Atonement

Atonement may refer to:

In religion:

Atonement (Babylon 5)

"Atonement" is an episode from the fourth season of the science fiction television series Babylon 5.

Synopsis

As Babylon 5 recovers from the propaganda war started on ISN, Sheridan sends Marcus and Dr. Franklin to Mars. Along the journey, they annoy each other, including Marcus singing "The Major-General's Song" to Dr. Franklin's discontent.

Members of Delenn's clan decide that Delenn should return home to Minbar and justify her deepening relationship with John Sheridan. Delenn makes a discovery about her ancestry once she arrives on Minbar.

Story arc significance and continuity

Ransom theory of atonement

The ransom theory of atonement is one of the main doctrines in western Christian theology relating to the meaning and effect of the death of Jesus Christ. The first major theory of the atonement, the ransom theory of atonement originated in the early Church, particularly in the work of Origen. The theory teaches that the death of Christ was a ransom sacrifice, usually said to have been paid to Satan or to death itself, in some views paid to God the Father, in satisfaction for the bondage and debt on the souls of humanity as a result of inherited sin.

Theological views of Christ as ransom

The ransom view can be summarized as follows:

"Redeeming" in this case literally means "buying back," and the ransoming of war captives from slavery was a common practice in the era. The theory was also based in part on Mark 10:45 and 1 Timothy 2:5-6, where Jesus and Paul mentioned the word "ransom" in the context of atonement. The ransom theory was the main view of atonement through the first thousand years of Christian history (although the same has been said of two other theories, namely the recapitulation and moral influence views), though it was never made a required belief. There were some who held different positions, however. The commentary on Romans attributed to Pelagius (who was declared a heretic, though for his view of grace, not his view of atonement) gives a description of the atonement which states that a person's sins have "sold them to death," and not to the devil, and that these sins alienate them from God, until Jesus, dying, ransomed people from death.