AL3: THE MYSTERY OF THE INCARNATION (THE MYSTERY AND THE DOGMA OF THE WORLD MADE FLESH)

INCARNATION

INCARNATION

• Both a doctrine and a dogma

• And the Word was made flesh and dwelt among us

• Revealed to us the full and complete means of being a human

• Begotten not made, consubstantial with the Father...and by the Holy Spirit, was incarnate of the Virgin Mary and became man (Nicene Creed)

• Divinity revealed that is expressed in human language by the church

• Articulated to combat heresies

why incarnation both a doctrine and a dogma?

flesh

In + Caro

THE ANNUNCIATION

• Emphasized the incarnation; fulfillment of word made flesh

• Has 2 versions

• Manifest

• Rejoice

VERSIONS OF THE ANNUNCIATION

1. Joseph from the Gospel of Matthew

2. Mary from the Gospel of Luke

Manifest

• He was a righteous man

• He did as the angel of the Lord commanded him

Rejoice

• Hail, full of grace! The Lord is with you!

• Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord

• Indicator of God’s closeness to humanity

• Immanence of the savior to humanity

EMMANUEL IS A?

A first century Palestinian Jew

JESUS IS A?

THE ANNUNCIATION TO MARY

1. Hail, full of grace! The Lord is with you

2. Do not be afraid, Mary

3. How can this be, since I have no relations with a man?

4. The Holy Spirit will come upon you

5. Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord. Be it done to me according to your word

Hail, full of grace! The Lord is with you

1. Mary didn’t think she deserved this praise

2. Angels are higher than humans in hierarchy

Do not be afraid, Mary

The messianic prophecy she heard from her ancestors will be fulfilled through her

How can this be, since I have no relations with a man?

1. She was thinking about how she will be engaged and going to be pregnant

2. Women who are engaged and got pregnant will be stoned to death

The Holy Spirit will come upon you

Mary then completely says yes

Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord. Be it done to me according to your word

She was overjoyed that she was picked to be the mother of the Son of God

THE ANNUNCIATION TO JOSEPH

1. Joseph, her husband, since he was a righteous man, yet unwilling to expose her to shame, decided to divorce her quietly

2. Although it was adultery in the eyes of the law, he decided to divorce her

3. And angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said that the child in Mary’s womb was indeed the Son of the Lord

God saves

Both annunciation stories mentioned Jesus’ name which means?

Joseph, her husband, since he was a righteous man, yet unwilling to expose her to shame, decided to divorce her quietly

1. Joseph knew that Mary was pregnant

2. They were engaged but in the eyes of the law, already married

3. If he were to punish her, she will be stone to death

Although it was adultery in the eyes of the law, he decided to divorce her

1. Joseph saw through the essence of the law

2. He is the justice and mercy

And angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said that the child in Mary’s womb was indeed the Son of the Lord

After, Joseph brought Mary to his home

WHY DID GOD BECOME MAN?

• To partake in God's divine nature.

• For Jesus Christ to be humanity's model of holiness

• For our "salvation" and "reconciliation" with God.

• For God's love to be known to humankind

To partake in God's divine nature.

Eternal friendship with the Holy Trinity is possible through Jesus' redemptive work

For Jesus Christ to be humanity's model of holiness

He expressed in action, suffering, and prayer what it means to be "truly alive." God is easier to follow through Jesus

For our "salvation" and "reconciliation" with God.

• The Logos became part of his "work." 

• He shared the human condition of life and death and healed it from the inside.

• If he pretended to be human, he could not represent us before God.

For God's love to be known to humankind

• If God did not love us, He would not give us any value. 

• We would not know how much we mean to God.

Word of God

LOGOS MEANS?

THE HYPOSTATIC UNION

• Union of divinity and humanity in the body of the divine logos

• Has 3 types

• Begotten not made, consubstantial with the Father, through Him all things were made → For us men and for our salvation, He came down from Heaven, and by the Holy Spirit was incarnate of the Virgin Mary and became man

Communion

WHAT IS OUR GOAL IN THE HYPOSTATIC UNION?

hypostasis meaning nature or union

HYPOSTATIC CAME FROM THE WORD?

3 TYPES OF THE HYPOSTATIC UNION

1. In the beginning

2. Human nature

3. Properties

In the beginning

Divinity

• Son eternally exists with God the Father and God the Holy Spirit

• divine will

• divine intellect

Under divinity we have?

