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2. THE RECAPITULATION THEORY.
Irenæus, who also expresses the idea that the death of
Christ satisfied the justice of God and thus liberated man, nevertheless gave great prominence
to the recapitulation theory, that is, to the idea, as Orr expresses it, “that Christ recapitulates in
Himself all the stages of human life, including those which belong to our state as sinners.” By
His incarnation and human life He reverses the course on which Adam by his sin started
humanity and thus becomes a new leaven in the life of mankind. He communicates immortality
to those who are united to Him by faith and effects an ethical transformation in their lives, and
by His obedience compensates for the disobedience of Adam. This, according to Mackintosh,
was the esoteric theory of the early Church.
B. THE SATISFACTION THEORY OF ANSELM (COMMERCIAL THEORY).
The theory of Anselm is sometimes identified with that of the Reformers, which is also known
as the satisfaction theory, but the two are not identical. Some seek to prejudice others against
it by calling it “the commercial theory.” Anselm stressed the absolute necessity of the
atonement by grounding it in the very nature of God. According to him sin consists in the
creature’s withholding from God the honor which is His due. By the sin of man God was robbed
of His honor, and it was necessary that this should be vindicated. This could be done in either of
two ways: by punishment or by satisfaction. The mercy of God prompted Him to seek it in the
way of satisfaction, and more particularly through the gift of His Son, which was the only way,
since an infinite satisfaction was required. Christ rendered obedience to the law, but since this
was nothing more than His duty as man, it did not constitute any merit on His part. In addition
to that, however, He also suffered and died in the performance of His duty; and since He as a
sinless being was under no obligation to suffer and to die, He thus brought infinite glory to God.
This was a work of supererogation on the part of Christ, which merited, and also brought, a
reward; but since Christ as the Son of God needed nothing for Himself, the reward was passed
on to sinners in the form of the forgiveness of sins and of future blessedness for all those who
live according to the commandments of the gospel. Anselm was the first to work out a rather
complete doctrine of the atonement, and in many respects his theory points in the right
direction. However, it is open to several points of criticism.
1. It is not consistent in its representation of the necessity of the atonement. It ostensibly does
not ground this necessity in the justice of God which cannot brook sin, but in the honor of God
which calls for amends or reparation. He really starts out with the principle of “private law” or
custom, according to which an injured party may demand whatever satisfaction he sees fit; and
yet argues for the necessity of the atonement in a way which only holds on the standpoint of
public law.