Folia Theologica 11. (2000)

László Vanyó: The Patristic Interpretation of 'Redemptio'

THE PATRISTIC INTERPRETATION OF ‘REDEMPTIO’

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to God and living.45 The body of the man who is resembling to God receives the attributes of the soul but leaves not his originel bodyly qualities, only his actions become the actions of the “spiritalis homo ”46

The texts quoted illustrate well the pneumatical aspect of the doctrine of the anakephalaiosis. That is yet important, because the incarnation abbreviates the past, condensing it in the recapitulation, it is in certain sense the ending of the past, but the outpouring of the Holy Spirit brings the overture of the perspective, the dilatatio of the anakephalaiosis towards the eschaton and makes it really universal.

If Irenaeus considered the earthly life of Jesus Christ as a series of victorious battles, in which the final combat was the death, if Irenaeus expresses it as: “He redeemed us by His blood, He payed a ransome for us”, then he used Biblical notions. The positive side of redemption is the reconciliation whih based on the suffering and crucifixion of Christ, and this sacrifice was made for us by God Himself. It is the love of God which absolves man from the sentence and creates a new relation between mankind and Himself, which relation is entirely different from any justification and legal righteousness. The whole oikonomia is a work of grace and love.47

6. The liberal historians of the dogma regarded Athanasios as the main exponent of the so-called “doctrine of physical redemption”. Yet is was exactly Athanasios who never forgot to depict the significance of sin, however he had no doubt that the Redeemer had to heal, besides sin, also the consequences of sin, i.e. the loss of likeness to God, the corruption and death.48 The father formulated clearly that if by the redemption

45 “Si enim pignus complectens hominem in semetipsum, iam facit dicere, Abba Pater, quid faciet universa Spiritus gratia, quae hominibus dabitur a Deo? Similes nos ei efficiet, et perficiet voluntate Patris, efficiet enim hominem secundum imaginem et similitudinem Dei.” (AH V,8,l Harvey 11,339)

46 “Ubi autem Spiritus Patris, ibi homo vivens, sanguis rationalis ad ultionem a Deo custodiens, caro a Spiritu possessa oblita quidem sui, qualitatem autem Spiritus assumens, onformis facta Verbo" (AH V,9,2 Harvey 11,343) “...sic et homo per fidem insertus et assumens Spiritum Dei, substantiam quidem carnis non amittit, qualitatem autem operum immutat, et aliud accipit vocabulum, significans illam quae in melius est transmutationem, iam non caro et sanguis, sed homo spiritalis existens et dicitur" (AH V,10,12 Harvey 11,346)

47 AH V,21,3

48 Athanasius, De incarnatione Verbi 7. (Ed. and transi, by R.W.Thomson, Oxford, 1971, p. 148-150):

7. AAÂ (üoîtep eSei xouxo yeveoBai, ouxcoç Kai xcuv evavxuov naXw av- xtKevxai xco npoç xov Oeov eiAoyov, co axe a),q6r| (javxqvai xov Gteov ev xq