Rethinking the Atonement - A Conversation with David Moffitt at the PC Humanities Forum

We tend to assume that sacrifice involves killing animals on an altar. We also often assume atonement has to do with ways that Jesus’s death on the altar of the cross deals with sins. A few observations about Jewish sacrifice, however, quickly problematize these assumptions. For example, the fact that no animals were killed on the altars at the Jewish temple complicates simplistic equations between Jesus’s death on a cross and the sacrifice of animals at the temple. Professor Moffitt’s work on Hebrews, ancient Jewish sacrifice, and ancient priestly ministry provide new insights into how we conceptualize sacrifice and the ways early Christians appealed to sacrifice and priestly service to think about Jesus’s death, resurrection, and ascension.