INCARNATION
particular
points
as
the
plural
form
of
Elohim
(God),
or
the
triple
repetition
of
the
Divine
name
(Is
6^
Nu
e^'),
it
may
at
least
be
said
that
the
idea
of
God
in
Jewish
monotheism
is
not
a
bare
unit,
and
'
can
only
be
appre-hended
as
that
which
involves
diversity
as
well
as
unity.'
Moreover,
the
doctrine
of
the
Divine
Wisdom
as
set
forth
in
the
Books
of
Proverbs
and
Wisdom
(Pr
8^^
Wis
7^-"
8'
etc.)
personifies
Wisdom
almost
to
the
point
of
ascribing
to
it
separate
existence.
The
doctrine
was
carried
further
by
Philo,
with
assistance
from
Greek
thought,
and
prepared
the
way
for
St.
John's
conception
of
the
Logos,
the
Word
of
God.
(.d)
The
Messianic
hope.
This
was
at
its
root
an
anticipation
of
the
union
of
Divine
and
human
attributes
in
a
single
personality
(see
Messiah).
It
developed
along
several
distinct
lines
of
thought
and
expectation,
and
it
will
be
noted
that
these
are
not
combined
in
the
OT;
but
Christianity
claims
to
supply
the
explanation
and
fulfil-ment
of
them
all.
2.
The
fact
of
the
Incarnation
in
the
NT.
—
(a)
The
humanity
of
Christ.
It
is
beyond
dispute
that
Christ
is
represented
in
the
NT
as
a
man.
He
was
born,
indeed,
under
miraculous
conditions,
but
of
a
human
mother.
He
grew
up
with
gradually
developing
powers
(Lk
2'^).
The
people
among
whom
He
lived
for
thirty
years
do
not
appear
to
have
recognized
anything
ex-traordinary
in
Him
(Mt
13").
During
the
period
of
His
life
about
which
detailed
information
has
been
recorded,
we
read
of
ordinary
physical
and
moral
characteristics.
He
suffered
weariness
(Mk
4*^,
Jn
4'),
hunger
(Mt
4^),
thirst
(Jn
19=8);
he
died
and
was
buried.
He
felt
even
strong
emotions:
wonder
(Mk
6^,
Lk
7"),
compassion
(Mk
82,
Lk
7"),
joy
(Lk
10"),
anger
(Mk
8>2
10>«);
He
was
deeply
moved
(Jn
US',
Mk
143^).
He
acquired
in-formation
in
the
ordinary
way
(Mk
6"
9",
Jn
11'*).
He
was
tempted
(Mt
4'-",
Lk
22^8).
And
it
may
be
further
asserted
with
the
utmost
confidence,
that
neither
in
the
Gospels
norinanyother
part
of
the
N'T
is
there
the
smallest
support
for
a
Docetic
explanation
of
these
facts
(that
is,
for
the
theory
that
He
only
seemed
to
undergo
the
experiences
narrated).
(6)
The
Divinity
of
Christ.
Side
by
side
with
this
picture
of
perfect
humanity
there
is
an
ever-present
belief
through
all
the
NT
writings
that
Christ
was
more
than
a
man.
From
the
evidential
point
of
view
the
most
important
and
unquestionable
testimony
to
the
early
belief
of
His
disciples
is
contained
in
St.
Paul's
Epistles,
especially
those
to
the
Romans,
Galatians,
and
Corinthians,
which
are
among
the
earliest
books
of
the
NT,
and
of
the
most
undisputed
genuine-ness.
In
these
Epistles
we
find
Jesus
Christ
'co-ordinated
with
God
in
the
necessarily
Divine
functions,
in
a
manner
impossible
to
the
mind
of
a
Jewish
mono-theist
like
St.
Paul,
unless
the
co-ordinated
person
is
really
believed
to
belong
to
the
properly
Divine
being.
'
In
the
Gospels
we
have
an
account
of
how
this
belief
arose.
The
Synoptic
Gospels
supply
a
simple
narrative
of
fact
in
which
we
can
mark
the
growing
belief
of
the
disciples;
and
the
Fourth
Gospel
definitely
marks
stages
of
faith
on
the
part
of
Christ's
adherents,
and
of
hatred
on
the
part
of
His
enemies.
The
following
points
may
be
specially
noted
in
the
Gospels:
—
(1)
Extraordinary
characteristics
are
constantly
as-cribed
to
Christ,
not
in
themselves
necessarily
Divine,
but
certainly
such
as
to
distinguish
Christ
in
a
marked
degree
from
other
men.
There
is
a
personal
Influence
of
a
very
remarkable
kind.
This
is
naturally
not
described
or
dwelt
upon,
but
every
page
of
the
Gospels
testifies
to
its
existence.
The
earliest
record
of
Christ's
life
is
pre-eminently
miraculous.
In
spite
of
economy
and
restraint
of
power,
mighty
works
are
represented
as
having
been
the
natural,
sometimes
the
almost
involuntary,
accompaniments
of
His
ministrations.
Two
special
miracles,
the
Resurrection
and
the
Virgin-
birth,
are
noticed
separately
below.
