Early Christian Beliefs About the Incarnation

Ignatius, Epistles of Ignatius Direct teaching

...l things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made." And concerning the incarnation: "The Word," says the Scripture, "became flesh and lived among us." And again: "The book of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham." And those same apostles, who said "that there is one God," also said that "there is one Mediator between God and men." Nor were they ashamed of the incarnation and the passion. For what does one say? "The man Christ Jesus, who gave Himself" for the life and salvation of the world.

Gregory Thaumaturgus, A Sectional Confession of Faith Direct teaching

Moreover, the chief foundation of our salvation is the incarnation of the Word. Therefore, we believe that the incarnation of the Word took place without any change in His divinity, for the renewal of humanity. For there was no change, no transfer, and no limitation of will in the holy power of God. Instead, while that remained the same in itself, it also accomplished the work of the incarnation for the salvation of the world. And the Word of God, living on earth in human manner, also continued in the full divine presence, fulfilling all things, and being properly and individually united with flesh. And while the feelings proper to the flesh were present, the divine power kept the impassibility proper to itself. Therefore, the man who brings passibility into that power is impious. For the Lord of glory appeared in the form of a man when He undertook the divine arrangement on the earth. He fulfilled the law for men by His deeds, and by His sufferings He removed man's sufferings, and by His death He abolished death, and by His resurrection He brought life to light. And now we look for His appearing from heaven in glory, for the life and judgment of all, when the resurrection of the d

Origen, Against Celsus Direct teaching

... were to ask us how we think we know God, and how we will be saved by Him, we would answer that the Word of God, which entered into those who seek Him, or who receive Him when He appears, is able to make known and to reveal the Father, whom no one had seen before the appearance of the Word. And who else can save the human soul and lead it to the God of all things, except God the Word, who, being in the beginning with God, became flesh for the sake of those who had clung to the flesh and had become like flesh? He did this so that He might be received by those who could not behold Him, since He was the Word, and was with God, and was God. And speaking in human form, and declaring Himself as flesh, He calls to Himself those who are flesh, so that He may first cause them to be transformed according to the Word that was made flesh, and afterward may lead them upward to behold Him as He was before He became flesh. So they, receiving the benefit, and ascending from their great introduction to Him, which was according to the flesh, say, "Even if we have known Christ after the flesh, yet henceforth we know Him no more." Therefore He became flesh, and having become flesh, He tabernacled a

Tertullian, Against Praxeas Direct teaching

The Word, therefore, is incarnate; and this must be the point of our inquiry: How the Word became flesh — whether it was by having been transfigured, as it were, in the flesh, or by having really clothed Himself in flesh.

Origen, Against Celsus Direct teaching

Therefore He became flesh, and having become flesh, He tabernacled among us, not dwelling without us;

Tatian, The Diatessaron Direct teaching

John 1:14 And the Word became flesh, and took up his abode among us;

Ignatius, The Epistle of Ignatius to the Ephesians (Long Version) Supporting witness

For “the Word was made flesh.” Being incorporeal, He was in the body;

Dionysius of Alexandria, Miscellaneous Fragments Supporting witness

The one says: And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us;

Ignatius, Epistles of Ignatius Direct teaching

For “the Word became flesh.” For “Wisdom builded for herself a house.” And God the Word was born as man, with a body, of the Virgin, without any intercourse of man.

Justin Martyr, Dialogue with Trypho Direct teaching

...onceive and bear a son," was spoken about Him. For if the one to whom Isaiah referred was not to be born of a virgin, of whom did the Holy Spirit declare, "Behold, the Lord Himself shall give us a sign: behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son?" If He were also to be born from sexual intercourse like all other first-born sons, why did God say He would give a sign not common to all first-born sons? But the true sign, meant to be made trustworthy to humanity—that the first-born of all creation should become incarnate from the Virgin’s womb and be a child—this He anticipated by the Spirit of prophecy and predicted, as I have repeated to you in various ways, so that when it happened, it would be recognized as the work of the power and will of the Creator of all things; just as Eve was made from one of Adam’s ribs, and all living beings were created in the beginning by the word of God. But you dare to distort the interpretations given by your elders who were with Ptolemy, king of Egypt, since you claim that Scripture says, "Behold, the young woman shall conceive," as if great events were meant to occur because a woman conceives through sexual intercourse: which indeed all you

