The Death of Christ

At the very center of the Christian faith stands the Cross. In order to believe in life as we want to live it, we may deny or forget or ignore the fact that the Cross happened. Or we may acknowledge it, but be so overwhelmed by its cruelty that we deny that life has meaning. Or we may accept both the Cross and life, thereby recognizing a higher and deeper dimension in human life than law can define or reason grasp. This third alternative is the theme of this study of the central event of the Cross - the death of Christ. Dr. Knox begins with a consideration of the Crucifixion in its historical setting. Then, in Part II, he considers its significance to Jesus himself, and in Part III he explores its significance to the Church. Examining the two New Testament views of the Atonement (victory and sacrifice) Dr. Knox concludes that although they are logically contradictory, both are actually necessary. We must regard these interpretations, he says, as the work of the One who moved through the ancient event to bring the Church itself into being. The final chapter is a powerful application of this view of the Cross to our lives today. All those who seek to find the meaning of life in terms of the Christian faith will find this discussion of the Cross both intellectually stimulating and spiritually satisfying.

John Knox was the Baldwin Professor of Sacred Literature at Union Theological Seminary in New York. He also taught at Emory and Fisk universities, the University of Chicago, and Hartford Theological Seminary, and has delivered many lecture series. Widely known in the religious publications field, Dr. Knox was an associate editor and contributor to THE INTERPRETER’S BIBLE.