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It is extremely common to hear that the Orthodox Church rejects the use of penal, juridical, and substitutionary language in describing Our Lord’s sacrifice on the Cross. Is this actually true? Or is it rather a very recent innovation?
Of course I believe that it is an innovation and a very dangerous and detrimental rejection of a vital aspect of the Gospel. Can one really read Scriptures such as these and believe that the Cross is insignificant and overshadowed by the Incarnation and Resurrection?
Yet this is commonplace to hear. Just turn on Ancient Faith Radio for a few minutes. This video is by far the most horrifying example I have seen of this trend so popular in the West (and I find it hard to see how what the priest says here is not heresy):
There are plenty of articles out there refuting this idea based on Patristics, but what do holy men of our own day say regarding the Lord’s sufferings and crucifixion? I will add to this thread as I have more material.
The new martyr, Fr Daniel Sysoev says of Christ’s sufferings in the garden, that He as the Innocent One had to drink the cup of God’s wrath which was due to us, die for the guilty, and take our curse upon Himself
Of the Passion itself, Fr Sysoev writes once more that the Righteous One dies for the guilty, taking upon Himself the punishment and curse. He redeems is from God’s judgement. He washes away the punishment due us by His sufferings.
Archbishop Averky of blessed memory writes of the agony in the garden, that the Lord takes upon Himself that which the world should be feeling on account of its own sinfulness
Of the Passion, Abp Averky writes that the God-man felt the entire anger of God focused upon Himself- that which should have been poured out on mankind
St Justin Popovic writes beautifully of the Lord’s suffering the garden, that He took upon Himself all of the terrible consequences that were due us.
There is so much the St Justin wrote of this, but here he writes directly that through His death, the Savior fully satisfied God’s truth and took upon Himself the punishment for our sins. This is beginning to become repetitive because all of these men are saying the same thing
That’s all for now. This is a small sample of the teachings of holy men who lived in our own times. I am ashamed that this downplaying of the Cross, such as was seen in that video posted above, is pervasive here in the West, but these quotes go to show just how innovative it is.
