The Glorious Incarnation

A. We believe and confess that the eternal Son, the second Person, was, by the pleasure of His good Father, incarnated by the Holy Ghost and born of the Virgin Mary and became a man for our salvation.

A. God sent His Angel Gabriel to our Lady chosen for this mystery to give her the good tidings of the incarnation of the Son from her without human seed. As she received the Divine message the Holy Ghost came upon her and prepared her for the Divine conception spoken of; and the Word or Son condescended and formed in her holy womb a pure spotless body and completed it by a thinking and speaking soul. He united Himself to this body at once in an indescribable mystery, and was conceived in her womb while she was a Virgin, and born by her while she was a Virgin also.

A. God forbid that any separation or removal be attributed to Him, for He is the eternal and infinite Word of God Who cannot reasonably have become separated from God and His Spirit; but by His condescension is meant His accepting, although eternal, to appear on earth in human form in order to save man, His creature, and make him attain by His Incarnation the high position of happiness in His Kingdom. And yet He was never separated from the Father and the Holy Ghost.

A. That the Son of God took His manhood (i.e., His Body and Soul) and made it with Him one, personal, and substantial union, above mixture, or confusion, or transubstantiation, or separation. By this real union of substance He became one person, one distinct substance with one nature, one will, and one action, i.e., the one Incarnated Son.

A. The union of the speaking soul with the human body, for the soul is a pure spiritual substance and the body is a coarse earthly substance. By this mutual union without mixture, or transubstantiation, they become one person, one substance, one nature. This union of the soul and body in every man gives an example of the union of the eternal Godhead with manhood in the person of the Lord Christ in unity of substance.

A. Suffice it to give the testimony of the two oriental stars, the two Alexandrian Patriarchs—viz., the Apostolic Athanasius, and Kirillos the Great. Athanasius says, in his article on the Incarnation, “This one is God and He is the Son of God by the Spirit, and the Son of man by the flesh. This does not mean that the one Son has two natures, the one worshipped and the other not worshipped; but that there is one nature in the Incarnate Word of God Who in His body is offered one worship.” St. Kirillos makes the following statement in his letter to the Rev. Ologius, of Constantinople, “For we bind the two natures by union and acknowledge one Christ, one Son, one Lord, and at last we say one Incarnate nature.” He also said in the same epistle, “The union having been proved, we must not separate the things united, but believe that Christ is one, and His nature is one, as it is the nature of the Incarnate Word.”

A. The testimony of the Father Himself twice to the Lord is sufficient, the first time on the Jordan and the second time at the Transfiguration on the mountain, saying, “This is my beloved Son” (S. Matt. iii. 17; and xvii. 5). The Apostle confesses saying, “We have one God and one Lord, Jesus Christ” (1 Cor. viii. 6). It is clear that the Lord was not baptized in Jordan nor transfigured on the mountain except after the Incarnation, and was twice testified to by the Father as His Son; and this cannot be said of two but of one. In the same way, He was not called Jesus Christ except after Incarnation. The Apostle states that He is one Lord, and the Gospel testifies that He is the only Son to God the Father (S. John i. 18; and iii. 16-18). So did the Apostle John give the same testimony in his First Epistle (iv. 9). It cannot be reasonably admitted but that the Son and only Lord is one not in accident but in substance. He is, therefore, in accordance with the Holy Scriptures and reason, one in substance as well as He is one Son and one Person.

A. As soon as our Lady received the message through the Angel Gabriel (S. Luke i. 26-38)—viz., the day on which the Church annually celebrates the Feast of the Annunciation (29th Barmahat).

A. He was born at Bethlehem, Judea (S. Luke ii.) on the night which the Church annually celebrates the birth of our Lord, the night of 29th Kihak (Coptic) or 25th December.

A. Jesus means Saviour, for He is the Saviour of the world, and Christ means anointed, for His Godhead anointed His manhood by personally uniting with it, not like the kings of Israel who were called anointed, because they were anointed with oil. The first one who gave Him this name was the Announcing Angel (S. Luke i. 31; and ii. 21).

A. Yes, He has two births; the first from everlasting, which is His birthday from the Father without a mother, light from light. The second birth is temporal, which is His birth in the body from the Virgin on earth without an earthly father. But, although born twice, He is one Son and one Christ. He is the Son of God, and is Himself the Son of Mary.

