<div>The Incarnation can be seen in a number of different ways. According to St Gregory Nazianzen, the entrance of an incarnate God into his fallen creation has a ripple effect which gradually re-sanctifies the world--an idea later appropriated by contemporary Catholic theologian Karl Rahner. As St Clement of Alexandria writes : “The Word of God became man, that you may learn from man how man may become God." Eastern Christians refer to this as theosis.</div>
<div><br></div><div>In Western Christianity, it is seen as necessary in order for God to be able to suffer and die (God by nature being impassible and immortal) in order to pay the price for humanity's sins. The Epistle to the Hebrews compares the sacrifice of Jesus (God incarnate) to the sacrifices of the Temple, and poses the question that if God is willing to accept mere birds and bullocks as sacrifices for this or that sin, how much more could the sacrifice of God Himself be worth to blot out the sins of all humanity?<br>
</div><div><br></div><div><br></div><br><div class="gmail_quote">On Wed, Dec 15, 2010 at 4:22 PM, Craig Brewer <span dir="ltr"><<a href="mailto:cnbrewer@yahoo.com">cnbrewer@yahoo.com</a>></span> wrote:<br><blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="margin:0 0 0 .8ex;border-left:1px #ccc solid;padding-left:1ex;">
<div><div style="font-family:times new roman,new york,times,serif;font-size:12pt"><div>Just curious, then: if the Logos was eternal, why did it have to enter history in the form of an actual living man?<br><br>(Not arguing...honestly curious. And sorry to get away from Wolfe. Theological discussions on this list sometimes seem to get contentious.)<br>
</div><div style="font-family:times new roman,new york,times,serif;font-size:12pt"><br><div style="font-family:times new roman,new york,times,serif;font-size:12pt"><font face="Tahoma" size="2"><hr size="1"><b><span style="font-weight:bold">From:</span></b> Matthew Weber <<a href="mailto:palaeologos@gmail.com" target="_blank">palaeologos@gmail.com</a>><div class="im">
<br><b><span style="font-weight:bold">To:</span></b> The Urth Mailing List <<a href="mailto:urth@lists.urth.net" target="_blank">urth@lists.urth.net</a>><br></div><b><span style="font-weight:bold">Sent:</span></b> Wed, December 15, 2010 6:18:46 PM<div class="im">
<br><b><span style="font-weight:bold">Subject:</span></b> Re: (urth) christ, already<br></div></font><br>
<br><div><div class="h5"><br><div class="gmail_quote">On Wed, Dec 15, 2010 at 4:13 PM, Jerry Friedman <span dir="ltr"><<a rel="nofollow" href="mailto:jerry_friedman@yahoo.com" target="_blank">jerry_friedman@yahoo.com</a>></span> wrote:<blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="margin:0pt 0pt 0pt 0.8ex;border-left:1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204);padding-left:1ex">
<div><div style="font-family:times new roman,new york,times,serif;font-size:12pt">
<div> </div>
<div>Is it correct in Catholic theology to say that the Second Person or Logos has existed eternally but didn't become Jesus Christ till he incarnated?</div>
<div> </div>
</div></div></blockquote></div><div><br></div><div>That is precisely the case. <br clear="all"></div><br>-- <br>Matt +<br><br>The seaman's story is of tempest, the plowman's of his team of bulls; the soldier tells his wounds, the shepherd his tale of sheep.<br>
Sextus Propertius (54 B.C.-A.D. 2), Elegies, II, i, 43<br><br>
</div></div></div></div>
</div><br>
</div><br>_______________________________________________<br>
Urth Mailing List<br>
To post, write <a href="mailto:urth@urth.net">urth@urth.net</a><br>
Subscription/information: <a href="http://www.urth.net" target="_blank">http://www.urth.net</a><br></blockquote></div><br><br clear="all"><br>-- <br>Matt +<br><br>The seaman's story is of tempest, the plowman's of his team of bulls; the soldier tells his wounds, the shepherd his tale of sheep.<br>
Sextus Propertius (54 B.C.-A.D. 2), Elegies, II, i, 43<br><br>