Incarnation Flashcards
Incarnation
The Christian belief that God came to Earth in human form (in the flesh) as Jesus.
Key ideas of Incarnation
Jesus was fully human and fully God
God loves humans so much he was willing to share in humanity fully
Jesus experienced the stresses of being human- good,bad,hunger,fear,loss,suffering
The Annunciation (Luke interpretation)
God sent the angel Gabriel to a town in Galilee called Nazareth to tell Mary that she would give birth to a son named Jesus who would be the son of God.
The Annunciation (Matthew Interpretation)
When Joseph found out that Mary was pregnant he planned to divorce her quietly however an Angel visited him in a dream and told him to keep Mary as his wife .
What are the three titles of Jesus?
Son of Man
Son of God
Word of God
Reason for the title of Son of Man
Described himself as this to emphasise his human side
Bible evidence for Son of Man
Mark 8:31 ‘Jesus began to teach that the son of man must undergo great suffering’
Reason for the title of Son of God
Jesus emphasised his divine side by using this title
Bible evidence for Son of God
In Mark 14 when jesus was asked if he was the Son of God he replied ‘ I am’
Reason for the title of Word of God
Humans can get to know God through Jesus. God the father expresses himself through Jesus.
Bible Evidence for Word of God
John 1:1-4 ‘ In the beginning was the word, and the word was with God and the word was God.
What four symbols help us to understand the incarnation?
Icthus
Alpha
Omega
Chi Rho
Similarities in the Annunciation interpretations
Mary was a virgin
An angel announced Jesus’ birth
Jesus was conceived by the power of the Holy Spirit
Differences in Annunciation interpretations
The Angel appears to Mary (in luke) and to Joseph (in Matthew)
For Mary the angle appears in person and for Joseph the angel appears in a dream
Incarnation and Magisterium
When the focus is too much on Jesus’ humanity it may suggest that Jesus wasn’t really God and when the focus is too much on Jesus’ divinity it may suggest that Jesus only appeared to be human.
Which two documents aim tp the create the right balance of understanding the incarnation?
Dei Verbum (second Vatican council)
Verbum Domini (letter from Pope Benedict)
Quote from Verbum Domini (Pope Benedict)
’ The eternal word became small enough to fit into a manger… so that the word could be grasped by us’.
Meaning the Word (Jesus) limited himself to human form so humans could understand God.