Moses responds dramatically to the golden calf, but does this actually look like "substitutionary atonement"? 

The story of the golden calf at the base of Mount Sinai is well-known, but a pointed question about the substitutionary model of atonement gives us a particular lens through which to explore this part of Exodus. Some well-known details turn out to be in a different sequence, and we are intrigued by a sort of blame-game between God and Moses. In the end, it almost seems as though "substitution" and "atonement" are featured separately in this passage rather than in partnership.