The Christian Victor

Gustaf Aulen's classic work, 'Christus Victor', has long been a standard text on the atonement. Aulen applies history of ideas' methodology to historical theology in tracing the development of three views of the atonement. Aulen asserts that in traditional histories of the doctrine of the atonement only two views have usually been presented, the objective/Anselmian and the subjective/Aberlardian views. According to Aulen, however, there is another type of atonement doctrine in which Christ overcomes the hostile powers that hold humanity in subjection, at the same time that God in Christ reconciles the world to Himself. This view he calls the "classic" idea of the atonement. Because of its predominance in the New Testament, in patristic writings, and in the theology of Luther, Aulen holds that the classic type may be called the distinctively Christian idea of the atonement.

Jesus is Victor is a compilation of the only 14 tapes that can be found of A. W. Tozer's 1961 Revelation sermons. Though not a complete study of the entire book, it offers a timely and vivid spiritual lesson to each and every one of us, Instead of trying to interpret the various events of Revelation, Tozer looks at the underlying spiritual lessons of the book, such as: The basic truth that Jesus is Victor The strong message of repentance The holiness of Jesus The wrath of God This book is not a presentation of any certain eschatological view, but a plea for readers to repent. It is A. W. Tozer's desire that all who would pursue the truth of Revelation to be overcomers and rest their faith on the goodness and grace of a loving and just Creator God.

In AD 312, Constantine - one of four Roman emperors ruling a divided empire - marched on Rome to establish his sole control of its western half. On the eve of the decisive battle he later claimed to have seen a 'Cross-shaped trophy of light' in the heavens, a sign that the Christian God was his patron, ensuring his victory. But Constantine's conversion was not a momentary revelation inspired by a vision. It was a lifelong process inspired by his own mother and aligned with radical developments in the later Roman world. During Constantine's lifetime, Christianity emerged from the shadows and under his rule, its adherents were no longer persecuted. Constantine the victorious general advanced a new triumphalist brand of Christianity, which became the empire's dominant faith and entrenched an institutional Church that could propagate and sustain the imperial religion. Constantine would go on to unite the eastern and western halves of the empire, establishing a new ceremonial stage, his eponymous victory city, Constantinople. This was not a new capital to replace Rome, nor was it an exclusively Christian construction. Yet it became the greatest Christian city in the world, the capital of Byzantium even as Rome itself fell to barbarian hordes. Paul Stephenson offers a nuanced and deeply satisfying account of a man whose cultural and spiritual renewal of the Roman empire gave birth to the idea of a unified Christian empire from which Europe would emerge. In Constantine: Unconquered Emperor, Christian Victor, a seminal figure in political and cultural history has found the biographer he deserves.

Originally published in 1960, this book was written to provide an accessible account regarding the essentials of Christian theology, avoiding an overly technical approach whilst also steering clear of superficiality. Comprehensive in scope, the text illuminates concepts such as the revelation of the Eternal in historic time; the problem of evil; the divine victory over Satan; the 'once for all' uniqueness of Christ's passion and victory; the sacraments as the body of Christ; death and destiny; the resurrection of the body; the 'end' of history. This book will be of value to anyone with an interest in perspectives on Christianity and theology.