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Redemption (theology)


Redemption is an essential concept in many religions, including Judaism and Christianity. The English word "redemption" means 'repurchase' or 'buy back', and in the Torah referred to the ransom of slaves (Exodus 21:8) as one example.

In Judaism, redemption (Hebrew ge'ulah) refers to God redeeming the people of Israel from their exiles, starting with that from Egypt. This includes the final redemption from the present exile.

The concept of redemption is however a legal and transactional one in the Torah Halakha, including various sacrifices at the Temple in Jerusalem:

The concept also applies to redemption of real property such as fields and houses, stock animals, such as donkeys, produce, and specific items such as tefillin. It also means the liberation of an estate in real property from a mortgage.

Redemption also applies to individuals or groups: an Israelite slave, an Israelite captive, and the firstborn sonpidyon haben, (Hebrew: פדיון הבן‎‎) or redemption of the first-born son, is a mitzvah in Judaism whereby a Jewish firstborn son is redeemed from God by use of silver coins to a kohen. It is from these three cases that the concept of exilic redemption is derived because the People Israel are considered God's 'firstborn' derived from Jacob, who are God's slaves forever, but are currently held captive, even while they reside in the modern state of Israel.


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