He
spoke
with
authority
(Mk
7™).
He
claimed
to
fulfil
the
Law
—
a
law
recognized
as
Divine
—
to
be
Lord
of
the
Sabbath,
INCARNATION
and
to
give
a
new
law
to
His
disciples.
In
all
His
teaching
there
is
an
implicit
claim
to
infallibility.
In
spite
of
His
being
subject
to
temptation,
the
possibiUty
of
moral
failure
is
never
entertained.
There
is
nothing
that
marks
Christ
off
from
other
men
more
than
this.
In
all
other
good
men
the
sense
of
sin
becomes
more
acute
with
increasing
holiness.
In
Christ
it
did
not
exist.
The
title
of
'Son
of
Man'
which
He
habitually
used
may
have
more
meanings
than
one.
But
com-paring
the
different
connexions
in
which
it
is
used,
we
can
hardly
escape
the
conclusion
that
Christ
identifies
Himself
with
the
consummation
and
perfection
of
humanity.
(2)
He
claimed
to
be
the
Messiah,
summing
up
and
uniting
the
different
lines
of
expectation
alluded
to
above.
As
has
been
pointed
out,
the
Messianic
hope
included
features
both
human
and
Divine;
and
although
this
was
not
recognized
beforehand,
it
appears
to
us,
looking
back,
that
these
expectations
could
not
have
been
adequately
satisfied
except
by
the
Incarnation.
(3)
Of
some
of
the
things
mentioned
above
it
might
be
a
sufficient
explanation
to
say,
that
Christ
was
a
man
endowed
with
exceptional
powers
and
graces
by
God,
and
approved
by
mighty
wonders
and
signs.
But
even
in
the
Synoptic
Gospels,
which
are
for
the
most
part
pure
narrative,
there
is
more
than
this.
In
the
claim
to
forgive
sins
(Mt
9^-°),
to
judge
the
world
(Mk
14M-
63),
to
reveal
the
will
of
the
Father
(Mt
11«),
in
His
commission
to
the
Church
(Mt
28i8-!o_
nk
16"-",
Lk
24"-"),
and
above
all,
perhaps,
in
the
claim
of
personal
adhesion
which
He
ever
made
on
His
disciples.
He
assumes
a
relationship
to
God
which
would
not
be
possible
to
one
who
was
not
conscious
of
being
more
than
man.
(4)
In
the
discourses
in
the
Fourth
Gospel,
Christ
plainly
asserts
His
own
pre-existence
and
His
own
essential
relation
to
the
Father.
If
these
discourses
represent
even
the
substance
of
a
side
of
Christ's
teaching
(a
point
which
must
be
assumed
and
not
argued
here).
He
explicitly
bore,vritness_to
His
eternal
relation
to
the
Father.
(5)
What
crowned
the
faith
of
the
disciples
was
the
fact
of
the
Resurrection.
Their
absolute
belief
in
the
reality
of
this
fact
swept
away
all
doubts
and
misgivings.
At
first,
no
doubt,
they
were
so
much
absorbed
in
the
fact
itself
that
they
did
not
at
once
reason
out
all
that
it
meant
to
their
beliefs;
and
in
teaching
they
had
to
adapt
their
message
to
the
capacities
of
their
hearers;
but
there
can
be
no
question
about
the
place
which
the
belief
in
the
Resurrection
took
in
determining
their
creed
(see
jEstrs
Christ,
p.
458°).
(6)
One
miracle
recorded
in
the
Gospels,
the
Virgin-
birth,
naturally
did
not
form
part
of
the
first
cycle
of
Apostolic
teaching.
The
Apostles
bore
witness
to
their
own
experience
and
to
the
growth
of
their
own
faith,
and
they
knew
Jesus
Christ
first
as
a
man.
Apart
from
the
evidence
for
the
fact,
it
has
seemed
to
most
Christians
in
all
ages
that
the
idea
of
a
new
creative
act
is
naturally
associated
with
the
occurrence
of
the
Incarnation.
3.
Purpose
and
results
of
the
Incamation.—
(a)
Con^
summation
of
the
universe
and
of
humanity.
—
St.
Paul
(Eph
1"»)
speaks
of
the
purpose
of
God
'to
sum
up
all
things
in
Christ,
the
things
in
the
heavens
and
the
things
upon
the
earth'
(of.
He
2i»).
This
is
a
view
which
is
not
often
explicitly
dwelt
upon
in
the
Scriptures,
but
the
idea
appears
to
pervade
the
NT,
and
it
is
con-spicuous
in
Eph.,
Col.,
and
Hebrews.
Christ
is
repre-sented
as
fulfilling
the
purpose
of
humanity
and
there-fore
of
the
universe,
as
being
its
first
and
final
cause,
'for
whom
are
all
things,
and
through
whom
are
all
things.'
It
is
hardly
necessary
to
point
out
that
the
modern
teaching
of
evolution,
if
not
anticipated
by
Christianity,
at
least
adapts
itself
singularly
well
to
the
expression
of
this
aspect
of
it.
(6)
Supreme
revelation
of
God.
—
Christians
have
always
believed
that
even
the
material
universe
was
destined
