Today I want to provide a gentle introduction to a book which was written in the 4th Century AD by a bishop from Alexandria in Egypt by the name of Athanasius. I have wanted to share some thoughts from this 'treatise' for a long time but I have hesitated for two reasons. Firstly, I am not sure that I am clever enough to do justice to this profound piece of writing. Secondly, I wonder if some might be put off by this blog and think I have lost the plot. Not many of my neighbours, members of Dawson Community Church or folk I meet in the street in Falkirk will have heard of this guy - unless they have studied theology. Why am I going back to this piece of writing? I believe that this writing provides an invaluable perspective on the meaning of Christmas. It is far more than celebrating the baby Jesus in the manger. In the last Day Share, I provided a brief introduction to the writer but today I want to sum up what this work is about. The full title is: 'On the Incarnation of the Word of God.' This word 'incarnation' reminds us of John's Gospel "The Word became flesh and dwelt among us [John 1:14 ESV] because the word incarnation means the 'act of embodying in flesh.' Jesus was God in a human body.
I was surprised when I began to read this essay because I was expecting it to feature the narrative of the birth of the Saviour in Bethlehem. There is little narrative - it is a theological study. In the whole of this ancient text, there is no mention of the name of Mary or Joseph, of Bethlehem or Nazareth, of the manger or the inn, of the shepherds or the magi (wise men), no mention of Herod or the census and the decree to return to the place of birth. There is one exception - there is a mention of the star "And before whose birth did a star run in the heavens and indicate to the inhabited world the one born." So Athanasius is nearer to John's account of the incarnation than Matthew's or Luke's because John's gospel does not provide us with the narrative of Jesus birth at Bethlehem or his infancy and boyhood at Nazareth.
I soon observed that the content was unexpected. Athanasius goes back to the creation and the fall of mankind when sin entered the world. He is again following the thinking of John the writer of the fourth Gospel who speaks of our Saviour as follows:
All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made. [John 1:3]
But Athanasius delves more deeply into the theological significance of the creation - humans were made in the image of God. But when sin entered and mankind turned away from God, mankind became corrupted and the image of God was obscured and marred. And Athanasius links this to the incarnation. It was essential for the Word of God, the title Athanasius uses (again similar to John's Gospel), to come in a bodily form as he was the image of the invisible God. Athanasius does refer to the virgin birth and explain why it was necessary for Jesus to be born of a virgin.
For he did not wish simply to be in a body, nor did he wish merely to appear, for if he had wished only to appear he could have made his divine manifestation through some other better means. But he takes that which is ours, and that not simply, but from a spotless and stainless virgin, ignorant of man, pure and unmixed from intercourse with men. Although being himself powerful and the creator of the universe, he prepared for himself in the Virgin the body as a temple, and made it his own, as an instrument, making himself known and dwelling in it.
[Athanasius, Saint, Patriarch of Alexandria. On the Incarnation: Saint Athanasius (Popular Patristics Series Book 44) (p. 55). St Vladimir's Seminary Press. Kindle Edition.]
And this is leading to an interesting link which this old theologian makes with the cross. Athanasius has a very clear perception of the purpose of the incarnation - namely, that Jesus came to die. This is the essence of the incarnation. He had to have a body which was subject to death so that he could defeat death once and for all. Athanasius points out that this was the only way that the 'corruption of human beings' could be undone. Jesus, the Word of God, had to die. But the Word was and is the Son of the Father and so He was not able to die. So he had to take a body capable of death. He had to experience death on behalf of us all and his resurrection would demonstrate that he had defeated death.
But Athanasius also deals with the new birth. We were made distinct from the animal world, according to Athanasius. He does not envisage any idea of evolution from animals. Mankind was made as 'rational' creatures which is the term he uses for our ability to know God and to relate to God. The animal kingdom has no knowledge of God. However, when Adam and Eve sinned in the Garden of Eden and sin was passed on to their descendants the human race turned away from God and looked more inwardly and downwardly. But God sent His Son, who is the image of the invisible God and it is in our union with Him that mankind comes to know the Father.
So the Word of God came himself, in order that he being the image of the Father (cf. Col 1.15), the human being “in the image” might be recreated. It could not, again, have been done in any other way, without death and corruption being utterly destroyed. So he rightly took a mortal body, that in it death might henceforth be destroyed utterly and human beings be renewed again according to the image. For this purpose, then, there was need of none other than the Image of the Father.
[Athanasius, Saint, Patriarch of Alexandria. On the Incarnation: Saint Athanasius (Popular Patristics Series Book 44) (pp. 61-62). St Vladimir's Seminary Press. Kindle Edition.
Athanasius provides a list of the reasons for the Incarnation. The language is a bit unfamiliar but the truths are worth pondering:
a. His love reached down to humankind in its need;
b. the Word of God saw the 'rational race' (the term Athanasius uses for the human race as distinct from the animal kingdom) perishing and death reigning over them through corruption (this death was the consequence of sin);
c. sin had taken control of mankind and he came to deliver them from its power;
d. this sin was destroying His creation (for the Word of God had created this world).
e. human wickedness was becoming intolerable;
f. all human beings were liable to death because of the entrance of sin.
g. The Word of God had mercy on humanity and he pitied our weakness and the downward path to corruption.
Here is a flavour of Athanasius's writing which I attempt to unpack in my own words.
For this purpose, then, the incorporeal and incorruptible and immaterial Word of God comes into our realm, although he was not formerly distant. For no part of creation is left void of him; while abiding with his own Father, he has filled all things in every place. But now he comes, condescending towards us in his love for human beings and his manifestation. He takes for himself a body and that not foreign to our own.
He uses three words to describe the eternal Son of God
1. Incorporeal - The Son of God is spirit - incorporeal means that prior to His incarnation Jesus did not have a body like you or me.
2. Incorruptible - the Son of God was and is eternal and he could not die nor decay.
3. Immaterial - the Son of God was not created like us from matter. Begotten not created.
He explains that Jesus existed prior to His incarnation and that he is omnipresent i.e. he was and is everywhere at the same time. He transcends time and space. 'He has filled all things in every place.'
There is evidence throughout the created world of the Word of God - 'no part of creation is void of him.'
He now speaks of the condescending or down-stooping of the Son of God in His incarnation - coming towards us.
He refers to His love for human beings as the driving force.
His human body was like ours - 'not foreign to our own. He knew what it was like to be hungry, thirsty, tired, disappointed. However, we know that he was sinless and pure.
I would recommend that you get hold of this essay by Athanasius, the bishop of Alexandria. He is passionate about the person of Jesus Christ. Maybe this passion will rub off onto our generation.
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