The Priest Shall Make Atonement

Fri Mar 12 2021

"Atonement" is a word invented for the translation of the Bible into English, because there was no good English word for the concept it describes. So what does it mean? People have atonement theories. Is atonement purely theoretical? Does it have anything to do with suffering or punishment? And who or what is atoned for? Fr. Stephen De Young and Fr. Andrew Stephen Damick finish their three-part series on sacrifice.

Transcript

Announcer (0:00)

He will be a staff for the righteous with which for them to stand and not to fall. And he will be the light of the nations and the hope of those whose hearts are troubled. All who dwell on the earth will fall down and worship him. And they will praise and bless and celebrate with song the lord of spirits. First Enoch, chapter 48, verses 4 through 5. The modern world doesn't acknowledge, but is nevertheless haunted by spirits, angels, demons and saints. In our time, many yearn to break free of the prison of a flat secular materialism, to see and to know reality as it truly is. What is this spiritual reality like? How do we engage with it? Well, how do we permeate everyday life with spiritual presence? Orthodox Christian priests, Father Andrew Stephen Damick and Fr. Stephen DeYoung host. This live call in show focused on enchantment in creation, the union of the seen and unseen as made by God and experienced by mankind throughout history. Welcome to the Lord of Spirits.

Father Andrew Stephen Damick (1:08)

Thank you, voice of Steve. Well, it's Goat Week on the Lord of Spirits podcast. I'm Father Andrew Stephen Damick in Emmaus, Pennsylvania. And joining me tonight is my co Host, Father Stephen DeYoung from Lafayette, Louisiana. And if you're listening to us live, you can call in at 8:55, AF radio. That's 8, 5.

Father Andrew Stephen Damick (1:30)

And we will get to your calls in the second part of today's show. Well, like I said, it is goat week. And here at Goat Week, we've got you covered. And the rest of the show will be explaining that joke. So tonight we're wrapping up this three part series on sacrifice by talking about atonement. It's a word that is core to our understanding of Christianity and yet there are about as many theories of atonement as there are Christian groups. But where did this word come from? What does it mean? What is being atoned for? Do Orthodox Christians have any teaching on atonement? Well, again, we've got you covered and no, I will not get tired of that joke. But first, and this is where the English language nerd in me comes leaping out. Let's talk about this English word, atonement. Okay, so Father Stephen, where is that word from? Name that word.

Father Stephen DeYoung (2:23)

It's made up.

Father Andrew Stephen Damick (2:25)

Yeah.

Father Stephen DeYoung (2:27)

Not just in the way that all words are made up. Right. It's very deliberately made up.

Father Andrew Stephen Damick (2:34)

Yeah.

Father Stephen DeYoung (2:35)

Summary

The Lord of Spirits – “The Priest Shall Make Atonement”

Hosts: Fr. Andrew Stephen Damick & Fr. Stephen De Young

Date: March 12, 2021

Theme: The Seen and Unseen World in Orthodox Christian Tradition

Episode Overview

In this deep-dive episode, the hosts conclude a three-part series on sacrifice by exploring atonement: the meaning, origins, biblical context, and its fulfillment in Christ according to Orthodox tradition. They dig into the Day of Atonement ritual, the biblical languages behind "atonement," Second Temple Jewish literature, and rich New Testament connections—dispelling popular misunderstandings and emphasizing how atonement is not just a theory but a lived, cosmic reality.

Main Topics & Discussion Points

1. The Origin and Meaning of 'Atonement' (01:30–15:10)

‘Atonement’ in English:
- The word was deliberately created for English Bibles to translate Hebrew and Greek words about reconciliation between God and humanity.
- “It actually is… sometimes explained as ‘at-one-ment’. That is not a false etymology. That was the intention.” – Fr. Andrew (02:59)
- Not a translation of a specific Hebrew or Greek term, but more an attempt to capture a theological concept.
Hebrew & Greek Roots:
- Hebrew: Root is kpr (כפר, kifir, “to cover, wipe, smear”).
- Greek: hilasterion (ἱλαστήριον), rare outside the Septuagint and writings of Hellenistic Jews.
- The "mercy seat" translation (for the Ark covering) is poetic but not literal: it's a lid, a cover (12:03ff).