A. Yes; on the night of His birth an angel from heaven appeared and gave the news to shepherds watching in the fields; excellent lights shone upon them, and several other angels then appeared with him praising and singing. When our Lady went with Him to the Temple, St. Simeon, the aged, acknowledged His glory and blessed Him, asking Him to release him from this world in peace. Anna, the prophetess, also acknowledged Him (S. Luke ii. 36). A great and extraordinary star appeared to the Wise Men of the East as a proof of His birth, and when they intended to visit the One born to offer Him their reverence, the star guided them by its wonderful march until they arrived at the place where He was with His mother. They entered the house and worshipped the Babe, offering Him their gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh (S. Matt. ii. 11).

A. He lived thirty years after His birth without entering on His work publicly, at the end of which time He began to show Himself to all as the expected Lord, the Saviour of the world, being baptized by John, the son of Zacharias, in the river Jordan, where crowds of Israelites came for baptism. There the heaven was opened in His honour, and the Holy Ghost descended on Him in the form of a dove, and the voice of the Father called to Him from above, saying, “This is My beloved Son in Whom I am well pleased” (S. Matt. iii. 13, &c.).

A. He went up to the mountain and fasted full forty days and nights, giving an example to the faithful to do according to their ability. He then began to call men to the way of perfection by His excellent deeds and superior instruction, selecting His Apostles and Disciples to preach His Gospel.

A. Two; Faith and Works, which are the pillars of the Christian religion. Faith is the belief in the unity of the Being of God and the Trinity of His Persons, and in their equality of perfection in substance; that He (Christ) is the Word of God, and His eternal Son, Who became incarnate for the salvation of mankind, and other articles of the Christian Faith. Works, are those duties which every believer must do during this life in order to attain eternal happiness.

A. Yes; for He did not call upon men to believe that He was God’s Messiah and His Word Incarnate without proof or evidence… (full text continues as in your message)

A. They are bound, first, to adopt the religion of His evangelical law—i.e., to believe in Divine doctrines according to His guidance, and in practice to fulfil His instructions.

A. After His baptism He spent about three years and three months… (text continues as in your message)

A. You know that our parents, Adam and Eve, through falling into disobedience lost righteousness and the life of grace… (full answer continues)

A. He yielded up the Ghost on the Cross on Friday (the Great) at the ninth hour of the day…

A. His submission to suffering and His tasting of death were not as God…

A. First, because the Manhood was united to the Godhead in one person… (text continues)

A. Never; God forbid! For neither at the time of suffering and Crucifixion, nor at the time of death and burial…

A. It descended in union with the Godhead to Hades, and saved the souls of our parents Adam and Eve…

A. Besides the miracles which appeared on the evening of His suffering, while on the Cross… (text continues)

A. He lived thirty years after His birth without entering on His work publicly, at the end of which time He began to show Himself to all as the expected Lord, the Saviour of the world, being baptized by John, the son of Zacharias, in the river Jordan, where crowds of Israelites came for baptism. There the heaven was opened in His honour, and the Holy Ghost descended on Him in the form of a dove, and the voice of the Father called to Him from above, saying, “This is My beloved Son in Whom I am well pleased” (S. Matt. iii. 13, &c.).

A. He went up to the mountain and fasted full forty days and nights, giving an example to the faithful to do according to their ability. He then began to call men to the way of perfection by His excellent deeds and superior instruction, selecting His Apostles and Disciples to preach His Gospel.

A. Two; Faith and Works, which are the pillars of the Christian religion. Faith is the belief in the unity of the Being of God and the Trinity of His Persons, and in their equality of perfection in substance; that He (Christ) is the Word of God, and His eternal Son, Who became incarnate for the salvation of mankind, and other articles of the Christian Faith. Works, are those duties which every believer must do during this life in order to attain eternal happiness.

