Sources of Atonement Theology: Leo of Rome
(c.400 - c.461 AD)
An old clay oil lamp from Nazareth, Israel. Photo credit: Olivia Armstrong.
The Writings of Leo of Rome
Leo of Rome, Sermon 67, paragraphs 5 - 6 says that the Son of God "truly assumed our weaknesses, and without share in sin had spared Himself no human frailty, that He might impart what was His to us and heal what was ours in Himself" (5) and uses the phrase "in the likeness of sinful flesh" (6) from Romans 8:3. Leo had readAthanasius' Letter 59 to Epictetus of Corinth about Jesus taking on and fighting his way through fallen human nature. But it is unclear, then, why Leo also endorsed John Cassian's On the Incarnation book 3, as Cassian held to cleansing from conception.
Sources of Atonement Theology
These resources explore the foundation of “Medical Substitution” as the best understanding of the Bible, and the original understanding of the church. There are also links to books, web articles, etc. from representatives of the three broad Christian traditions.
