Answers to Millenia-Old Reflections

Cover of On the Incarnation by St. Athanasius St.Vladimir's Seminary Press

Have you ever wondered if Jesus was really God?

Or why God went through all the trouble of sending Jesus instead of instantly forgiving us?

Or if it matters whether or not Jesus was fully man?

Or why Jesus was crucified instead of being beheaded or drowned?

What if I told you there was a book that answers all of these questions? Not only that, but it is a fairly comprehensible read, written by someone only in their twenties, and has been studied for the past 1,700 years.

During the 4th century, there was a young man who lived in a time of great peril, heresy, and persecution. He was a Christian man, strong in his faith and enlightened by God of certain truths. Things that have been studied and debated for over a millennium. He was young and passionate, desiring to share the truth with his friends, and his enemies.

The man’s name was Athanasius.

His work, titled On the Incarnation, is a fascinating read. Each sentence is packed full of meaning yet reads in a clear and easy-to-understand way. Athanasius explains deep theology and defends the faith from Arianism, the Jews, and the Greeks. His points are solid and completely backed by Scripture. His words are simple and yet he writes with an eloquence that is truly tribute to the glory and majesty of God.

Here are just a few of my takeaways. May they give you a small taste of the wisdom in this book and encourage you to go read it for yourself.

Read Old Books (C. S. Lewis)

The introduction to On the Incarnation was written by C. S. Lewis and in it, he expresses how vital it is for people to read old books.

C. S. Lewis says, “Naturally, since I myself am a writer, I do not wish the ordinary reader to read no modern books. But if he must read only the new or only the old, I would advise him to read the old. And I would give him this advice precisely because he is an amateur and therefore much less protected than the expert against the dangers of an exclusive contemporary diet. A new book is still on its trial and the amateur is not in a position to judge it. It has to be tested against the great body of Christian thought down the ages.” (page 10)

He explains in full detail his reasons on why this is so important and exhorts his readers to read one old book for every new one. Or “if that is too much for you, you should at least read one old one to every three new ones.” (page 10)

On the Incarnation is one of those delightfully old books, tested by time and proven to be strong and true.

Jesus Was Always the Plan

There was never a time when God did now know that man would sin and need salvation. Neither was there ever a time when He did not know that the Word must be made incarnate to rescue His creation from corruption.

God could not have just snapped His fingers and forgiven man’s sin.

He never could have just destroyed us and ended it all. To do so would go against the goodness of His nature. (see pages 56-57)

Jesus was always the first and only plan of salvation.

The Cross Was the Only Way Jesus Could Die

Jesus had to die on the cross—specifically, on the cross—and in no other way. This was something I had never considered before. Athanasius explained it so clearly, I wonder how I had never thought about it.

Jesus was the Great Physician, the Lord of all the earth, and the fulfillment of the prophecies. Because of this, the cross was the only way He could have died.

He could not have drowned, or starved, or became ill or weak, or pulled into pieces, or killed in secret. The cross was the only way. (see pages 70-77)

How To Understand the Depths of Scripture

St. Athanasius can describe it better than I, so in his own words: “Without a pure mind and a life modeled on the saints, no one can comprehend the words of the saints.” (page 110)

May we purify our souls and fashion our lives in such a way that we may truly understand the depths of Scripture.

“He Will Stand Before Kings”

St. Athanasius was a man gifted by God, full of wisdom and strength as he fought against the heresies of his time. He was only about twenty-three years old when he wrote this masterful work, On the Incarnation, and it is still studied by Christians 1,700 years later.

This fills me with hope and inspires me. Even if we are young, if we dedicate our work to our God and write in a way that pleases Him, our work may go so much farther than we would expect.

“Do you see a man skillful in his work? He will stand before kings; he will not stand before obscure men.” - Proverbs 22:29 (ESV)

May this be an encouragement to you.

Become skillful in your work. Pursue excellence.

Let every word and every breath be for the glory of our God.

And maybe you will stand before kings.

Unless stated otherwise, all quotes and reference are taken from On the Incarnation. Translated by John Behr. Written by Saint Athanasius. Introduction by C. S. Lewis. St. Vladimir's Seminary Press, 2011.