“In Hebrew… it’s just the word that means what it says, ‘cover’...” – Fr. Stephen (15:27)

2. The Day of Atonement (Yom Kippur): Meaning & Ritual (15:43–48:27)

The Problem Addressed

Daily sin offerings in Israel were NOT transactional—but maintained sacred space and community.
The Day of Atonement wasn't about “catching missed sins,” but about purifying the sanctuary itself, which sin defiled.

“There is not just the problem of the sins of the people. There’s the effect that those sins have on… the space, on the place.” – Fr. Andrew (18:56)

The Ritual (Leviticus 16)

Only the High Priest enters the Holy of Holies—first offering a sin offering for himself.
Incense clouds the sanctuary, “covering” so he does not see God’s presence directly.
Two Goats:
1. Goat for Yahweh:
  - Chosen by lot, must be perfect.
  - Blood is extracted and sprinkled on the sanctuary’s most sacred objects—purifying the holy space.
  - Critical Insight: The goat is not “punished” or made to suffer; its death itself is not ritualized or theologically loaded.
  - “The death of the goat for Yahweh has no theological meaning.” – Fr. Stephen (35:45)
2. Goat for Azazel:
  - Equally perfect, chosen by lot.
  - The High Priest lays hands, recites Israel’s sins over it—it symbolically bears the peoples’ taint.
  - Sent to the wilderness (to “Azazel”), not offered or sacrificed.
  - Azazel: A demon or “goat-demon” of the wilderness, not merely a poetic term for “disposal.”
  - “This is the only sacrificial ritual... in which sins are placed on an animal. And that animal is not sacrificed.” – Fr. Stephen (40:39)
  - Later traditions came to throw the goat off a cliff to keep it from wandering back (but not biblical).

Theological Clarity

The space, not just the people, requires atonement (“covering”/purification); sin corrupts and brings chaos.
The ritual isn’t about paying for sin but cleansing and protecting sacred space so that God may safely dwell among His people.

3. Azazel in Second Temple Literature (59:00–67:00)

Extra-biblical Jewish texts (1 Enoch, 2/Slavonic Enoch, Apocalypse of Abraham) see Azazel as leader of the rebellious spirits (Watchers), originator of sin/taint.
Foretold: There will be an “eschatological Day of Atonement” when Azazel is defeated and the world is cleansed once-for-all (fulfilled in the Messiah).

“There’s going to be this... Day of Atonement that’s going to take care of Azazel and sin... once and for all.” – Fr. Stephen (63:37)

4. New Testament Fulfillment: Christ as Both Goats and High Priest (67:00–107:22)

General Principle: When the NT speaks of “atonement,” it always references the Day of Atonement rite—not an abstract, mechanistic theory.

A. St. John (1 John especially)

1 John is the NT book that most often uses the actual “atonement” word.
Echoes Enochic themes: Christ destroys the works of the devil (3:8), takes away the sin of the world (2:2), and purifies the whole cosmos.
“Christ appears to destroy the works of the devil.” – Fr. Andrew (74:16)

B. St. Matthew: Christ as the Scapegoat

In Christ’s Passion:
- Scarlet robe, struck with a reed, mocked, spat on, led out of Jerusalem—matches details of the scapegoat ritual in Jewish tradition (80:53ff).
- Both Jews and Romans participate—this is about all humanity.
- “His blood be upon us and our children” (Mt 27:25) is a blessing, not a curse—blood purifies and redeems.
“If His blood is upon you, that’s actually good!” – Fr. Andrew (85:44)

C. St. Luke: Christ as the Goat for Yahweh

Christ’s blood (like the goat’s) purifies sacred space (the whole world), enabling the Holy Spirit to dwell among all.
- Emmaus Road story evokes the Battle of Emmaus (Maccabees): after the defilement, temple reconsecration; so, too, after Christ’s atonement, the world is sanctified for God’s presence (92:03ff).

