The Alpha

Incarnation of the Logos

Homilies of the Church Fathers on the Feast of the Incarnation of our Lord Jesus Christ

“On the Incarnation” - By Saint Athanasius

For the solitary of mankind is such that, by virtue of the Logos’ indwelling in a single human body, the corruption which goes with death has lost its power over all. You know how it is when a great king enters a large city and dwells in one of its houses. Because of his dwelling in that single house, the whole city is honoured and enemies and robbers cease to bother it. Even so is it with the King of us all. He has come into our country and dwelt in one body amidst the many. In consequence, the enemy’s plans against mankind have been foiled and the corruption of death, which formerly held them in its power, has simply ceased to be. For the human race would have completely perished if the Lord and Saviour of us all, the Son of God, had not come among us to put an end to death.

This great work was, indeed, supremely worthy of the goodness of God. When a king establishes a city, and it is attacked by robbers due to the carelessness of its inhabitants, he does not neglect it. But he avenges it and saves it from destruction – for he cares more about his honour than the neglect of the people. Then, the Logos of the All-good Father was even more concerned of the human race that He established that by offering His own body, He abolished the death that resulted and corrected their neglect by His own teaching. Thus, by His own power He restored the whole nature of man.

The Saviour’s own inspired disciples assure us of this. We read in one place, “For the love of Christ constrains us, because we judge that, if One died on behalf of all, then all died, and He died for all that we should no longer live unto ourselves, but unto Him who died and rose again from the dead, even our Lord Jesus Christ”[2 Cor. 5:14]. And again another says, “But we see Jesus who was made a little lower than the angels, for the suffering of death crowned with glory and honour, that He, by the grace of God, might taste death for everyone” [Heb. 2:9].

“Emmanuel”

By Saint Cyril of Alexandria.

Unless the Son was God by Nature, He would not have been called, “God With Us,” which took place when He was born through a woman, assuming likeness with us. Not at all of an angel or of any other generate being is the word, Emmanuel, the invention, but the Father thus names the Son. And the holy prophet will be our witness, sayng of the Divine Offspring, “And they shall call His name that new Name which the Lord shall give Him” [Is. 62:2, LXX]. For a new name verily to the Son is Emmanuel, that is, “God with us.” For before His Presence in the world with flesh, He was and was called merely God; after the Birth from the Virgin, no longer merely God, but, with us, ie. God made man. Since therefore the Father calls His own Son God, let them blush who impiously and unlearnedly say that He was made. For what is by Nature God, is not a creature.