Justin Martyr, Dialogue with Trypho Direct teaching

And I, returning to the discussion where I had paused earlier, when demonstrating that He was born of a virgin and that His birth from a virgin was foretold by Isaiah, quoted the same prophecy again. It is as follows: 'And the Lord spoke again to Ahaz, saying, Ask for yourself a sign from the Lord your God, either from the depths below or the heights above. But Ahaz said, I will not ask, nor will I test the Lord. And Isaiah said, Listen then, O house of David; is it a small thing for you to challenge people? How then do you challenge the Lord? Therefore, the Lord Himself will give you a sign; Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall call his name Immanuel. He shall eat butter and honey; before he knows or prefers evil, he will choose the good. For before the child knows ill or good, he will reject evil by choosing good. For before the child knows how to call 'father' or 'mother,' he shall take possession of Damascus and the spoil of Samaria, in the presence of the king of Assyria. The land shall be forsaken, which you shall endure with difficulty because of the presence of its two kings. But God shall bring upon you, and upon your people, and upon your fathe

Irenaeus, Against Heresies: Book III Direct teaching

...m God promised David to raise up from the fruit of his belly as an eternal King is the same who was born of the Virgin, herself from David's lineage. For this reason, He promised that the King would be "of the fruit of his belly," which is the suitable term for a virgin conceiving, and not "of the fruit of his loins," nor "of the fruit of his reins," which is suitable for a man generating and a woman conceiving by a man. In this promise, therefore, the Scripture excluded any male influence; yet it does not mention that He who was born was not from the will of man. But it has established "the fruit of the belly," to declare the birth of Him who would be born from the Virgin, as Elisabeth testified when filled with the Holy Ghost, saying to Mary, "Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your belly;" the Holy Ghost pointing out to those willing to listen that the promise which God made, of raising up a King from the fruit of David's belly, was fulfilled in the birth from the Virgin, that is, from Mary. Let those, therefore, who alter the passage of Isaiah to "Behold, a young woman shall conceive," and who claim Him to be Joseph's son, also alter the form of the pro

Gregory Thaumaturgus, Twelve Topics on the Faith Direct teaching

If any one affirms that Christ was born of the seed of man by the Virgin, in the same manner as all men are born, and refuses to acknowledge that He was made flesh by the Holy Spirit and the holy Virgin Mary, mad became man of the seed of David, even as it is written, let him be anathema.

Gregory Thaumaturgus, Twelve Topics on the Faith Direct teaching

How could one say that Christ was born of the seed of man by the Virgin, when the holy Gospel and the angel, in proclaiming the good tidings, testify of Mary the Virgin that she said, How shall this be, seeing I know not a man?

Methodius, Oration Concerning Simeon and Anna Supporting witness

But the womb of this virgin, without being opened before, or being impregnated with seed, gave birth to an offspring that transcended nature, while at the same time it was cognate to it, and that without detriment to the indivisible unity, so that the miracle was the more stupendous, the prerogative of virginity likewise remaining intact.

Alexander of Alexandria, Epistles on the Arian Heresy Direct teaching

Who compelled God to come down to earth, to take flesh of the Holy Virgin, to be wrapped in swaddling clothes and laid in a manger, to be nourished with milk, to be baptized in the Jordan, to be mocked of the people, to be nailed to the tree, to be buried in the bosom of the earth, and the third day to rise again from the dead;

Ignatius, Epistle to the Smyrnaeans (Short Version) Supporting witness

that He was truly born of a virgin, was baptized by John, in order that all righteousness might be fulfilled by Him;

Apostolic Constitutions, Apostolic Constitutions Supporting witness

And He was made in the womb of a virgin, who formed all mankind that are born into the world;

Matthew 1:23 Supporting witness

Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us.

Luke 1:35 Direct teaching

And the angel answered and said unto her, The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee: therefore also that holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God.

Gregory Thaumaturgus, A Sectional Confession of Faith Direct teaching

There is one Son, both before the incarnation and after the incarnation. The same Son is both man and God, both together as one. The God the Word is not one person, and the man Jesus another person. Rather, the same one who existed as Son before was made one with flesh through Mary. In this way, He made Himself a perfect, holy, and sinless man, and used that divine arrangement for the renewal of mankind and the salvation of the whole world. God the Father, being Himself the perfect Person, thus has the perfect Word truly begotten from Him. He is not like a spoken word, nor like a son by adoption, in the sense in which angels and men are called sons of God, but as a Son who is by nature God. And there is also the perfect Holy Spirit, given by God through the Son to the sons of adoption, living and life-giving, holy and giving holiness to those who share in Him. He is not like an unsubstantial breath breathed into them by man, but is the living Breath proceeding from God. Therefore the Trinity is to be adored, glorified, honored, and reverenced. The Father is understood in the Son, just as the Son is of Him. And the Son is glorified in the Father, since He is of the Father, and is ma

