What is incarnation
When god took on human form to become jesus
Key ideas about incarnation
Jesus was fully human and fully God
Jesus experienced human life- good and bad
This empathy helps christians feel closer to him
What is detailed in lukes account of the annunciation
-Focuses on Mary’s role
-Mary is told she will conceive and give birth to jesus , who will be the son
-to be conceived through the power of the holy spirit
-Mary is given a choice
What is the focus of Matthew’s account of the annunciation
-focus on josephs role
-tells that joseph planned to break up with mary as she was pregnant
-an angel tells him marys child was concieved by the holy spirit
-angel calls Jesus Emmanuel, meaning “god with us”
Similarities in these accounts of the anunciation
-Mary was a virgin
-An angel announced Jesus’ birth
-Jesus conceived by the holy spirit
-God worked through humans to enable his plan for humanity to come about
Differences in these accounts of the anunciation
-Angel gabriel appears to mary in luke, in matthew he appears to joseph
- Gabriel appears in person to mary, to joseph he appears in a dream
-in luke he is named jesus, in matthew he is named emmanuel
-joseph did not question the role he had to play
3 titles of jesus
The word of god
The son of god
The son of man
John 1:14
And the word became flesh and lived among us, and we have seen his glory
Son of man
Jesus called himself this when referring to his future suffering
It emphasises he was fully human
Son of God
At his trial in the Sanhedrin, he was asked if he was the son of god
He responded “i am”
This shows he was also fully God
Misconception about jesus’ humanity
When the focus is too much on Jesus’ humanity it may suggest that Jesus wasn’t really God; just a very good person, which is not true
Misconception about jesus’ divinity
When the focus is too much on Jesus’ divinity (God), it may suggest that Jesus only appeared to be human. Which is also not true
Dei verbum 4, from 2nd Vatican council
“He sent his son… so he might tell us of the innermost being of God”
God is revealed and speaks through jesus
Verbum Domini 12
letter from Pope Benedict
The eternal word became small enough to fit into a manger….so that the word could be grasped by us’
The word (jesus) limited himself to human so humans could understand god
St irenaeus’ writings
The incarnation brings god and humans closer together
“Jesus is the meeting point between god and humanity
The ichthus
Greek word meaning fish
Acronym:
I – Iesous (Jesus)
CH – Christos (Christ)
TH – Theou (of God)
U – Uios (Son)
S – Soter (Saviour
Alpha & omega
Alpha is the first letter of the greek alphabet
Omega is the last letter
Alpha & omega
Alpha is the first letter of the greek alphabet
Omega is the last letter
What does alpha and omega show
It shows that:
• God is involved in everything from beginning to end
• It is on the Paschal candle and represents the risen Christ
Chi-Rho
The first two letters of the greek word for christ
X and P
What does chi rho show
-Reminder of Jesus’ death…that he was sent by God to save humans
-Inspires Christians to follow Jesus’ teachings
What does Christ the redeemer statue show
Gods continuous love for all
Jesus’ love and obedience in death
Sacred heart
Flames from the heart symbolise jesus’ burning love for all
Jesus shows his peace and love
Crucifix statue
Through his death, jesus saved us from sin and death
The love of god was poured out through jesus
