Abstract
“See my hands and my feet” (Luke 24:39); “he showed them his hands and his side” (John 20:20): the witness of the Gospels is clear on this intriguing detail – Jesus rose from the dead still bearing the principal wounds of his crucifixion. In his risen-wounded form, Jesus stands as both a reminder of human sin and a sign of divine forgiveness. His victory over death is indicated by the marks of death which have become a permanent feature of his immortal and glorified humanity. This thesis will explore, in conversation with Karl Barth and Hans Urs von Balthasar, the significance of Jesus Christ's risen-wounded form for theology insofar as it is concerned with forgiveness. It will take up important questions relating to christology, evil and sin, ecclesiology, and eschatology. As a result of this exploration we will be arguing in support of the claim that the meaning of all history, the unity of all creatures, and the eternal destiny of all creation, is understood, contained, and finally realised in the risen-wounded Christ. The forgiveness of God accomplished in the death of Jesus is revealed in his risen-wounded form as the centre of all human history, as the source of reconciliation for all created reality, and as the hope for the inclusion of all in the eternal life of God.