[This book is] a viable and well-argued alternative to the ongoing scholarly discussion… a significant contribution to the literature as it features a balanced and, overall, well-presented and thorough argument on a much-discussed topic in academia and the Christian church. It also does a great job relating the topics of sacrifice and atonement with its various subcategories (vicarious/substitutionary, etc.) to each other and problematizing them.
— Christian A. Eberhart, University of Houston
The claim that Jesus’ death was a sacrifice can be understood in many ways. Many scholars have examined the religious and cultural background of this claim, found in virtually every stratum of the New Testament writings. And many have argued that various understandings more faithfully express authentic Christian teaching. Few scholars have navigated the historical as well as the theological dimensions of this subject as capably or concisely as Scott Shauf. By reframing the ways in which Jesus’ death was interpreted in the early Church—by contesting, for example, ingrained assumptions about the relationship between sacrifice and atonement in both traditionalist and progressive circles—Shauf’s work represents a valuable intervention in what is often an acrimonious debate among Christians today.
— Patrick Gray, Rhodes College
A clear, compelling treatment of one of Christianity’s central, defining metaphors—exegetically rich, judicious exegesis of New Testament texts informed by nuanced understanding of sacrifice in the Jewish Scriptures, Second Temple Judaism, and the Greco-Roman world. A valuable resource for biblical scholars and theologians, along with students, pastors, and teachers.
— Carl R. Holladay, Emory University
Packed with careful distinctions and insightful observations, Scott Shauf offers readers a clearly written introduction to one of the most ubiquitous, but to many modern Christians, puzzling, ancient practices – sacrifice. Shauf does a superb job succinctly mapping the basic landscape of sacrifice in its various ancient contexts. This survey is masterfully employed to explore the variegated uses of sacrificial language and concepts in the New Testament, especially in relation to Jesus’ death. Readers of this book will be rewarded and challenged not only by its clear accounts of the complex details and contexts of different sacrifices but also by its thoughtful exegesis of New Testament texts and theological reflection on this important topic.
— David M. Moffitt, University of St Andrews
Scholarly, well-written, and comprehensive in scope, Jesus the Sacrifice questions many of the traditional interpretations of Jewish sacrifice in the Second Temple period, thereby providing a basis for a fresh rereading of the New Testament passages that employ sacrificial language and imagery to ascribe meaning to Jesus’ death. Shauf’s historical approach opens up new avenues for addressing the theological questions raised by the biblical texts and rethinking the significance of Jesus’ death for our contemporary contexts.
— David A. Brondos, The Theological Community of Mexico
This is a welcome study that ably summarizes extensive scholarly work on sacrifice and brings much-needed clarity to the use of the terminology in relation to the Christ event, especially given its often imprecise usage in ecclesial and academic contexts. Shauf’s carefully researched work will be a useful point of reference.
— Journal for the Study of the New Testament