The Incarnation
The eternal Son takes flesh — God becomes one of us
The Incarnation is the belief that the eternal Son of God took on full human nature and was born as Jesus of Nazareth. The Gospel of John proclaims that the Word became flesh (John 1:14), and Athanasius defended the teaching in his On the Incarnation. Held across Christian traditions, it affirms that in Jesus God truly entered human life without ceasing to be divine.
How it traveled
- MatthewAntioch · 80explains
- LukeRome · 84explains
- JohnEphesus · 100explains
- Dialogue with TryphoRome · 165explains
- Against Heresies: Book IIILyons · 202explains
- On the Flesh of Christ.— · 220explains
- The Church History of EusebiusCaesarea · 339explains
- The Life of Constantine with Orations of Constantine and EusebiusCaesarea · 339explains
- The Incarnation of the WordAlexandria · 373explains
- Against the Arians. (Orationes contra Arianos IV.)Alexandria · 373explains
- The Catechetical Lectures of S. CyrilJerusalem · 386explains
- Select Orations of Saint Gregory NazianzenNazianzus · 390explains
- Against EunomiusNyssa · 395explains
- The Great CatechismNyssa · 395explains
- Exposition of the Christian FaithMilan · 397explains
- The Homilies of St. John Chrysostom on the Gospel of St. JohnConstantinople (Istanbul) · 407explains
- The Homilies of St. John ChrysostomConstantinople (Istanbul) · 407explains
- Homilies on First CorinthiansConstantinople (Istanbul) · 407explains
- The Commentary and Homilies of St. John Chrysostom on Galatians and EphesiansConstantinople (Istanbul) · 407explains
- A Commentary on the Apostles' CreedAquileia · 411explains
- Lectures or Tractates on the Gospel According to St. JohnHippo Regius · 430explains
- Expositions on the Book of PsalmsHippo Regius · 430explains
- Sermons on Selected Lessons of the New TestamentHippo Regius · 430explains
- Reply to Faustus the ManichæanHippo Regius · 430explains
- The Harmony of the GospelsHippo Regius · 430explains
- City of GodHippo Regius · 430explains
- On the Holy TrinityHippo Regius · 430explains
- Letters of St. AugustinHippo Regius · 430explains
- A Treatise on the Merits and Forgiveness of Sins, and on the Baptism of InfantsHippo Regius · 430explains
- The Seven Books of John Cassian on the Incarnation of the Lord, Against NestoriusMarseille · 435explains
- The Ecclesiastical History, Dialogues, and Letters of TheodoretCyrrhus · 458explains
- The Letters and Sermons of Leo the GreatRome · 461explains
- John of Damascus: Exposition of the Orthodox FaithDamascus · 749explains
- Anselm's Cur Deus HomoCanterbury · 1109explains
- Treatise on the Incarnation (qq[1]-59)Paris · 1274explains
- Treatise on the Sacraments (qq[60]-90)Paris · 1274explains
- Book Second. of the Knowledge of God the Redeemer, in Christ, as First Manifested to the Fathers, Under the Law, and Thereafter to Us Under the GospelGeneva · 1564explains
- A History of the Work of RedemptionNorthampton, Massachusetts · 1758explains
- Seventeen Occasional SermonsNorthampton, Massachusetts · 1758explains
- XIV Five discourses on the soul's eternal salvationNorthampton, Massachusetts · 1758explains
Key passages(20)
Mere Christianity · C. S. Lewis
Love Alone Is Credible · Hans Urs von Balthasar
Dogmatics in Outline · Karl Barth
Foundations of Christian Faith: An Introduction to the Idea of Christianity · Karl Rahner
Systematic Theology · Paul Tillich
Introduction to Christianity · Pope Benedict XVI
Jesus of Nazareth · Pope Benedict XVI
The Lamb of God · Sergei Bulgakov
Lectures on Divine Humanity · Vladimir Solovyov
A History of the Work of Redemption · Jonathan Edwards
OF CHRIST’S INCARNATION. christ became incarnate, or, which is the same thing, became man, to put himself in a capacity for working out our redemption. For though Christ, as God, was infinitely suffi
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The Word became flesh, and lived among us. We saw his glory, such glory as of the one and only Son of the Father, full of grace and truth.
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The Fifth Ecumenical Council. The Second Council of Constantinople · The Ecumenical Councils
The Capitula of the Council. (Labbe and Cossart, Concilia, Tom. V., col. 568.) I. If anyone shall not confess that the nature or essence of the Father, of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost is one, as
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The Incarnation of the Word · Athanasius of Alexandria
§44. As God made man by a word, why not restore him by a word? But (1) creation out of nothing is different from reparation of what already exists. (2) Man was there with a definite need, calling for
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The Incarnation of the Word · Athanasius of Alexandria
§17. How the Incarnation did not limit the ubiquity of the Word, nor diminish His Purity. (Simile of the Sun.) For He was not, as might be imagined, circumscribed in the body, nor, while present in t
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The Incarnation of the Word · Athanasius of Alexandria
§9. The Word, since death alone could stay the plague, took a mortal body which, united with Him, should avail for all, and by partaking of His immortality stay the corruption of the Race. By being ab
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The Letters and Sermons of Leo the Great · Pope Leo the Great
Sermon XXII. On the Feast of the Nativity, II. I. The mystery of the Incarnation demands our joy. Let us be glad in the Lord, dearly-beloved, and rejoice with spiritual joy that there has dawned fo
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Treatise on the Incarnation (qq[1]-59) · Thomas Aquinas
On the contrary, Augustine says (De Verb. Apost. viii, 2), expounding what is set down in Lk. 19:10, "For the Son of Man is come to seek and to save that which was lost"; "Therefore, if man had not si
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Treatise on the Incarnation (qq[1]-59) · Thomas Aquinas
Objection 3: Further, those who are conceived of a woman contract a certain uncleanness: as it is written (Job 25:4): "Can man be justified compared with God? Or he that is born of a woman appear clea
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Treatise on the Incarnation (qq[1]-59) · Thomas Aquinas
We shall now consider the active principle in Christ's conception: concerning which there are four points of inquiry: (1) Whether the Holy Ghost was the active principle of Christ's conception? (2)
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Ephraim Syrus: Nineteen Hymns on the Nativity of Christ in the Flesh · Ephrem the Syrian
Hymn XIX. (Resp.—Blessed be thy Birth that gladdens all creatures!) 1. The first year wherein, our Saviour was born,—is source of blessing, and ground of life;—for by it are borne,—manifold triumphs
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Modern teachers who discuss this idea
Modern and living teachers whose books take up The Incarnation. These works are still in copyright, so we can’t show the text here — each links out to the book.
- Vladimir SolovyovLectures on Divine Humanity(1881)View on Amazon→
- Sergei BulgakovThe Lamb of God(1933)View on Amazon→
- Karl BarthDogmatics in Outline(1947)View on Amazon→
- Paul TillichSystematic Theology(1951)View on Amazon→
- C. S. LewisMere Christianity(1952)View on Amazon→
- Hans Urs von BalthasarLove Alone Is Credible(1963)View on Amazon→
- Pope Benedict XVIIntroduction to Christianity(1968)View on Amazon→
- Karl RahnerFoundations of Christian Faith: An Introduction to the Idea of Christianity(1976)View on Amazon→
- Pope Benedict XVIJesus of Nazareth(2007)View on Amazon→