I do agree with Schreiner on this. As it establishes Jesus as the antitype of the OT sacrificial system. That His sacrifice, once for all, replaced all those of OT Israel. The CSB has become one of my favorite translations.
I agree with mercy seat and am also on the subjective genitive side of pistis christou, and so really appreciate your open discussion of it and willing to bring attention to the fact that "faith in Jesus Christ" is an interpretive decision and the greek does not demand it. Many on your side of the debate wouldn't even bring those options up to their audience. Thank you!
I've been going through the recent release of The Legacy Bible which is sort of an update to the NASB and wondered if you've checked it out. The use the divine name instead of the generic "Lord" is great! However, it seems to lack in other areas, such as lack of meaning just to accomodate making a change. Change is NOT good when it's done for no reason!
To me, using "propitiation" is just as opaque to many people (and they might not know it, since they hear it all the time), and I prefer "mercy seat" because (1) you can look it up in the OT to see how Jesus is the fulfillment and what it meant (propitiation), and (2) it leans into the literary beauty of the Bible (a miraculous work of art!), rather than theologizing so the beauty is lost. This is a symbol of propitiation that anyone who knows their Bible can understand, so I don't think it's a place to jump to the "meaning" (although I'm not against that in *every* case necessarily).
"hilasterion" is hard to translate and is, essentially, not really a known word. "Propitiation" is a polite deferral to the Latin Vulgate which uses "propitiatio". Unfortunately, I have been unable to find any old lexical definitions for "propitiation" or "propitiatio". Saying "propitiatio" means "propitiation" is unhepful. Saying "propitiation" means "atonement" is unhelpful and probably untrue - "atonement" is a relatively new word in English and cannot be construed as a mere synonym of "propitiation". Therefore translation "hilasterion" as "mercy seat" is an honest and safe choice. Translating it as "propitiation" is also safe because it is the choice that others made long ago and we trust that. Translating it "atonement" is... wrong.
The Greek word ἱλαστήριον (hilasterion) in Romans 3:25-26, often translated as "propitiation," has rich theological implications. It connects Jesus to the Old Testament concept of the Mercy Seat of the Ark of the Covenant, where the high priest would sprinkle the blood of the atoning sacrifice on the Day of Atonement. While the Greek construction is not a true double accusative, but rather a prepositional phrase with object, highlighting Jesus’ substitutionary role as the means of atonement, the repetition of ἱλαστήριον emphasizes Jesus's role as both the sacrificial offering and the place of atonement. This connection suggests that Jesus is the fulfillment of the Old Testament sacrificial system, the means by which God's wrath is appeased and forgiveness is granted to believers.
