Forgiveness and Reconciliation in the New Testament

Repairing and compensating offence has always been a necessity for cooperation and human interaction to function. Forgiveness and reconciliation are central theological concepts in the New Testament and in Christianity, both for interpersonal conflict resolution and the relation between God and humanity. These two aspects of reconciliation are repeatedly intertwined. In this course we study how the adherents of early Jesus-movement understood these two aspects of reconciliation and how their interpretations relate to Jewish and Greco-Roman thought. We use social-scientific and psychological theories to better understand the dynamics and motivations behind practices such as punishment, revenge, sacrifice, compensation, penance, repentance, blame, excuse, tolerance, clemency and forgiveness. We analyze New testament texts and other texts from the era about forgiveness and reconciliation in the light of ancient notions and contemporary research. We examine the role of honor and hierarchy for conflict resolution and ask questions about theological and ethical implications.