Saved from Sacrifice: A Theology of the Cross

This is an outstanding book on Sacrifice history, practices, and theological significance. I am a Seminary Grad and wish that this had been in our library when I was a student. I read it when doing research on the subject of "once and for all sacrifice'in the book of Hebrews. The author gives many different perspectives on Sacrifices, including how 'outsiders' often have a negative view of the religious use of sacrifices. Finally, compare all that you know about religous sacrifices and the 'once and for all' sacrifice of Christ, which 'ended' the practice of sacrifices as far as Christianity is concerned.

I found this an extremely exciting "take" on the Gospel - a forgotten side to the Cross which is alive and well in the pages of Scripture when the dilemma of sacrifice is understood psychologically/ sociologically/ anthropologically! This is a message the world needs - one that may give much credibility and respect to the Cross and the Bible in the eyes of peace-makers everywhere! - one that opens up the message of the Cross in a way that will touch lives and inspire people to live to God! My own identification with scapegoats and scapegoaters has deepened, and I feel my (lay-) preaching of the Cross has been made so much more relevant and practical. Though I didn't like/agree with the author on everything (e.g. his treatment of forgiveness, his conception of justice devoid of any RESTORATIVE notions, and a much-needed retreatment of the priestly role of Jesus is lacking), there is certainly much to recommend, especially his development of Girard's theory on "sacred violence" from Genesis, through Job, to the New Testament. Shame and Pride: Affect, Sex, and the Birth of the Self

I'd caution readers to be wary of reviews that point out that the author's exegis differs from that of the bulk of previous scholars and theologians. The Holy Spirit guides and inspires, not the crowd. If you seek to find solace in the group, then this book may not be for you. If you want to explore more fully Christ's redeeming work and what it means for creation, then you may want to pick up this one. This book offers a fresh and if you are honest and open, thought-provoking framework for grasping the meaning of the cross. Moreover, it provides a mirror for examining the distortions imposed on traditional soteriology by own fallen human nature. If it makes you uncomfortable, that may be an indication that you are on the right track. You should be uncomfortable when staring Truth face to face.

With this book Heim offers a thorough presentation of the "Girardian" perspective as it applies to the crucifixion of Jesus Christ. As a friend of mine said who recommended this book to me, once you see it, you won't be able to "unsee" it. The sacrificial motif is all around us. Literature and the arts (and religion and politics et al) are simply infused with sacrificial elements. For anyone who has ever worried about the apparent cruelty of the Old Testament narrative, or felt that the Passion story makes the Judeo/Christian God look like nothing more than a petty diety demanding bloody justice, this is the book for you. Heim does not attempt to create a new systematic theology. Rather, drawing heavily on the writings of Rene Girard, he merely presents the Crucifixion as the ultimate result of the human scapegoating tendency and how Jesus, by his resurrection, broke the cycle of violence and sacrifice and gave mankind a model of forgiveness available to perpetrators and victims alike. Heim also shows how this is NOT a newly discovered "thing" pulled out of thin air. He gives much evidence that the early Christian community understood the Passion's relation to ancient sacrificial practices and how even today primitive societies respond to this in a way that is hard for "modern" people to comprehend. Truly a great book!

I am a professor of theology with an interest in the doctrine of the atonement. I recommend this book very highly. It draws on Rene Girard's anthropological theory of violence, interprets key passages from the Bible, surveys the history of atonement thought, touches on historical examples of violence such as slavery, and presents a constructive theological and ethical perspective on atonement. I wish I could make this book required reading for all seminarians.