Divine will

has infinite and unsurpassed will

Divine intellect

all-knowing and ever-present

Human nature

• Took the form of a man in a particular time, space, and culture

• Named Jeus, “God saves”

• Has complete human intellect and will

• human intellect

• human will

Human will submits to the divine will

Has complete human intellect and will means…?

Human Intellect

has beatific, infused, and experimental knowledge

Human Will

submissive to the divine will

properties

1. divine nature

2. human nature

3. true god

Divine Nature

Unless Jesus was truly God, he could not redeem us from sin and death

Human Nature

Unless Jesus was truly man, he could not have us

True God and True Man

• Integrity and property each nature remain

• United but not mixed

• Distinct but not separated

THE CHRISTOLOGICAL COUNCIL

1. Arianism (Council of Nicea)

2. Nestorianism (Council of Ephesus (431 CE))

3. Monophysitism (Council of Chalcedon)

4. Tome of Leo the Great

Arianism

• Proponent: Arius

• Introduced Homoiousios Doctrine

• Jesus is not a divine person but rather a human person

• Demigod → 50/50

Homo and Ousia

Homoiousios came from the word?

like or similar

homo means?

nature

Ousia means?

he receives divine nature

Jesus is not a divine person but rather a human person. However after incarnation?

Council of Nicea

Arianism was held in?

Nestorianism

• Proponent: Nestorius

• Believes that yes, Jesus is God, but his human nature must have a rational subject

• 100 human, 100 divine

• Also attacked Mary

• Hypostatic Union

Council of Ephesus (431 CE)

Nestorianism was held in?

two-person heresy

100 human, 100 divine in Nestorianism means?

what did Nestorianism say about mary?

• Mary is a creature like us, so she cannot have given birth to the Son of God

• Mary is Theotokos

• Mary just gave birth to Jesus’ human nature, her divine nature is not included

Christ-bearer

Theotokos means?

Hypostatic Union (2)

• Incarnation did not affect the divine nature of the logos 

• Union of the divinity and humanity happened in the one persona of Son of God

Distinct, but not separate

Union of the divinity and humanity happened in the one persona of Son of God which means?

Monophysitism

• Proponent: Eutyches

• One nature heresy

• The divine nature overwhelmed the human nature which resulted in the mixture of the two natures

Council of Chalcedon

Monophysitism was held in?

mono and phusis

Monophysitism came from the words?

Mono

one

Phusis

nature

Tome of Leo the Great

• Affirmed the Homoiousios teaching

• Affirmed the Hypostatic Union teaching

• Affirmed the Theotokos teaching

pope

Tome of Leo the Great is a?

Affirmed the Theotokos teaching

Mary as the Mother of God

Affirmed the Homoiousios teaching

Jesus has the same divine substance as the Father and the Spirit

1. divine (with divine intellect and will)

2. human (with human intellect and will)

Jesus is one divine person with two natures which are?

Arianism, claims that Jesus, while divine, is not of the same substance as God the Father, suggesting he is a created being and thus a sort of demigod, inferior to God rather than co-eternal with Him.

If Jesus is a human person, then Jesus is a divine person. Identify the heresy and why

Nestorianism, any nature must have its rational subject or possessor; teaches that Jesus has two separate natures—one divine and one human. It argues that since Mary is a human, she can't be the mother of God, only the mother of Jesus’ human side. This belief suggests that Jesus is like two different people instead of one.

If Jesus has a human nature then Jesus is a human person. Identify the heresy and why

Monophysitism, one nature heresy. Teaches that Jesus has only one nature that is a mixture of divine and human. It claims that his divinity overwhelmed his humanity, meaning he isn’t truly human or truly divine, but something different. This view distorts the belief that Jesus is fully both God and man

If Jesus is a divine person, then Jesus has a mixture of divine human nature. Identify the heresy and why

Arianism — Monophysitism, A: It teaches that Jesus is not fully God like the Father but a created being, which makes him less than divine. M: Jesus is considered to have a mixed nature, which could suggest a kind of demigod status. However, it primarily focuses on the idea that his divinity overwhelms his humanity, making him neither fully human nor fully divine

Which heresies claimed that Jesus is a demigod and why