Did Jesus Redeem Mankind? — Page 152
? 145 Messiah (peace be on him) was agreeable to redeem the debt of men and the other premises are also proven, we have no choice left but to concede that his atonement stands validated. But even if Christianity proves the other premises which we have exploded in the foregoing dissertation and fails to establish that the Messiah (peace be on him) took upon himself the sins of mankind of his free will, the whole fabric of the atonement theory comes down with a crash, for the simple reason that the major actor in the atonement drama was an unwilling scapegoat. EVIDENCE OF THE NEW TESTAMENT We now turn to the New Testament to find out what it has to say in this behalf. It is mentioned in St. Mark (14:32-42): "And they came to a place which was named Gethsemane: and he saith to his disciples, Sit ye here, while I shall pray. And he taketh with him Peter and James and John, and began to be sore amazed, and to be very heavy; And saith unto them, My soul is exceeding sorrowful unto death: 1 The Messiah took only three disiples with him and proceeded to pray in seclusion.