The Rent Veil: Pathways To The Past

Published in 1875, Rent Veil was written by Scottish theologian and poet Horatius Bonar. Bonar's Rent Veil treats a variety of topics, most directly the atonement.

The title refers to Christ and Christ's body. Bonar claims that without the broken ("rent") body of Christ, there would still be a barrier ("veil") between us and God. With Christ's death, there is the possibility of the forgiveness of sins.

In Bonar's interesting treatment of the atonement, he also makes some intriguing points regarding the relationship of the Old Testament to the New Testament. Throughout, Bonar supports his points with liberal quotations from Scripture. The final third of his book provides an instructive call for believers. In it, Bonar extols believers to, and describes for them, the kinds of people God desires--worshipers, temples, priests, and kings.

Despite being published over a hundred years ago, Bonar's prose is surprisingly up-to-date and easy to follow. For an interesting treatment of the atonement, one can do no better than Bonar's Rent Veil.

Horatius Bonar was born at Old Broughton, Edinburgh, Scotland, whose brother was Andrew Bonar. Following his education at the University of Edinburgh, he maintained an active and powerful ministry for more than half a century pastoring churches in that area until his death. Throughout his life Bonar avoided all sensationalism and was calm, patient, sincere, solemn and a steady writer. His tracts and books are well-received and well-read in all Christian circles. He wrote well over 600 hymns of which more than 100 are still in use. Bonar has been described as "the prince of Scottish hymn-writers."