(Hebrew: kapparah) The forgiving of sin by God. God offers atonement to those who engage in acts of repentance, a process designated by the Hebrew term “teshuvah,” which means, literally, “return” and refers to the...

the process by which a person removes obstacles to his reconciliation with God. It is a recurring theme in the history of religion and theology. Rituals of expiation and satisfaction appear in most religions, whether primitive or developed, as the...

Vicarious. Primitive Bsm. knows nothing of vicarious atonement; each must work out his own salvation. We may help each other by thought, word and deed, but cannot bear results or take over consequences of another’s errors or misdeeds. In...

Religious concept in which obstacles to reconciliation with God are removed, usually through sacrifice. Most religions have rituals of purification and expiation by which the relation of the individual to the divine is strengthened. In Christianity,...

Reconciliation with *God. The relationship between *God and human beings is damaged by *sin and, according to the Hebrew Scriptures, could be restored by *sacrifice (see *Leviticus 5). Because sacrifice was only permitted in the *Jerusalem *Temple,...

Atonement (2001) is a novel by British writer Ian McEwan. It is widely regarded as one of McEwan's best works and was shortlisted for the 2001 Booker Prize for fiction, an award he had already won for his previous novel Amsterdam. In addition, Time...