Crumbs from the Table

Here are my thoughts on chapter 7 of "On the Incarnation" by fourth century church father Athanasius of Alexandria. I have been reading this work along with some brothers/colleagues during the season of advent 2025.  Chapter 7 (paragraphs 41 to 45) is responding to objections raised by "Greeks" i.e. non-Jews of the Hellenistic world of Athanasius' time.  The main focus of the chapter is engaging with the idea that the concept of the incarnation of the Word is "unfitting".  Athanasius begins by considering and dismissing the possibility that there is no Word in the first place, i.e. no governing reasonable principle underlying the universe. "If they deny that there is a Word of God at all, that will be extraordinary, for then they will be ridiculing what they do not know." Assuming then that there is a Word, Athanasius engages with the idea that it would be "unfitting" for that Word to dwell in a human being. "But if the Word of...

These are reflections on my reading during advent 2025 of a work by Athanasius of Alexandria (d. 373) entitled, "On the incarnation of the Word".  Chapter 6 specifically addresses objections to the gospel raised by Jews. Remember that Alexandria had a sizeable and longstanding Jewish population. From a post-Holocaust perspective, the church father's forthrightness can feel rather robust where we might tread more sensitively, but he is speaking in defence of the Jewish Messiah, hoping to win over God's ancient people; he is not being antisemitic. "We have dealt thus far with the Incarnation of our Saviour, and have found clear proof of the resurrection of His Body and His victory over death. Let us now go further and investigate the unbelief and the ridicule with which Jews and Gentiles respectively regard these same facts. I t seems that in both cases the points at issue are the same, namely the unfittingness or incongruity (as it seems to them) alike of the cros...

The following observations are based on my reading of Athanasius' "On the Incarnation" this Advent 2025 along with some other pastors with connections to Bury. Chapter 5 (paragraphs 26 to 32) is on the subject of the resurrection. "Then, having once let it be seen that it was truly dead, He did not allow that temple of His body to linger long, but forthwith on the third day raised it up, impassable and incorruptible, the pledge and token of His victory ." "the Son of God after three days showed His once dead body immortal and incorruptible; and it was evident to all that it was from no natural weakness that the body which the Word indwelt had died, but in order that in it by the Saviour's power death might be done away." For Athanasius, the fact of Christian martyrdom constitutes proof of the resurrection. He makes a comparison with asbestos which cannot be destroyed by fire. The fact that death is trampled by the sign of the cross proves that Chri...

The fourth chapter of Athanasius' "On the Incarnation" (paragraphs 19-25) focuses on the death of Christ. Athanasius considers the "bodily death" of the Word "the very centre of our faith" revealing that Christ is God. "Here, then, is the second reason why the Word dwelt among us, namely that having proved His Godhead by His works, He might offer the sacrifice on behalf of all, surrendering His own temple to death in place of all, to settle man's account with death and free him from the primal transgression." Notice the idea of what was "fitting" for God to do: "We are speaking of the good pleasure of God and of the things which He in His loving wisdom thought fit to do." Athanasius uses various paradigms to speak of the "mission" of Christ, and to his death: It was to "change the corruptible to incorruption".  "recreate the likeness of the image in men"  He "showed himself mightier t...

Chapter 3 (paragraphs 11 to 18) is about how Christ reveals and makes known God to created man (people) There is a strong contrast between the incorporeal and the world of the senses. "When God the Almighty was making mankind through His own Word, He perceived that they, owing to the limitation of their nature, could not of themselves have any knowledge of their Artificer, the Incorporeal and Uncreated." "...which knowledge of their Maker is for men the only really happy and blessed life." "Three ways thus lay open to them, by which they might obtain the knowledge of God. They could look up into the immensity of heaven, and by pondering the harmony of creation come to know its Ruler, the Word of the Father, Whose all-ruling providence makes known the Father to all. Or, if this was beyond them, they could converse with holy men, and through them learn to know God, the Artificer of all things, the Father of Christ, and to recognize the worship of idols as the neg...

Along with a group of pastors, this Advent 2025, I am reading through "On the Incarnation" by Athanasius.  Here are some thoughts on chapter 2 of 9, which is entitled, "Divine Dilemma". I found it inspiring and refreshing to read Athanasius' thoughts and logic as he considered the reason why God chose not to abandon the human race to corruption but to send his Son. The former would be "unfitting and unworthy of himself" "It would, of course, have been unthinkable that God should go back upon His word and that man, having transgressed, should not die; but it was equally monstrous that beings which once had shared the nature of the Word should perish and turn back again into non-existence through corruption." Athanasius' thought is that the corruption following from the transgression means that "repentance could not meet the case" "The Word perceived that corruption could not be got rid of otherwise than through death" E...