A. Yes; for He did not call upon men to believe that He was God’s Messiah and His Word Incarnate without proof or evidence. On the contrary, not content with the testimonies the true prophets that went before revealed to them about His Incarnation and the special characteristics of His person, as is written in the Old Testament, held in respect by the Israelites—and notwithstanding the heavenly signs attending the pregnancy of His ever-Virgin Mother, His birth, and His life after birth, and the signs attending His baptism, especially the Father’s testimony to Him from heaven mentioned above—He, notwithstanding all this, was not satisfied with making known His mission by words alone, but offered in His Person most striking and convincing proofs. He, first of all, performed Himself all the moral perfections He ordered men to do, so that He was unexampled in perfection, in words, deeds, and thoughts. In the second place, He wrought such wonderful and manifest signs as were beyond all human power, beyond even the reach of all the prophets. He cured chronic and incurable diseases; opened the eyes of a man who was born blind; cured many others—blind, dumb, deaf, and others; raised the dead from their death-bed, from the coffin, and from the grave after corruption; blessed water and made it into delicious wine; and blessed a few loaves which satisfied thousands, and from which a great quantity remained. He walked upon the surface of the water, and made Peter walk upon it; with one word He calmed the tempest of the sea, and appeared transfigured on the mountain before three of His Apostles. He read the secret and dark thoughts; and, in short, His miracles were effected on the human body, on the elements, on plants, and on the spirits, which all obeyed His command. In the third place, He, through His own authority, gave to His Apostles and Disciples the power to perform miracles, and they astonished the world by the wonders they did in His name. Fourthly, He foretold of the future: for example, the ruin of Jerusalem and the Temple of the Jews, and the speedy spread and steady progress of His Gospel, all of which were completed after His Ascension. Other miracles He wrought, which He did by His own authority, not asking power or help from another, but by His own will and power. This is a clear proof of the truth of His mission, and that He is the true Messiah of God and His eternal Son. How wise was His convincing statement to the Jews when He said, “If I do not the works of My Father, believe Me not. But if I do, though ye believe not Me, believe the works, that ye may know, and believe that the Father is in Me and I in Him.” (S. John x. 37, 38)

A. He lived thirty years after His birth without entering on His work publicly, at the end of which time He began to show Himself to all as the expected Lord, the Saviour of the world, being baptized by John, the son of Zacharias, in the river Jordan, where crowds of Israelites came for baptism. There the heaven was opened in His honour, and the Holy Ghost descended on Him in the form of a dove, and the voice of the Father called to Him from above, saying, “This is My beloved Son in Whom I am well pleased” (S. Matt. iii. 13, &c.).

A. He went up to the mountain and fasted full forty days and nights, giving an example to the faithful to do according to their ability. He then began to call men to the way of perfection by His excellent deeds and superior instruction, selecting His Apostles and Disciples to preach His Gospel.

A. Two; Faith and Works, which are the pillars of the Christian religion. Faith is the belief in the unity of the Being of God and the Trinity of His Persons, and in their equality of perfection in substance; that He (Christ) is the Word of God, and His eternal Son, Who became incarnate for the salvation of mankind, and other articles of the Christian Faith. Works, are those duties which every believer must do during this life in order to attain eternal happiness.

A. Yes; for He did not call upon men to believe that He was God’s Messiah and His Word Incarnate without proof or evidence. On the contrary, not content with the testimonies the true prophets that went before revealed to them about His Incarnation and the special characteristics of His person, as is written in the Old Testament, held in respect by the Israelites—and notwithstanding the heavenly signs attending the pregnancy of His ever-Virgin Mother, His birth, and His life after birth, and the signs attending His baptism, especially the Father’s testimony to Him from heaven mentioned above—He, notwithstanding all this, was not satisfied with making known His mission by words alone, but offered in His Person most striking and convincing proofs. He, first of all, performed Himself all the moral perfections He ordered men to do, so that He was unexampled in perfection, in words, deeds, and thoughts. In the second place, He wrought such wonderful and manifest signs as were beyond all human power, beyond even the reach of all the prophets. He cured chronic and incurable diseases; opened the eyes of a man who was born blind; cured many others—blind, dumb, deaf, and others; raised the dead from their death-bed, from the coffin, and from the grave after corruption; blessed water and made it into delicious wine; and blessed a few loaves which satisfied thousands, and from which a great quantity remained. He walked upon the surface of the water, and made Peter walk upon it; with one word He calmed the tempest of the sea, and appeared transfigured on the mountain before three of His Apostles. He read the secret and dark thoughts; and, in short, His miracles were effected on the human body, on the elements, on plants, and on the spirits, which all obeyed His command. In the third place, He, through His own authority, gave to His Apostles and Disciples the power to perform miracles, and they astonished the world by the wonders they did in His name. Fourthly, He foretold of the future: for example, the ruin of Jerusalem and the Temple of the Jews, and the speedy spread and steady progress of His Gospel, all of which were completed after His Ascension. Other miracles He wrought, which He did by His own authority, not asking power or help from another, but by His own will and power. This is a clear proof of the truth of His mission, and that He is the true Messiah of God and His eternal Son. How wise was His convincing statement to the Jews when He said, “If I do not the works of My Father, believe Me not. But if I do, though ye believe not Me, believe the works, that ye may know, and believe that the Father is in Me and I in Him.” (S. John x. 37, 38)

