S Mark Heim is Samuel Abbot Professor of Christian Theology at Andover Newton Theological School, Massachusetts, USA. His other books include Salvations and The Depth of the Riches, both published by Eerdmans.
John Hoffmeyer in Lutheran Quarterly
"This is an excellent work that leaves me hoping for a sequel."
Daniel L. Migliore
-- Princeton Theological Seminary
"Drawing extensively from Ren? Girard's analysis of the scapegoat
mechanism, Mark Heim has written a not-to-be-missed work on the
unmasking of sacrificial violence by the biblical witness. He
offers stunning interpretations of Old and New Testament texts as
he marshals his argument that the event of the cross narrated in
the Gospels is universally significant not because it repeats the
deadly cycle of sacrifice present in all societies and in all
religious ritual and myth but because it reverses this cycle and
rescues us from the practice of scapegoating sacrifice and the
violence it both hides and perpetuates. This is a theology of the
cross in a bold new key." Robert J. Daly, S.J.
-- Boston College
"Saved from Sacrifice provides what, for example, Mel Gibson's
Passion of the Christ is disappointingly unaware of -- a theology
of the cross. Heim saves us from having to think of God as a cruel
sacrifice-demander; saves us from the terrible consequences of
thinking that God wanted his Son to suffer terribly; reminds us
that the passion is not what God the Father did to Jesus but is
what we did to Jesus; and saves us from the terrible 'theological'
consequences of thinking that God actually wanted, willed, or
demanded the violent things that were done to Jesus. If, for
example, God does violence in order to achieve a good end (our
salvation), should not we, in imitation of God, also be willing to
use violence to achieve what we see as good? Saved from Sacrifice
saves us from such a profoundly distorted view of God and
Christianity, and it challenges us to refocus our attention on a
more authentically Christian view of the transforming mystery of
the cross of Christ. This is one of the most important and
profoundly needed books to appear in our day. Its unveiling of the
inherently un-Christian nature of all violence is desperately
needed in our contemporary world." Carol Zaleski
-- Smith College
"Sacrifice. It's the most stirringly profound and most cruelly
misunderstood word in our spiritual lexicon. S. Mark Heim has
performed a great service in providing a lucid, learned, ecumenical
appraisal of what sacrifice has meant and continues to mean today.
A Girardian who truly appreciates the atonement theologies of the
past, Heim enables Christian readers of all viewpoints to renew
their humbled awareness of the cross as the sacrifice to end all
sacrifices." J. Denny Weaver
-- Bluffton University
"Saved from Sacrifice will surely prove one of the most important
of recent analyses of atonement and violence as well as the most
thorough from a Girardian perspective. Its restatement of an
atonement motif holds out the promise of productive conversation
with other strands of theology." Gabriel Fackre
-- Andover Newton Theological School
"In this provocative work Mark Heim sees with a Girardian eye what
may be unnoticed aspects of the atonement. While this is no
substitute for classical understandings of the work of Christ, the
reader is urged to follow Heim's search for a yet-to-be discerned
dimension of the doctrine." James Alison
-- Catholid theologian, priest, and author
"Mark Heim has given us both a very accurate reading of the thought
of Girard as it relates to the cross and a superb reworking of the
doctrine of atonement. He shows how the only way through the knots
of bad atonement theology is to a richer and more conservative
understanding of the truth revealed by the cross. He has the
ability to read texts and doctrines stereoscopically, making
available and alive the way in which two apparent opposites
(Christ's death was not a sacrifice at all, and it was the one true
sacrifice) are both true and illuminate each other. He has a real
theologian's ability to dwell on the knife-edge of interpretation
and tell the truth. His study of what others have said is always
deepened by his own superb readings of texts from scripture and his
bringing alive of insights into the complexities of human relating.
If, as it deserves, and as I very much hope, Saved from Sacrifice
becomes the standard atonement textbook in the training of a whole
generation of preachers and ministers, then the quality of our
preaching and of our Christian living will have received an
enormous fillip." Theological Book Review
"Heim's work is an impressive example of the power of Girard's
analysis. He recognizes that this perspective does not do full
justice to all the dimensions of the cross but convincingly
demonstrates the significance of this angle on atonement."
Theological Studies
"A remarkably rich yet coherent reading of Christian theology and
history that does more than simply compile what others have said."
Interpretation
"Heim offers a fresh and very welcome understanding of the saving
significance of the cross. I would enthusiastically commend this
book for all who are engaged in theological education and pastoral
ministry."
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