Athanasius of Alexandria
Alexandrian bishop and defender of the Nicene confession that the Son is truly divine and not a creature; his writings tie the incarnation to the restoration of human life.
Historical context
Athanasius lived through decades of dispute after Nicaea and repeated exile; the council of 325 did not end the controversy at once.
Key points
- On the Incarnation links creation, the Word's becoming human, death, and resurrection.
- His anti-Arian arguments insist that the Son belongs to the divine side of the Creator–creature distinction.
Scripture
- John 1:1-14 — The Word is divine, creates, and becomes flesh.
Primary sources
Athanasius states in On the Incarnation:
Athanasius connects the Word's becoming human with humanity's participation in divine life.
For He was made man that we might be made God.
Passage context and translation
Athanasius explains the Incarnation as the divine Word's healing and elevation of human nature. His language of becoming God concerns created humanity's share in divine life, while the Word remains God by nature.
Before the excerpt
by the Word becoming man, the universal Providence has been known, and its Giver and Artificer the very Word of God.
After the excerpt
and He manifested Himself by a body that we might receive the idea of the unseen Father