A. He lived thirty years after His birth without entering on His work publicly, at the end of which time He began to show Himself to all as the expected Lord, the Saviour of the world, being baptized by John, the son of Zacharias, in the river Jordan, where crowds of Israelites came for baptism. There the heaven was opened in His honour, and the Holy Ghost descended on Him in the form of a dove, and the voice of the Father called to Him from above, saying, “This is My beloved Son in Whom I am well pleased” (S. Matt. iii. 13, &c.).

A. He went up to the mountain and fasted full forty days and nights, giving an example to the faithful to do according to their ability. He then began to call men to the way of perfection by His excellent deeds and superior instruction, selecting His Apostles and Disciples to preach His Gospel.

A. Two; Faith and Works, which are the pillars of the Christian religion. Faith is the belief in the unity of the Being of God and the Trinity of His Persons, and in their equality of perfection in substance; that He (Christ) is the Word of God, and His eternal Son, Who became incarnate for the salvation of mankind, and other articles of the Christian Faith. Works, are those duties which every believer must do during this life in order to attain eternal happiness.

A. Yes; for He did not call upon men to believe that He was God’s Messiah and His Word Incarnate without proof or evidence. On the contrary, not content with the testimonies the true prophets that went before revealed to them about His Incarnation and the special characteristics of His person, as is written in the Old Testament, held in respect by the Israelites—and notwithstanding the heavenly signs attending the pregnancy of His ever-Virgin Mother, His birth, and His life after birth, and the signs attending His baptism, especially the Father’s testimony to Him from heaven mentioned above—He, notwithstanding all this, was not satisfied with making known His mission by words alone, but offered in His Person most striking and convincing proofs. He, first of all, performed Himself all the moral perfections He ordered men to do, so that He was unexampled in perfection, in words, deeds, and thoughts. In the second place, He wrought such wonderful and manifest signs as were beyond all human power, beyond even the reach of all the prophets. He cured chronic and incurable diseases; opened the eyes of a man who was born blind; cured many others—blind, dumb, deaf, and others; raised the dead from their death-bed, from the coffin, and from the grave after corruption; blessed water and made it into delicious wine; and blessed a few loaves which satisfied thousands, and from which a great quantity remained. He walked upon the surface of the water, and made Peter walk upon it; with one word He calmed the tempest of the sea, and appeared transfigured on the mountain before three of His Apostles. He read the secret and dark thoughts; and, in short, His miracles were effected on the human body, on the elements, on plants, and on the spirits, which all obeyed His command. In the third place, He, through His own authority, gave to His Apostles and Disciples the power to perform miracles, and they astonished the world by the wonders they did in His name. Fourthly, He foretold of the future: for example, the ruin of Jerusalem and the Temple of the Jews, and the speedy spread and steady progress of His Gospel, all of which were completed after His Ascension. Other miracles He wrought, which He did by His own authority, not asking power or help from another, but by His own will and power. This is a clear proof of the truth of His mission, and that He is the true Messiah of God and His eternal Son. How wise was His convincing statement to the Jews when He said, “If I do not the works of My Father, believe Me not. But if I do, though ye believe not Me, believe the works, that ye may know, and believe that the Father is in Me and I in Him.” (S. John x. 37, 38)

A. They are bound, first, to adopt the religion of His evangelical law—i.e., to believe in Divine doctrines according to His guidance, and in practice to fulfil His instructions.

