incarnation

   An incarnation is literally a becoming flesh, specifically the Christian doctrine that the second person of the Trinity became a human being (John 1: 14). The central problem of the incarnation is concerned with the fact that God seems to exemplify attributes that are incompatible with being a human person. Take for instance the attribute of omniscience. How can it be that the Son is divine and so essentially omniscient, but that, apparently, he is ignorant and learns in the incarnation? The traditional response that the Son is omniscient qua divinity but of limited knowledge qua humanity sounds suspiciously as though it is invoking two subjects of predication, which would seem to imply Nestorianism. The more radical approach of kenoticism (as held by, for example, Charles Gore) involves denying that the Son essentially exemplifies whatever divine attributes would conflict with an incarnation. Hence, at the incarnation the Son ceases to exemplify attributes like omniscience, omnipotence and omnipresence - at least until the glorified state. Attractive though it may be, kenoticism presents us with a dilemma: either we deny the strong intuitions that God essentially exemplifies these attributes, or we deny that in the incarnation Christ is fully God.

   See atonement; sin

   Further reading: Cross 2002; Davis, Stephen 2004; Morris 1986; Sturch 1991; Torrance 1978