INCARNATION

The act whereby the Son of God a umed the human nature; or the mystery by which the Eternal Word was made man, in order to accomplish the work of our salvation. The doctrine of the incarnation as laid down in the third General Council, that of Ephesus, ( A. D. 431,) is as follows:—“The great and holy synod (of Nice) said, that he ‘who was begotten of the Father , as the only-begotten Son by nature; who was true God of true God , Light of light, by whom the Father made all things; that he descended, became incarnate, and was made man, suffered, rose on the third day, and ascended into the heavens.’ These words and doctrines we ought to follow, in considering what is meant by the Word of God being ‘incarnate and made man.’ “We do not say that the nature of the Word was converted and became flesh; nor that it was changed into perfect man, consisting of body and soul: but rather, that the Word, uniting to himself personally flesh, animated by a rational soul, became man in an ineffable and incomprehensible manner, and became the Son of man, not merely by will and affection, nor merely by the a umption of one aspect or appearance; but that different natures were joined in a real unity, and that there is one Christ and Son , of two natures; the difference of natures not being taken away by their union.... It is said also, that he who was before all ages and begotten of the Father , was ‘born according to the flesh, of a woman:’ not as if his Divine nature had taken its beginning from the Holy Virgin ... but because for us, and for our salvation, he united personally to himself the nature of man, and proceeded from a woman; therefore he is said to be ‘born according to the flesh.’... So also we say that he ‘suffered and rose again,’ not as if God the Word had suffered in his own nature the stripes, the nails, or the other wounds; for the Godhead cannot suffer, as it is incorporeal: but because that which had become his own body suffered, he is said to suffer those things for us. For he who was incapable of suffering was in a suffering body. In like manner we understand his ‘death.’... Because his own body, by the grace of God , as Paul saith, tasted death for every man, he is said to suffer death,” .