A. After His baptism He spent about three years and three months, during which He went about in the land of Israel, teaching the people, and helping those in need of His wondrous miracles. At the end of this period the chiefs of the Jewish nation began to oppose Him, being prompted by envy and hatred of His doctrines, and the wide-spread fame of His miracles and His reputation; and they unjustly sentenced Him to Crucifixion. He accepted this voluntarily, and died for us on the Cross at Jerusalem.

A. You know that our parents, Adam and Eve, through falling into disobedience lost righteousness and the life of grace, and brought upon themselves and their whole posterity bondage and the death of sin. The salvation and justification of mankind could not have been effected but by the Creator. The Incarnate Son of God, therefore, accepted crucifixion and death for us, and through His innocent death He actually redeemed us; brought us into life; justified us; made us the sons of grace, and prepared us for the inheritance of the eternal kingdom.

A. He yielded up the Ghost on the Cross on Friday (the Great) at the ninth hour of the day. His body was taken down by some of His disciples, wrapped in linen with all reverence and devotion, and laid in a new tomb hewn out of a rock in a garden.

A. His submission to suffering and His tasting of death were not as God, for the Godhead is beyond the reach of death and all passions; but He submitted to this as man—i.e., He suffered through His body, and died by His Spirit or reasoning soul, leaving His pure body.

A. First, because the Manhood was united to the Godhead in one person; and, although our Lord died as a man, not as God, still—as He is one Person, we attribute everything He submitted to in His Manhood to that one person; for Christ was not two persons that we may attribute to each a separate action, but one—the Incarnate Son. Secondly, suppose that we denied that the Redemption came from the Son of God and attributed it to humanity, we should be denying the graces and favours which God has bestowed upon mankind, and through which He redeemed us and gave us life; and, if we attribute all this action to mere humanity, we should have been saved by a man and not by God, whereas God has loved us and given us life through the death of His Son. Suffice it for a proof the words of the Lord Himself, “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son.” (S. John iii. 16)

A. Never; God forbid! For neither at the time of suffering and Crucifixion, nor at the time of death and burial, was the Godhead separated from the Manhood; but the Godhead was united to the soul and body without any separation, for had it been possible that it left either of them one instant, the mystery of Divine Incarnation would have been dissolved by this disunion, and the existence of Christ would have been abolished.

A. It descended in union with the Godhead to Hades, and saved the souls of our parents Adam and Eve, which were imprisoned in consequence of their original sin (1 S. Pet. iii. 19), and brought them up to Paradise (S. Luke xxiii. 43).

A. Besides the miracles which appeared on the evening of His suffering, while on the Cross, a thief who was crucified beside Him acknowledged His sovereignty, saying, “Lord, remember me when Thou comest into Thy kingdom.” The sun was darkened, the darkness remaining three hours in the daytime; the veil of the Temple of Jerusalem was rent; the earth did quake; the rocks rent; the graves were opened; and many of the saints which slept arose from the dead; and the Centurion and those with him were astonished, and confessed that the One Crucified was innocent, and that He was the Son of God.

A. His pure soul, united to the Divinity, returned through the Divine power to the most holy Body; and He rose from the grave on the third day, very early on Sunday morning.

A. The Resurrection itself is the greatest miracle, for He Who died as a man rose from death in virtue of His Divine power. Nevertheless, the miracles that occurred at the time of the Resurrection were, firstly: He rose from the tomb which was closed and sealed, with the Governor’s guard watching over it. All these precautions, however, did not prevent His Resurrection, and this is an astonishing miracle. Secondly, the linen with which He was wrapped, and spices and ointment, were seen neatly laid in the tomb, and this shows that His Resurrection was by His own power and will, not being hindered by that linen and that ointment with which His body was covered at the time of the burial. Thirdly, a great earthquake took place at that time, and an angel descended from heaven and removed the stone from the grave and sat upon it. Fourthly, the very guards themselves were alarmed at what had happened, becoming like the dead. Fifthly, two heavenly angels appeared also and gave the news of His Resurrection to His disciples.

A. Yes; He appeared first to the women who went to the grave on the morning of His Resurrection and to His Apostles and disciples separately and together several times, and to more than 500 brethren, as the Apostle states (1 Cor. xv. 6).