Gregory Thaumaturgus, On the Trinity Direct teaching

...s not substantial. And lastly, the word articulated is the speech of man formed in air, composed of terms, which also is not substantial. But the Word of God is substantial, endowed with an exalted and enduring nature, and is eternal with Himself, and is inseparable from Him, and can never fall away, but shall remain in an everlasting union. This Word created heaven and earth, and in Him all things were made. He is the arm and the power of God, never to be separated from the Father, by virtue of an indivisible nature, and together with the Father He is without beginning. This Word took our substance of the Virgin Mary. And in so far as He is spiritual indeed, He is indivisibly equal with the Father. But in so far as He is bodily, He is in like manner inseparably equal with us. And again, in so far as He is spiritual, He supplies in the same equality the Holy Spirit, inseparably and without limit. Neither were there two natures, but only one nature of the Holy Trinity before the incarnation of the Word, the Son. And the nature of the Trinity remained one also after the incarnation of the Son. But if anyone, moreover, believes that any increment has been given to the Trinity by re

Tertullian, Against Praxeas Direct teaching

... He is rather some third substance, very different from either. But the truth is that we find Him clearly presented as both God and Man. The very psalm we quoted indicates, concerning the flesh, that God became man in the midst of it. “He therefore established it by the will of the Father.” Certainly, then, He is in every respect both the Son of God and the Son of Man, being God and Man. No doubt they differ according to each substance and its own special property, since the Word is nothing other than God, and the flesh is nothing other than Man. In this way the apostle also teaches about His two substances, saying, “who was made of the seed of David,” Romans 1:3 and in these words He is Man and Son of Man. And, “who was declared to be the Son of God, according to the Spirit”; in these words He is God, and the Word, the Son of God. We plainly see the twofold condition, not confused but joined in one Person, Jesus, God and Man. As for Christ, I am postponing what I have to say. I remark here that the property of each nature is so fully preserved that the Spirit, on the one hand, did in Jesus all things suitable to itself, such as miracles, mighty deeds, and wonders. And the Flesh

Novatian, Treatise Concerning the Trinity Direct teaching

...he first-born of every creature, He becomes flesh and dwells in us? That is, He takes on that man’s nature which is after every creature, and so dwells with it and in it, in us, so that neither is humanity taken away from Christ nor is His divinity denied. For if He is only before every creature, humanity is taken away from Him; but if He is only man, the divinity that is before every creature is injured. Both of these, therefore, are joined together in Christ, and both are united, and both are linked with one another. And rightly so. Since there is in Him something that rises above the creature, the union of divinity and humanity seems to be secured in Him. For this reason, He who is declared to be made the Mediator between God and man is revealed to have joined God and man together in Himself. And if the same apostle says of Christ that, having put off the flesh, He spoiled powers, triumphing openly over them in Himself, he certainly did not speak without purpose of the flesh being put off, unless he wished it to be understood that it was also put on again in the resurrection. Who, therefore, is He that thus put off and put on the flesh? Let the heretics find out. For we know

Hippolytus, Against the Heresy of Noetus Supporting witness

But someone will say to me, "You bring forward something strange to me when you call the Son the Word." For John does indeed speak of the Word, but it is not by a figure of speech. No, it is by no figure of speech. For while presenting this Word that was from the beginning and has now been sent forth, he says below in the Apocalypse, "And I saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse; and He that sat upon him was Faithful and True; and in righteousness He does judge and make war. And His eyes were as a flame of fire, and on His head were many crowns; and He had a name written that no man knew but He Himself. And He was clothed in a garment dipped in blood, and His name is called the Word of God." See then, brothers, how the garment sprinkled with blood showed in symbol the flesh, through which the impassible Word of God came under suffering, as the prophets also testify to me. For the blessed Micah speaks this way: "The house of Jacob provoked the Spirit of the Lord to anger. These are their pursuits. Are not His words good with them, and do they walk rightly? And they have risen up in enmity against His countenance of peace, and they have stripped off His glory." That means His su

Victorinus, Commentary on the Apocalypse Direct teaching

...s from insisting that Christ is God, even though he sees that Christ is proved to be God by so many words and facts. If Christ is only man, then when He came into this world, how did He come to His own, since a man could not have made the world? If Christ was only man, how is the world said to have been made by Him, when the world was not made by man, but man was appointed after the world? If Christ was only man, how was Christ not only from the seed of David, but also the Word made flesh who dwelt among us? For although the first man was not born from seed, neither was the first man formed from the union of the Word and the flesh. For he is not the Word made flesh, nor did he dwell among us. If Christ was only man, how does He who comes from heaven testify to what He has seen and heard, John 3:31, when it is clear that man cannot come from heaven, because he cannot be born there? If Christ is only man, how are visible and invisible things, thrones, powers, and dominions, said to have been created by Him and in Him, when the heavenly powers could not have been made by man, since they had to exist before man? If Christ is only man, how is He present wherever He is called upon, wh

