Early Christian Views on Limited Atonement

Origen, Commentary on John Direct teaching

...the elders, and no one could learn the song except the hundred and forty-four thousand who had been purchased from the earth. These are the ones who were not defiled with women, for they are virgins. These are the ones who follow the Lamb wherever He goes. These were purchased from among men, firstfruits to God and to the Lamb; and in their mouth no lie was found, for they are without blemish." Now John says this with reference to those who have believed in Christ. For they also, even if their bodily descent cannot be traced to the seed of the patriarchs, are still gathered out of the tribes. That this is so, we may conclude from what is further said about them: "Do not harm," he says, "the earth, or the sea, or the trees, until we have sealed the servants of our God on their foreheads. And I heard the number of those who were sealed, a hundred and forty-four thousand, sealed from every tribe of the children of Israel."

Hippolytus, Exegetical Fragments Supporting witness

...ll the fruit of the trees that the hail left behind. Now in a spiritual sense, some sheep belong to Christ, and others belong to the Egyptians. However, those that once belonged to others may become His, just as Laban's sheep became Jacob's, and the opposite can also happen. Also, whatever sheep Jacob rejected, he handed over to Esau. Beware, then, lest, though you are found in the flock of Jesus, you be set apart when gifts are sent to Esau, and be handed over to Esau as rejected and unworthy of the spiritual Jacob. The single-minded are the sheep of Christ, and God saves them according to the word: "O Lord, You preserve man and beast." Those who in their foolishness join themselves to godless teaching are the sheep of the Egyptians, and these too are destroyed by the hail. And whatever the Egyptians possess is given over to the fire, but Abraham's substance is given to Isaac.

Archelaus, Disputation with Manes Supporting witness

... to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven. And even now I know who are ours. For He says, 'My sheep hear my voice.' For the sake of those who belong to us, and to whom the understanding of the truth is given, I will speak in similitudes. "The wicked one is like a lion that sought to steal upon the flock of the good shepherd. And when the shepherd saw this, he dug a huge pit, and took one kid out of the flock and cast it into the pit. Then the lion, hungering to get at it, and bursting with passion to devour it, ran up to the pit and fell in. And he found no strength enough to bring him out again. Then the shepherd seized him and shut him up carefully in a den. At the same time, he secured the safety of the kid that had been with him in the pit. And it is in this way that the wicked one has been weakened. The lion, so to speak, has no more ability to do anything injurious. And so all the race of souls will be saved, and what once perished will yet be restored to its proper flock." Archelaus said, "If you compare the wicked one to the lion, and God to the true shepherd, tell us, to what shall we liken the sheep and the kid?" Manes said, "The sheep and the kid seem to me to b

Tatian, The Diatessaron Supporting witness

...ise up offspring for his brother.’ Now there were with us seven brothers. The first took a wife and died without children. The second took his wife and died without children. The third also took her. In the same way, all seven died without leaving children. Last of all, the woman also died. In the resurrection, then, which of the seven will have this woman? For all of them had her.” Jesus answered and said to them, “Is this not why you have gone astray, because you know neither the Scriptures nor the power of God? The sons of this world take wives, and women are given in marriage. But those who are counted worthy of that world, and of the resurrection from among the dead, neither take wives nor are given in marriage. Nor can they die anymore, for they are like the angels and are children of God, since they have become children of the resurrection. But about the resurrection of the dead, have you not read in the book of Moses, in the passage about the bush, how God said to him, ‘I am the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob’? He is not the God of the dead, but of the living, for all of them are alive to him. And you have gone greatly astray.”

Justin Martyr, Dialogue with Trypho Supporting witness

... the law, but He showed that He alone would save those who do not turn away from His faith. And the blood of the Passover, sprinkled on each man’s doorposts and lintel, saved those who were rescued in Egypt, when the firstborn of the Egyptians were destroyed. For the Passover was Christ, who was later sacrificed, as Isaiah also said, ‘He was led like a sheep to the slaughter.’ And it is written, that on the day of the Passover you seized Him, and also during the Passover you crucified Him. And just as the blood of the Passover saved those who were in Egypt, so also the blood of Christ will save from death those who have believed. Would God, then, have been wrong if this sign had not been placed above the doors? I do not say that; but I assert that He announced the future salvation for humanity in advance through the blood of Christ. For the sign of the scarlet thread, which the spies sent to Jericho by Joshua, son of Nun, gave to Rahab the harlot, instructing her to tie it to the window through which she let them down to escape from their enemies, also showed the symbol of the blood of Christ, by which those who were once harlots and unrighteous people from all nations are saved

Hermas, The Shepherd (Pastor) Supporting witness

Through her the elect of God are saved.

