exemplaristn.adj.

1794 J. Davies Adolescence 46 If Parliament sanctioned the name [sc. Methodist], thousands would adopt it that were not religious, and in the Course of time, such as did not run to the feine excess of riot with themselves, might be called Exemplarists, Nonsuch's, Pretenders, or any thing else but Methodists.

1926 K. E. Kirk in E. G. Selwyn Ess. Catholic & Crit. viii. 275 A somewhat confused criticism of the appeal to gratitude in Exemplarist theories, based on the fact that some Exemplarists had forgotten to emphasise the objective value of an example of loyalty.

1958 Times 19 Apr. 8/4 To help the ‘exemplarists’ to enter into the necessity of Christ being a sacrifice as well as an example.

2013 A. Christie in J. Astley & L. J. Francis Exploring Ordinary Theol. viii. 84 It is important to note that exemplarists also talk about Jesus as ‘the conduit’, ‘the bridge’ or ‘the link’ to God.

1926 K. E. Kirk in E. G. Selwyn Ess. Catholic & Crit. viii. 256 If we must have a name for theories of this type, let us..call them ‘exemplarist’—because their emphasis is upon the moral value of Christ's example.

1936 Times Lit. Suppl. 22 Feb. 166/3 But his book shows him to be very far from the ‘exemplarist’ type of thought about the Atonement which dominated the nineteenth century.

1977 Church Times 11 Mar. 6/3 I have always found Exemplarist attitudes to the Atonement the more congenial.

2000 A. Hastings in A. Hastings et al. Oxf. Compan. Christian Thought 322/2 More expressive or exemplarist models may need for credibility a redeemer more autonomously human.