Novatian, Treatise Concerning the Trinity Direct teaching

...s from insisting that Christ is God, even though he sees that Christ is proved to be God by so many words and facts. If Christ is only man, then when He came into this world, how did He come to His own, since a man could not have made the world? If Christ was only man, how is the world said to have been made by Him, when the world was not made by man, but man was appointed after the world? If Christ was only man, how was it that Christ was not only from the seed of David, but was also the Word made flesh and dwelt among us? For although the first-formed man was not born from seed, yet the first-formed man was not made by the joining together of the Word and flesh. For he is not the Word made flesh, nor did he dwell among us. If Christ was only man, how does He who comes from heaven testify to what He has seen and heard, John 3:31, when it is clear that man cannot come from heaven, because he cannot be born there? If Christ is only man, how are visible and invisible things, thrones, powers, and dominions, said to be created by Him and in Him, when the heavenly powers could not have been made by man, since they had to exist before man? If Christ is only man, how is He present wher

Victorinus, Commentary on the Apocalypse Direct teaching

And so John also, while describing the birth of Christ, says, “The Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, and we saw His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.” For His name is also called “the Word of God,” in Revelation 19:13, and not without reason. “My heart has uttered a good word.” He then afterward calls this word by the name of the King indirectly: “I will tell my works to the King.” For by Him all works were made, and without Him nothing was made, as John 1:3 says. “Whether,” says the apostle, “they are thrones or dominions, or powers, or mights, visible things and invisible, all things subsist by Him,” as Colossians 1:16 says. Moreover, this is that Word which came to His own, and His own did not receive Him. For the world was made by Him, and the world did not know Him, as John 1:10-11 says. Moreover, this Word was in the beginning with God, and God was the Word, as John 1:1 says. Who then can doubt, when in the last clause it is said, “The Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us,” that Christ, whose birth is being described, is man because He was made flesh? And because He is the Word of God, who can shrink from declaring with

Novatian, Treatise Concerning the Trinity Direct teaching

...use, "The Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us," that Christ, whose birth is being described, is man because He was made flesh? And because He is the Word of God, who can shrink from declaring without hesitation that He is God, especially when he considers the Gospel, that it has joined both of these substantial natures into one harmony of the birth of Christ? For He is the one who, "as a bridegroom goes forth from his bride-chamber, exulted as a giant to run his way. His going forth is from the end of heaven, and His return to the ends of it." Because, even to the highest, no one has ascended into heaven except He who came down from heaven, the Son of man who is in heaven, as John 3:13 says. Repeating this same thing, He says, "Father, glorify me with that glory with which I was with You before the world was." And if this Word came down from heaven as a bridegroom to the flesh, so that by the taking of flesh He might ascend there as the Son of man, from where the Son of God had descended as the Word, then reasonably, by the mutual connection, the flesh wears the Word of God, and the Son of God assumes the frailty of the flesh. And when the flesh, being espoused, ascends ther

Victorinus, Commentary on the Apocalypse Direct teaching

...is not God only, but man also. For just as He is not of this world according to the divinity of the Word, so He is of this world according to the frailty of the body that He has taken upon Himself. For man is joined with God, and God is linked with man. But for that reason Christ here laid more stress on the one aspect of His divinity alone, because the blindness of the Jews looked at in Christ the aspect of the flesh alone. And so in the present passage He passed over in silence the frailty of the body, which is of the world, and spoke of His divinity alone, which is not of the world. He did this so that, in proportion as they had inclined to believe Him to be only man, in that proportion Christ might draw them to consider His divinity, so as to believe Him to be God. He desired to overcome their unbelief concerning His divinity by omitting for the time being any mention of His human condition, and by setting before them His divinity alone. If Christ is man only, how does He say, “I proceeded forth and came from God,” when it is clear that man was made by God, and did not proceed forth from Him? But in the way in which as man He did not proceed from God, in that way the Word of

Novatian, Treatise Concerning the Trinity Supporting witness

...is not God only, but man also. For just as He is not of this world according to the divinity of the Word, so He is of this world according to the frailty of the body that He has taken upon Himself. For man is joined with God, and God is linked with man. But for that reason Christ here laid more stress on the one aspect of His divinity, because the blindness of the Jews saw in Christ only the aspect of the flesh. So in this passage He passed over in silence the frailty of the body, which is of the world, and spoke only of His divinity, which is not of the world. He did this so that, in proportion as they had leaned toward believing Him to be only man, Christ might lead them to consider His divinity, so that they might believe Him to be God, desiring to overcome their unbelief concerning His divinity by omitting for the time being any mention of His human condition, and by setting before them His divinity alone. If Christ is man only, how does He say, "I proceeded forth and came from God," when it is clear that man was made by God, and did not proceed forth from Him? But in the way that, as man, He did not proceed from God, so the Word of God proceeded, of whom it is said, "My hea

Lactantius, The Divine Institutes Supporting witness

But in His second, which was in the flesh, He was born of a virgin's womb without the office of a father, that, bearing a middle substance between God and man, He might be able, as it were, to take by the hand this frail and weak nature of ours, and raise it to immortality.