Mark 13:20 Supporting witness

And except that the Lord had shortened those days, no flesh should be saved: but for the elect's sake, whom he hath chosen, he hath shortened the days.

2 Timothy 2:10 Supporting witness

Therefore I endure all things for the elect's sakes, that they may also obtain the salvation which is in Christ Jesus with eternal glory.

John 10:26 Supporting witness

But ye believe not, because ye are not of my sheep, as I said unto you.

John 10:15 Supporting witness

just as the Father knows me and I know the Father; and I lay down my life for the sheep.

John 10:11 Supporting witness

I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep.

Clement of Rome, First Epistle to the Corinthians Direct teaching

Let us look stedfastly to the blood of Christ, and see how precious that blood is to God, which, having been shed for our salvation, has set the grace of repentance before the whole world.

Tertullian, De Fuga in Persecutione Direct teaching

...s. All this happened so that He might redeem us from our sins. The sun yielded to us the day of our redemption. Hell gave back the claim it had over us. Our covenant is in heaven. The everlasting gates were lifted up so that the King of Glory, the Lord of might, might enter in, after He had redeemed man from earth, yes, from hell, so that he might attain to heaven. What, then, are we to think of the man who strives against that glorious One, yes, who slights and defiles His goods, obtained at so great a ransom, namely, His most precious blood? It appears, then, that it is better to flee than to fall in value, if a man will not lay out for himself as much as he cost Christ. And the Lord indeed ransomed him from the angelic powers that rule the world, from the spirits of wickedness, from the darkness of this life, from eternal judgment, and from everlasting death. But you bargain for him with an informer, or a soldier, or some petty thief of a ruler, under, as they say, the folds of the tunic, as if he were stolen property, though Christ bought him openly before the whole world, yes, and set him free. Will you then value this free man at any price, and possess him at any price exc

Origen, Commentary on John Supporting witness

...mentioned expresses how He represents us before the Father, as He pleads for human nature and makes atonement for it: the Paraclete, the propitiation, and the atonement. He has the name Paraclete in the Epistle of John: “If anyone sins, we have a Paraclete with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous.” And in the same epistle, He is said to be the atonement for our sins. In the same way, in the Epistle to the Romans, He is called a propitiation: “Whom God set forth to be a propitiation through faith.” A type of this was found in the innermost part of the temple, the Holy of Holies, namely, the golden mercy seat placed upon the two cherubim. But how could He ever be the Paraclete, the atonement, and the propitiation without the power of God, which brings our weakness to an end, overflows into the souls of believers, and is ministered by Jesus, who indeed is before it and is Himself the power of God, who enables a man to say, “I can do all things through Jesus Christ who strengthens me” in Philippians 4:13. From this we know that Simon Magus, who gave himself the title, “The power of God, which is called great,” was handed over to perdition and destruction, he and his money with hi

Origen, Commentary on John Supporting witness

...rist to that same extent, since He is power. The same should be understood about sanctification and redemption. For Jesus Himself was made sanctification to us and redemption. Each of us is sanctified by that sanctification and redeemed by that redemption. Consider also whether the words "to us," added by the Apostle, have some special force. Christ, he says, "was made to us of God, wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption." In other passages, he speaks of Christ as wisdom without any such qualification, and of His being power, saying that Christ is "the power of God and the wisdom of God," although we might have thought that He was not the wisdom of God or the power of God absolutely, but only for us. Now with respect to wisdom and power, we have both forms of the statement, the relative and the absolute. But with respect to sanctification and redemption, this is not so. Consider, therefore, since Hebrews 2:11 says, "He who sanctifies and those who are sanctified are all of one," whether the Father is the sanctification of Him who is our sanctification, just as, with Christ being our head, God is His head. But Christ is our redemption because we had become

Lactantius, A Poem on the Passion of the Lord Supporting witness

...for the bitter troubles of men, came here as a messenger of peace freely offered, and as a complete atonement for the fault of men. Here the brightest light from heaven is restored to the earth. Here is the merciful image of salvation. Here I am rest for you, the right way, the true redemption, the banner of God, and a memorable sign of destiny. It was for you and for your life that I entered the Virgin's womb, was made man, and suffered a dreadful death. Nor did I find rest anywhere in the lands of the earth, but everywhere threats, everywhere labors. First of all, at my birth, a poor shelter in the land of Judea received me and my mother. Here, among the outstretched and slow-moving cattle, dry grass first gave me a bed in a narrow stall. I spent my earliest years in the regions of Pharia, living as an exile in the reign of Herod. After I returned to Judea, I spent the rest of my years always in fasting, in the extremity of poverty itself, and in the lowest condition of life. I was always turning the minds of men, by sound warnings, toward the pursuit of gracious uprightness, joining many clear miracles to wholesome teaching. For this reason, ungodly Jerusalem, troubled by the

