What is the Orthodox Christian view on the atonement and is Penal Substitutionary Atonement Orthodox?

The patristic and biblical quotes in this collection reveal what Orthodox Christians actually teach about the atonement, debunking prevailing myths. The quotes show multiple biblical and patristic perspectives: Christ as 'ransom for all' (1 Tim 2:6), 'triumphing over' principalities and powers (Col 2:15), and the 'sweet exchange' where 'the iniquity of many should be concealed in One Righteous Man, and the righteousness of One should justify many that are iniquitous' (St. Athanasius). Rather than modern theories, the Church Fathers emphasize Christ taking 'upon Himself our sins' as 'a ransom for us, holy for lawless, guileless for evil, just for the unjust' (St. Athanasius). These truthful quotes help debunk misconceptions about what the Orthodox Church has historically taught about the atonement.

The quotes in this collection help debunk myths by showing the actual range of patristic and biblical teaching on atonement. Some emphasize Christ bearing our sins ('he made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin' - 2 Cor 5:21), others focus on propitiation ('he is propitiation for our sins' - 1 John 2:2), while others highlight Christ as a ransom or victory over death. By presenting both substitutionary language and themes of divine wrath directly from the sources, this collection helps readers distinguish between prevailing myths and what the Church Fathers actually teach.

Atonement Quote unknown__metropolitan_isaiah_chronopoulos_of_the_goarch_diocese_of_denver_liturgical_mistranslations

If we were to use a liturgy book from the Holy Cross Bookstore we would conclude that Jesus Christ is not our Redeemer because He did not die for our sins. For when we read the words of Institution. This is My Body which is broken for you, for the forgiveness of sins, what else can we assume? The Greek word in this phrase of the Institution is not 'synghorisis' but 'afesis.' The word 'synghorisis' means forgiveness, not remission, as 'afesis' does. Christ remitted our sins. He paid for them, in other words, when He died on the Cross. A rule of thumb for these two words is that forgiveness usually refers to a person, whereas remission definitely refers to the sin itself. Christ our Lord redeemed us by paying for our sins with His blood and His death on the Cross. It was this act which abrogated the old covenant and put into effect the New Covenant (Hebrews 9:16-18). Christ our God made repiration for our sins by giving His very life. This is not merely forgiveness of sins; it is atonement.

Metropolitan ISAIAH (Chronopoulos) of the GOARCH diocese of Denver, "Liturgical Mistranslations"

Twentieth Century