The Road to Emmaus with Scott Hahn

How Exactly Did Jesus Save Us?

Sep 3, 2025
Clement Harrold, a theologian and scholar from Notre Dame, joins Scott Hahn to explore profound theological concepts around suffering and redemption. They discuss the radical significance of the cross, contrasting Protestant and Catholic interpretations. Harrold emphasizes how Christ's passion reveals divine glory and transforms understanding of love and salvation. They also examine the interplay between faith and humanitarian action, offering insights on hope in suffering and the goal of becoming children of God through shared divine life.
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INSIGHT

Cross As Trinitarian Theophany

  • The cross in John's theology is a Trinitarian theophany: a revelation of how the Father, Son, and Spirit love.
  • Seeing the crucifixion rightly requires converting our imagination away from cultural familiarity.
ANECDOTE

Late Emergence Of Graphic Crucifixes

  • Early Christians avoided graphic crucifixion imagery for centuries and used an empty cross in art.
  • Realistic, gory crucifixes only appear widely after the 11th–13th centuries.
INSIGHT

Cross Drove Early Christological Debates

  • Objections like Arius's show crucifixion challenged early Christology because God dying seemed absurd.
  • Defenders insisted the scandal of the cross reveals, not negates, divine truth.
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