Irenaeus, Against Heresies: Book IV Supporting witness

Therefore, as the Church offers with single-mindedness, her gift is rightly considered a pure sacrifice to God. As Paul also says to the Philippians, “I am full, having received from Epaphroditus what you sent, a fragrant aroma, an acceptable sacrifice, pleasing to God.” It is necessary for us to make an offering to God, and in everything to be found grateful to God our Maker, with a pure mind, sincere faith, well-grounded hope, and fervent love, offering the first fruits of His created things. The Church alone offers this pure offering to the Creator, giving thanks and offering what is taken from His creation. But the Jews do not offer in this way: their hands are full of blood because they have not received the Word, through whom offerings are made to God. Likewise, none of the assemblies of the heretics offer this. Some claim that the Father is different from the Creator, thus when they offer what belongs to our creation, they portray Him as covetous of another’s property and desiring what is not His own. Others, who assert that the things around us originated from apostasy, ignorance, and passion, offend their Father by offering the fruits of ignorance, passion, and apostasy, r

Justin Martyr, The First Apology Direct teaching

...ings are true, have been washed with the washing for the remission of sins and renewal, and live as Christ instructed, are allowed to partake. We do not receive these as common bread and drink, but in the same way that Jesus Christ our Savior became flesh by the Word of God and had flesh and blood for our salvation, we have been taught that the food blessed by His word and prayer, which nourishes our blood and flesh through transformation, is the flesh and blood of Jesus who became flesh. The apostles, in the writings they composed, which are called Gospels, have passed down to us what Jesus instructed them: that He took bread, gave thanks, and said, "Do this in remembrance of Me, this is My body;" and in the same way, after taking the cup and giving thanks, He said, "This is My blood;" and gave it to them alone. The wicked devils have imitated this in the mysteries of Mithras, commanding the same actions. You either know or can learn that bread and a cup of water are used with certain incantations in the mystical rites of someone being initiated.

Justin Martyr, Dialogue with Trypho Supporting witness

... prophesied by the patriarch Jacob, 'He shall wash His garments with wine, and His vesture with the blood of the grape,' meant that He would cleanse those who believe in Him with His own blood. The Holy Spirit referred to those who receive remission of sins through Him as His garments; He is always present in power among them, and will be visibly present at His second coming. The Scripture mentions the blood of the grape deliberately because Christ's blood comes not from human lineage, but from the power of God. Just as God, not man, produces the blood of the vine, Scripture predicted that the blood of Christ would come not from human lineage, but from the power of God. This prophecy, gentlemen, which I repeated, proves that Christ is not merely human in origin, born in the ordinary way of humanity."

Cyprian, Epistles Supporting witness

For although the name of Christ is presented in the Gospels and in the letters of the apostles for the forgiveness of sins, it is not presented in such a way that the Son alone, without the Father or against the Father, can help anyone. Rather, it was to show the Jews, who boasted that they had the Father, that the Father would benefit them nothing unless they believed in the Son whom He had sent. For those who know God the Father, the Creator, ought also to know Christ the Son, so that they may not flatter and praise themselves about the Father alone without acknowledging His Son, who also said, "No man comes to the Father but by me." John 14:6 But He, the same one, also shows that it is the knowledge of both that saves, when He says, "And this is eternal life, that they might know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent." John 17:3 Since, therefore, by the preaching and testimony of Christ Himself, the Father who sent must first be known, and afterward Christ, who was sent, and there can be no hope of salvation except by knowing the two together, how can those among the heretics, who are said to be baptized in the name of Christ, be judged to have obtained th

Early Liturgies, Divine Liturgy of St. James Supporting witness

...y worthy of the grace of Your sanctification. Gather us together within Your holy Church, which You purchased by the precious blood of Your only begotten Son, our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. With Him, You are blessed and glorified, together with Your all-holy, good, and life-giving Spirit, now and always, and to all eternity. Amen.

