A Christological Reflection on Yom Kippur from an Akan Christian Perspective

Abstract

Abstract The Day of Atonement (Yom Kippur) is arguably the holiest and most important day in ancient Israel’s religious calendar. In the Christian religion, the Yom Kippur ritual is interpreted to foreshadow the ultimate sacrifice made by Christ for the atonement of the sin of humanity. Therefore, a theological study of this Old Testament atoning ritual has the potential to shed light on the salvific ministry of Christ. Using a literary research approach, this article explores how atoning practices associated with Yom Kippur might enhance the Christian understanding of Jesus’ atoning sacrifice. I argue that by fulfilling what the Old Testament sacrificial system prefigured, the cross renders any atoning sacrifice obsolete. Therefore, believers ought to refrain from any form of traditional religious sacrifices because such sacrifices have no salvific value. The paper contributes to the ongoing scholarly discourse on Christian soteriology, particularly the doctrine of atonement.

Keywords: Akan; Atonement; Christ; Leviticus; Yom Kippur