[Kolokotronis]

“It may not be as simple as I’ve portrayed, but it is surely accurate.”

No, I’d say you had simplified it to the point of inaccuracy, which surprises me since you have by far the deepest knowledge of Orthodoxy among the Protestants on this thread.

[HarleyD]

No, I’d say you had simplified it to the point of inaccuracy

Here is an interesting blog that I believe addresses (albeit limited) the Orthodoxy view and Protestant concerns on the atonement. The Doctrine of the Atonement in the Early Greek Fathers. Please note this statement which is similar to my view.

The basic paradigm of salvation universally held by these [Greek] writers is as follows:

1. Humans have free will to engage in either vice or virtue, and the ability to become more or less virtuous over time.
2. God is virtuous and desires humans to be also. He is pleased with virtue and displeased by vice.
3. Christ taught virtue to mankind.
4. By following Christ’s teachings, and by the help of the Spirit, we can progress and improve in virtue if we make the effort.
5. All men have the ability to achieve a standard of virtue acceptable to God.
6. The Final Judgment will be decided based on our level of virtue.

Each of those points, and the paradigm as a whole, are common to all the Greek writers from the period 100-400AD.

I especially like this post by St. Worm:

Excellent point, Anon. I’m a little skeptical when it comes to saying the Fathers had no concept of substitution in their atonement theology. You almost get the sense from what was posted that there is *NO* atonement at all, but only example (of course I know that’s not what’s being said in reality). I think it’s fair to say that the Greeks don’t have a penal model, per se, but that’s another matter altogether.

Also, when the Western controversy over Pelagianism and Semi-Pelagianism came to the fore, why wasn’t the East denounced? Either (i) the West was ignorant of the Eastern writings, or (ii) they misunderstood the Eastern writers’ use of common biblical terms (like propitiation, expiation, etc) or (iii) they understood the spirit of the writings to honor the basic tenets of orthodoxy, even if expressed differently.

I tend to go with option 3. Maybe someone else can offer further insights on this complex matter. By St. Worm