Barnabas, The Epistle of Barnabas Supporting witness

For to this end the Lord endured to deliver up His flesh to corruption, that we might be sanctified through the remission of sins, which is effected by His blood of sprinkling.

Irenaeus, Against Heresies: Book V Supporting witness

Since the apostle has not declared against the essence of flesh and blood, saying it cannot inherit the kingdom of God, the same apostle has consistently used the term "flesh and blood" regarding the Lord Jesus Christ. This is partly to assert His human nature (as He referred to Himself as the Son of man) and partly to affirm the salvation of our flesh. For if the flesh were not able to be saved, the Word of God would not have become flesh in any way. And if the blood of the righteous were not to be accounted for, the Lord would certainly not have had blood in His being. Since blood has spoken since the world's beginning, God said to Cain, after he had killed his brother, “The voice of your brother’s blood cries out to Me.” And as their blood will be accounted for, He said to those with Noah, “For your lifeblood I will require a reckoning, from every beast;” and again, “Whoever sheds man’s blood, by man shall his blood be shed.” Similarly, the Lord said to those who would later shed His blood, “All righteous blood shall be required that is shed on the earth, from the blood of righteous Abel to the blood of Zacharias son of Barachias, whom you killed between the temple and the altar

Justin Martyr, Dialogue with Trypho Supporting witness

“Accordingly, God, anticipating all the sacrifices which we offer through this name, and which Jesus the Christ enjoined us to offer, i.e., in the Eucharist of the bread and the cup, and which are presented by Christians in all places throughout the world, bears witness that they are well-pleasing to Him.

Irenaeus, Against Heresies: Book V Supporting witness

By His own blood he redeemed us, as also His apostle declares, “In whom we have redemption through His blood, even the remission of sins.” And as we are His members, we are also nourished by means of the creation (and He Himself grants the creation to us, for He causes His sun to rise, and sends rain when He wills).

Revelation 5:9 Direct teaching

And they sung a new song, saying, Thou art worthy to take the book, and to open the seals thereof: for thou wast slain, and hast redeemed us to God by thy blood out of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation;

Colossians 1:14 Supporting witness

in whom we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins.

Ephesians 1:7 Supporting witness

In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace;

1 Corinthians 11:25 Supporting witness

In the same way also he took the cup, after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood. Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me.”

Clement of Alexandria, Who Is the Rich Man That Shall Be Saved? Direct teaching

...y of the title with which they are encircled as with a diadem. Yet there are some who are even more elect than the elect, and they are all the more elect the less they show it. In a way, they pull themselves like ships out of the surge of the world and bring themselves up to safety. They do not wish to seem holy, and if anyone calls them so, they are ashamed. They hide the unspeakable mysteries deep in their thought, and they disdain to have their own nobility seen in the world. The Word calls them "the light of the world" and "the salt of the earth." This is the seed — the image and likeness of God, His true child and heir, sent here as if on a sojourn abroad, by the Father's great plan and fitting purpose. For its sake, both the visible and invisible things of the world have been created: some for its service, some for its training, some for its instruction. And all things hold together as long as the seed remains here; once it is gathered up, all things will very quickly be dissolved.

Clement of Alexandria, The Stromata (Miscellanies) Supporting witness

...ry, if a person is saved by nature, as Valentinus wants, and is by nature a believer and one of the elect, as Basilides thinks. And nature would have been able, at some time or other, to shine forth apart from the Savior's appearing. But if they say that the coming of the Savior was necessary, then their idea about the properties of nature is taken away from them, because the elect are saved by instruction, purification, and the doing of good works. Accordingly, Abraham, who through hearing believed the voice that promised under the oak in Mamre, "I will give this land to you, and to your seed," was either elect or not. But if he was not, how did he immediately believe, as if by nature? And if he was elect, their hypothesis is destroyed, since even before the coming of the Lord an election was found, and that election was saved: "For it was reckoned to him for righteousness." Genesis 15:6; Romans 4:3 For if anyone, following Marcion, should dare to say that the Creator (Δημιουργόν) saved the man who believed in him even before the coming of the Lord, with the elect being saved with their own proper salvation, then the power of the good Being will be overshadowed, since only late

Lactantius, The Divine Institutes Supporting witness

As many as shall believe him and unite themselves to him, shall be marked by him as sheep;

Hippolytus, Exegetical Fragments Supporting witness

The single-minded are the sheep of Christ, and these God saves according to the word: O Lord, You preserve man and beast.

1 Peter 1:2 Supporting witness

elect according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, in sanctification of the Spirit, for obedience and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ: Grace to you and peace be multiplied.