The nature and extent of the atonement of Jesus during the crucifixion

Question

Biblical examples of God's wrath against damned men and angels are graphic: Revelation 14:10-11: “He also will drink the wine of God’s wrath, poured full strength into the cup of his anger, and he will be tormented with fire and sulfur in the presence of the holy angels and in the presence of the Lamb. And the smoke of their torment goes up forever and ever, and they have no rest, day or night, these worshipers of the beast and its image, and whoever receives the mark of its name.”

Considering the evangelical view of the Trinity and the atonement of Christ, what did the atonement of Jesus consist of during His crucifixion? Jesus bore the intense physical pain without complaint, even praying for the Father to forgive the Roman soldiers while they nailed Him to the cross. At a climactic point, though, Jesus cried out: "My God! My God! Why have you forsaken Me?" This one time, Jesus did not refer to God as His Father.

That cry, quoted from Psalm 22, possibly indicates a schism in the Trinity itself: God the Father separated from God the Son. Was that seeming separation of God the Father from the Son of His love while the latter bore the sin of the world the atonement - or payment for our sins - or is there a spiritual dimension to it that wasn't visible? If it was separation from the Father, it seems the Father surely suffered greatly for His beloved Son. That does not seem to be addressed in the Bible, however.

• This post title and substance were edited from 'wrath of God' to 'atonement', due to a post below that noted the wrath of God being directed toward Jesus on the cross is not found in the Bible.

Answer 1

The Greek phrase "wrath of God" is οργη θεου. The phrase appears only twice in the New Testament.

1. John writes that the wrath of God will be visited upon those who do not believe in His Son (3:36).

2. Paul writes that the wrath of God is revealed against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men (Romans 1:18).

   The same Greek phrase also appears occasionally in the Septuagint, but always in the context of God being angry with Israel (e.g. Numbers 12:9).

It does not appear in New Testamant Scripture that God visited His wrath upon His Son.

Answer 2

The word in the New Testament that is translated as "atonement" in the King James Version is καταλλαγή and it appears only once (in Romans 5:11) as "atonement" in English, but is translated as "reconciliation" in the other instances (Romans 11:15; 2 Corinthians 5:18-19). In Romans 5:11, the KJV footnotes "reconciliation" as an alternate translation for the word.

In the ESV (from which I believe you quote above) it is translated as "reconciliation" in all 4 instances.

The Concise Oxford English Dictionary defines "atonement" as "reparation for a wrong or injury", whereas "reconciliation" is defined as "an instance or occasion of friendly relations being restored". There is a great gulf between these two meanings.