A. Forty days, during which He appeared frequently to His Apostles and followers, and at the end of which, after giving them authority to loose and bind, and sending them to preach to all the world, blessed them and ascended into heaven (on the Thursday of Ascension) and sat on the right hand of the Father in the Highest.

A. It means in the glory and honour of the Father forever.

A. After staying ten days in the upper room on Mount Zion, the Holy Ghost descended upon them in accordance with the Lord’s promise to them, “and He divided to them His gifts in the likeness of tongues of fire.” They were, therefore, filled with Divine wisdom, and spoke different languages. Being supported by heavenly power, they became the wonder of the world by the miracles they performed and the wise words they spake in the Name of their Master. This is one of the greatest proofs of the supreme glory of their Master.

A. Firstly, the Apostles were at the time of His suffering, death, and burial, like the dead—sorrowing, fearful and trembling, insomuch that Peter, the senior among them, denied Him three times. They fled from the people and were scattered; but no sooner had the forty days been completed after His Resurrection than their powers were revived, their sorrows vanquished, and they began constantly to frequent the Jewish Temple. Had He not risen and revived their drooping spirits with life from the breath of His Resurrection, and assured their minds of His victory over death by making them see Him, touch Him, and hear His voice, and by conversing and sitting with them several times, and at last by making them see Him in the daytime ascending in glory to heaven, how and by what means would they have undergone that wonderful change, reviving after lethargy, appearing and assembling after depression and concealment, and standing firm after being weak and trembling? Secondly, No sooner were ten days after His Ascension over than these illiterate fishermen appeared like angels descending from heaven in human forms. Had not their Lord really risen from the dead, ascended before their eyes, and bestowed upon them these astonishing powers, how could these poor men who knew no other language but Hebrew (and that only in the vernacular) speak all the most celebrated tongues of the world, and boldly address the public in the sound of a voice which scarcely had been on their ears than they began to proclaim the glory of their Teacher? Thirdly, The Holy Ghost had been bestowed upon them; they were endowed with the power of preaching, beginning in the land of Israel and advancing to the most remote districts of the world, spreading the evangelical truth in all quarters of the globe, combined with wondrous miracles done in the Name of their Lord. Had they not been true and aided by the power of their Lord Who had really risen from death in fulfilment of His promise, how could these men have accomplished such a victory? They did not spread in the world and propagate the religion of their Master until He had inspired them with His Resurrection, and attached to their mission supernatural powers and miracles, which proved to the world the truth of their mission and confirmed the justice of their doctrines. Thus ends the Holy Gospel in speaking of them, “And they went forth and preached everywhere, the Lord working with them and confirming the Word with signs following” (S. Mark xvi. 20).

A. While they (the Apostles and disciples) were endeavouring to preach the Gospel in all the inhabited parts of the world until the true Faith was spread everywhere, they nominated as their successors over God’s Church; Bishops as High Priests; and Presbyters as Priests; and Deacons or Ministers of the Gospel to act as Pastors to the faithful. These successors of the Apostles appointed others to succeed them for the said purpose, and thus the succession will last unbroken till the end of ages.

A. It is the promise which the Lord made from His dear mouth when He addressed His Apostles the day He blessed them and sent them on His mission to all the world before His Ascension after He had said, “Go ye, therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them,” etc. He said “And, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world.” (S. Matt. xxviii. 20)

A. Yes; for the first man who preached the Gospel in Egypt was St. Mark the Evangelist, who ended his mission by martyrdom at Alexandria after naming Anania for his successor. The latter directed the Church after him, and ever since the Succession was unbroken until the days of our present Patriarch, who is the hundred and twelfth after St. Mark the Apostle. This shows you that the spiritual leadership in our Church is truly Apostolic, and that the sower of the seed of the Gospel was the Evangelical Apostle himself.

A. The Saviour said to His Apostles before suffering, “I have chosen you and ordained you that ye should go and bring forth fruit, and that your fruit should remain.” (S. John xv. 16)

A. Yes; He will come as He ascended, but not as He came first—a teacher and redeemer of the world. He will come as a Judge and rewarder at the day of the great resurrection when He appears surrounded by His sublime glory and Divine Majesty to judge each according to his doings, good or evil. He will reward the good, and punish the evil ones. Glory be to Him, with His good Father, and His most Holy Ghost, for ever and ever.