D. Hebrews - Cosmic Scope

Hebrews underlines that Christ’s blood sanctifies everything (“almost everything is purified with blood…”), and His ascension is like the High Priest entering the true Holy of Holies with His own blood (99:12ff, 100:47).
“Now the whole cosmos, the whole creation can become sacred space.” – Fr. Stephen (91:06)

5. Suffering Servant in Isaiah 53: Not Penal Substitution (108:20–115:42)

The “he was wounded for our transgressions” passage is fulfilled when Christ heals diseases/casts out demons (Mt. 8:14–17), not by absorbing/carrying sin in a legal sense.
The Fathers (Athanasius, Irenaeus) see Christ’s Incarnation as purifying humanity by assumption—He heals by becoming human, “what is not assumed is not healed.”

6. Atonement: Orthodox Vision vs. Systematic Theories (118:07–130:09)

Atonement is NOT a mechanism wherein sins are transferred to Christ, who is then punished or sacrificed in our place.
The ritual is not about a legal system, but about purification and reclaiming sacred space, culminating in cosmic salvation and participation in divine life.
Western “mechanical” atonement theories (like penal substitution) are not grounded in Scripture or the early church.
Our participation is not “figuring out a system” but entering the cosmic reality of Christ’s victory and sanctifying work through worship, repentance, and daily Christian living.

“What we want is not just to understand salvation, but to experience salvation.” – Fr. Stephen (129:33)

Notable Quotes & Timestamps

| Timestamp | Quote | Speaker | |-----------|-------|---------| | 02:59 | “It’s sometimes explained as ‘at-one-ment’, that is not a false etymology. That was the intention.” | Fr. Andrew | | 35:45 | “The death of the goat for Yahweh has no theological meaning.” | Fr. Stephen | | 40:39 | “This is the only sacrificial ritual of any kind…in which sins are placed on an animal. And that animal is not sacrificed.” | Fr. Stephen | | 59:14 | “All of our earliest interpreters…have [Azazel] as this actual demonic being.” | Fr. Stephen | | 63:37 | “…There’s going to be this eschatological day of atonement that’s going to take care of Azazel and take care of this sin and corruption and…sacred space once and for all.” | Fr. Stephen | | 74:16 | “He comes to destroy the works of the devil. Like he comes specifically to do combat with the evil one.” | Fr. Andrew | | 85:44 | “If his blood is upon you, that’s actually good.” | Fr. Andrew | | 91:06 | “…Now the whole cosmos, the whole creation can become sacred space.” | Fr. Stephen | | 113:11 | “…by living through those [human moments]…they are sanctified and purified by the union of Christ’s divinity and humanity in his person.” | Fr. Stephen | | 129:33 | “What we want is not just to understand salvation, but to experience salvation.” | Fr. Stephen |

Takeaways / Final Reflections

Atonement is about purification, not legal transference or mechanical payment. The Day of Atonement in the Bible pointed to a reality fulfilled in Christ, who is both goats and the High Priest, and whose blood sanctifies all creation.
Orthodox Christianity sees atonement as cosmic participation—a lived sharing in Christ’s victory and sanctification, available to all in the worshipping life of the Church.
Reading Scripture forward reveals the deep unity of the Old and New Testaments, rather than imposing later systematic constructs backward onto the Biblical witness.

Further Listening & Resources

For more on these concepts, see the next Lord of Spirits episodes on Sacred Geography.
Recommended reading on Second Temple Judaism and atonement: Andrei Orlov’s works on Slavonic Pseudepigrapha.

“What is impossible with man is possible with God.”

(End of summary)