may be questioned ; but that they clearly state a connexion between the death of Christ and the cleansing away of sin, and indicate a theory of this relation which has affinities with the Pauline view and with that of the writer to the Hebrews, cannot reasonably be doubted.
Whilst in the very brief review of these references we must refrain from reading the Pauline meaning into the Johannine ideas and terms, we must not decline to recognize such similarities as we find are present in the writings.
(1) References in Gospel. — These fall into char- acteristic groups : — (a) The references to the Lauib of God. — Whether the saj'ing put into the mouth of the Baptist (Jn 1^') be critically valid or not, it is good evidence of the Johannine thought. We accept the saying as referring to Jesus who ' taketh away the sin of the world.' Its chief value is the
* Cf. B. F. Westcott, Evistle.1 of Si. John, London, 1883, p. 34 IT., Epistle to the Hebrews, London, 1.S89, p. 293 ff. ; H. Schultz, Die GoUheit Chrisli, Gotha, 1X81, p. 447.
use of the sacrificial symbol, ' the lamb ' ; Jesus takes away sin by the sacrificial method. The re- ferences in the Apocalypse to 'the Lamb' as it had ' been slain ' (Rev 5^- ^'), to ' those who have washed their robes in the blood of the Lamb' (7"), who overcame ' because of the blood of the Lamb ' (12"), indicate that the power and purity of the new life in Christ were definitely associated with the shedding and sprinkhng of His blood in the sacri- ficial sense. The phrase 'in the Lamb's book of life' (13^), though it may not bear the strain of the idea of an eternal redemption, since 'from the foundation of the world ' belongs gi-ammatically to 'written' (see art. Book op Life) rather than to ' slain,' indicates nevertheless that there is salvation in no other. — (6) The references to 'the lifting up' (Jn 3^* 12^2). These are best expounded by the comment of the writer himself. ' This said (Jesus), indicating by what kind of death he was to die' (12^3). They refer to the hfting up on the cross, though the exaltation that followed may be imphed, in order that men might see Him in order to hve and be drawn to Him by the appeal of His cross. If there be any expiatory idea here, it is imphcit ; it is not stated. — (c) The references to eating His flesh in Jn 6. Alone these might well be satisfied by the ethical interpretation of a spiritual appro- priation of Christ ; this conception is natural in the context ; but, as it is scarcely possible at the late period of this writing to deny a reference to the * Supper ' and its connexion with remission of sins, the expiatory idea is most probably involved. In the exposition of any Johannine wi'itings the place held by the sacraments in the ApostoHc Church should never be ignored. — {d) The references to the laying down of His life. — 'The Good Shepherd' (Jn 10"), the prophecy of Caiaphas (11™), the corn of wheat (12^^*^ ), hfe laid down for friends (15") — these with distinction of aspect show the applica- tion to Jesus of the vicarious principle ; in the first and last instances the voluntary character of the self-sacrifice is important, whilst in the context of the third the soul-troubhng of Jesus in presence of death suggests that the death was neither ordinary nor accidental. But there is no indication of a theory of how His death avails for the benefit of others. The one explanation that is sure is that He lays down His hfe in obedience to the constraint of love's necessity. This love is regarded by the writer both as Christ's own love and as the Father's. 'God so loved that he gave.' Love in each case is the gift of self,