models themselves. I will restrict myself, therefore, to some tentative comments on the relationship between the various models, touching on their contents only insofar as it is necessary to discuss their relationship. At the heart of this study lies the conviction that the cross expresses the hospitality of God. This assumes that whatever model we use to describe the atonement, the welcoming love of God must shine through in it. That is to say, an internal criterion for the viability of each of