Incarnation

• Incarnation


  A belief held by Catholics and nearly all mainstream Christian churches which states that God took on human flesh in the person of Jesus of Nazareth
• Incarnation (etymology)


  The word comes from Latin and literally means to put on flesh
• Purpose of the Incarnation

  To show God's love to humanity in the person of Jesus, for Jesus the Son (the second person of the Trinity) to enter humanity in order to teach humans how to live, to bring salvation from sin, and to make possible eternal life
• Jesus


  • Fully human and fully God, had both a human nature and a divine nature
• The Father has a divine nature but not a human nature, humans have a human nature but not a divine nature, Jesus had both a divine nature and a human nature</b>
• Incarnation


  Jesus is the meeting point or intermediary between God and human beings
• Jesus's human nature


  • Experienced all the normal elements of human life except without sin, felt hunger, thirst, compassion, fear, suffered and died
• Son of Man


  A title used by Jesus to refer to an ordinary human being, and also to refer to a human being who is given God's power and authority
• Jesus used the title Son of Man to refer to his impending execution, recognizing his human nature
• Jesus's divine nature


  • Had God's power and authority to forgive sins, heal the sick, and resurrect the dead
• Son of God


  A title used to refer to Jesus, indicating his divinity
• Jesus confirmed his divinity by using the phrase "I am", which is a form of the name God uses to identify himself in the Old Testament
• Magisterium


  The teaching authority of the Catholic Church, which reflects on the Scriptures and apostolic tradition
• The Magisterium was necessary in the early Church to identify and explain false teachings or heresies
• Docetism


  A heresy that rejected Jesus's humanity, believing that Jesus was fully divine but only took on the appearance of a real human being
• Adoptionism


  A heresy that rejected Jesus's divinity, believing that Jesus was born an ordinary human being and then was adopted by God to become his beloved son
• The Nicene Creed emphasizes Jesus's divinity, stating that he is consubstantial with the Father and is true God from true God
• Jesus according to St. Irenaeus


  • Eternal, not a created being but divine from the beginning, the one who teaches us about the Father, the meeting point between God and humanity, the one who reveals the qualities of God the Father to humanity
• Incarnation


  The belief that Jesus was God in human form, that Jesus had a divine nature and a human nature
• Primary source of information about the life of Jesus

  • The four Gospels
• The word 'Incarnation' is not found in the Gospels, since it is a Latin word and the Gospels were written in Greek
• The concept of the Incarnation is present in the Gospels
• Annunciation


  1. Angel announced that Mary would give birth to a son

  2. Jesus's birth was announced by an angel before he was born

  3. Jesus was identified as being sent by God before he was born

  4. Mary was a virgin

  5. Jesus was conceived by the power of the Holy Spirit

  6. Jesus would be called Jesus (Savior)

  7. Mary and Joseph consented to God's plan
• Differences between Luke's and Matthew's accounts of the Annunciation


  • Matthew was writing for a Jewish audience, so he focused on Joseph's perspective and included a quote from an Old Testament prophet
  • Luke was writing for a Gentile audience, so he reported the Annunciation from Mary's perspective and explained the Incarnation in terms his audience may understand
• John's Gospel introduction


  • Draws parallels with the creation narratives in Genesis
  • Equates Jesus with the Word of God
  • Indicates that Jesus is an eternal being who existed from the beginning
  • Emphasizes that Jesus was fully divine
  • Introduces the Incarnation - the idea that God took on human flesh
  • Explains the purpose of the Incarnation - for Jesus to bring God's truth and grace to human beings