According to Otfried Hofius, “Versöhnung II,” TRE, intertestamental Judaism believed that God, wrathful at sinful man, is reconciled to man through prayer, repentance, or intercession. His attitude is changed from wrath to mercy.
2 Macc. 1:5 God reconciled to you
2 Macc. 5:20 “what was forsaken in the wrath of the Almighty was restored again in all its glory when the great Lord became reconciled.”
2 Macc. 7:33 The angry Lord will be reconciled with his servants
2 Macc. 8:29 Prayer that the Lord would be fully reconciled with his servants
Joseph and Aseneth 11:18 (Charlesworth, II:219) “and if he is furious with me in my sins, he will again be reconciled with me and forgive me every sin.”
AE 79:307: However, because an eternal, unchangeable verdict of damnation has been pronounced upon sin—for God cannot and will not be pleased with sin, and thus His wrath remains on it eternally and irrevocably—this redemption could not happen without a treasure and payment which would make compensation for sin, take the wrath on itself, pay for it, and thus take away and blot out sin. No creature could do this, and there was no remedy or help for this except that God’s only Son would step forward in our need, Himself become man, take this serious, eternal wrath on Himself, and offer His own body and blood as a sacrifice for it. Out of His great, immeasurable mercy and love for us He did this and gave Himself to bear the sentence of eternal wrath and death.
Likewise, the “Latin” theory of the atonement is found in the Early Church. Confer the Clementine Liturgy, compiled c. 380 in Syria, based on HippolytusApostolic Tradition (*Apostolic Constitutions *8.12.31, ANF 7:489). “And He appeased Thee, His God and Father, and reconciled Thee to the world, and freed all men from the wrath to come . . . . And do thou accept them [the Christians] . . . that those who are partakers . . . may obtain eternal life upon Thy reconciliation to them, O Lord Almighty”.
Justin (Dial. c. 40. 111) on Gal. 3:13 (Dial. c. 95). The Jews brought the curse of the law on Jesus, but “the Father wanted Christ to take upon himself the curse of all.” (Luthardt^11^, 237).
Irenaeus, Adv. Haer. V, 16, 3: “As we have sinned in the first Adam, because we did not keep God’s commandments, so we have been reconciled in the second Adam, because we became obedient to death; for we were debters to none other than to Him whose laws we had transgressed from the beginning.” (Luthardt^11^, 237). See also 5.17.1 (Pannenberg, *Syst. *2:404).
Origen on Romans 3:23, “Per hostiam sui corporis propitium hominibus faceret Deum.” Hom. in Num. 24:1. “Propitiatio non fit nisi per hostiam.” And this is a vicarious sacrifice. “Pro nobis qui debitores eramus, ne in aeternum biberemus, calicem illum bibit.” (Luthardt^11^, 237).
Athanasius, De incarn. c. 20: uper pantwn thn qusian aneferen anti pantwn ton eautou naon eij qanaton paradidouj. C. Ar. I, 60: The world was judged culpable by the law, but now the Logos took upon himself the judgment, and suffering in the flesh for all, he granted to all salvation." (Luthardt^11^, 237).
Augustine, *Ench. *10.33 (CCSL 46, 68) Also PL 34:1070; 35:2122; 34:1245. Confessions 10.68; City of God 9.15.2 (Pannenberg, *Syst. *2:404, 405)
Gregory the Great, Moral. 22, 46: delenda erat culpa, sed nisi per sacrificium deleri non poterat. (Luthardt^11^, 237).
Luther, “Great Confession” AE 37:362: “all men…would necessarily be guilty of eternal death if Jesus Christ had not come to our aid and taken upon himself this guilt and sin as an innocent lamb, paid for us by his sufferings.”
Gerhard, On Christ, p.193 (5) : quotes from Cyril on vicarious satisfaction
Gerhard, On Christ, p. 194-195 : quotes from Luther, Chemnitz, et al.
Nagel: "Does God think you're worth bothering with? Look to Calvary!"
Nagel: "What Jesus loves is you, not what He ends up making of you."