On the Incarnation
by Athanasius · Περὶ τῆς ἐνανθρωπήσεως τοῦ Λόγου
Assigned by 1 of the 9 reading lists, catalogue entry only
- Written
- c. 318
- Form
- Theology
- Language
- Greek
- Length
- Short · 90 ppunder 120 pages
- Difficulty
- Moderate2 of 5 for a first-year reader
We recommendOn the IncarnationSt Vladimir's Seminary PressThe Popular Patristics edition, with John Behr's translation and C. S. Lewis's introduction to the older version.
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A short treatise by the young Athanasius, companion to his Against the Gentiles, on why God became man. Human beings were made from nothing and given a share in the Word's own life; turning from God, they fell back toward the nothing they came from, and death and corruption followed. No repentance could reverse corruption, and God would not simply let his work perish, so the Word took a human body in order to die in it and destroy death from inside. Athanasius then answers Jewish and Greek objections, arguing from prophecy and from the visible collapse of idolatry.
No reading guide yet
The catalogue entry above is complete: the dates, the form, the themes and every program that assigns On the Incarnation are verified against each program's published list.
What is missing is the part that takes real work: the summary, the key passages, and a recommended translation. The edition named below is the one most programs assign, so the buy links are useful already.
