In Athanasius’ On the Incarnation of the Word, Athanasius speaks of Christ as a figure who was intended to provide salvation to all, and restore harmony to humanity. Christ was an incarnation of the Word of God, and therefore, he was God. First, Athanius discusses the fact that Man is made in God’s image. Man is connected very strongly to the word of God, particularly through its incarnation into Jesus Christ. At the same time, man quickly turned to sin and debauchery, due to a rejection of the contemplation of God.
This led to a marring of God’s name, it ruined His work, because they were no longer following His word and His commandments. This indicates a certain weakness on the part of God, because he was not able to control the actions of man and prevent them from becoming debaucherers. The only real recovery is through repentance, but the letter of the law must still be abided. The grace of God’s image has to be restored and our own corruption had to be expunged.
Therefore, Jesus Christ came to Earth as the incarnation of the Word – He was able to manifest Himself through Mary, a virgin, and is birthed in order to do his duty. This body was immortal, a purposeful move in order to provide a better position with which to take out corruption in man. He managed to teach the good Word, and sacrificed Himself in order to absolve Man for his sins.
Jesus was a man because God realized that due to His nature, man could not really know Him as He felt they should. Man did not appreciate this, and fell to idolatry, making it time for Him to make His presence known. By making the Word of God manifest, he could restore faith and bring back the unbelievers. He couldn’t stand idly by and allow man to destroy itself through idolatry. He wanted His kingdom back, and therefore he needed a messenger.
The Word needed to present itself as a man, as that would be what other men would listen to. The corporeal nature of Christ allowed him to be all things at once; man, nature, or even the dead. This could make Him someone all mankind could follow. As a result, he proceeded to wipe out all corruption, and cease all pagan oracles, allowing Christian faith to be restored and maintained. When he was killed and then resurrected, it silenced the sophists and allowed the true nature of His Word to be revealed to all.
Athanasius’ final decree is to have those who read this treatise look for the Scriptures and study them thoroughly. He treats the treatise as a sketch of the overall Word of God, and by reading the Holy Bible, one can gain elaboration on what he has said in this text. Only then can you have a full understanding of what awaits you in the afterlife. The entire treatise is an opportunity to know better the coming of Christ and his overall meaning.
Basil, On the Holy Spirit (Chaps. 16-21)
Basil, in his book On the Holy Spirit, posits that the Holy Spirit cannot be separated whatsoever from the Father and the Son. All three members of the Holy Trinity carry a special relationship, as the Holy Spirit provides a sense of grace to all, and is the basis for the supernatural powers of the Lord. The Holy Spirit is also responsible for the resurrection of Christ, along with many other things, making Him an essential part of the spiritual equation. Wherever the Father or the Son go, the Holy Spirit is with them, granting grace to Man.
Not only is the Holy Spirit an integral part of the Holy Trinity, He is an equal part. The act of subnumerating the Trinity is faulty, because it is an ignorant and strange way to display favoritism towards one specific part of the Trinity. They are all one being, and therefore rating them is also faulty. There is no specific order they need to go in; they are the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost, not the first, second and third. This counts against the faith and displays a lesser quantity in some aspects of the Lord than others.
The Spirit must be glorified; whatever grace it grants should not be overlooked or underestimated. At the same time, the Spirit is not free; he is also called the Lord. They are one and the same, and they both (all three parts of the Trinity) are responsible for your eternal soul. The Spirit concerns himself with the letter of the law, and is required to enforce it.
Augustine, On Grace and Free Will
In A Treatise on Grace and Free Will, Augustine attempts to demonstrate the dangers of rejecting either grace or free will in favor of the other. According to Augustine, man is allowed to have both of them at once, because grace is achieved through Jesus as opposed to merely good deeds. Grace, as a concept, is the thing that provides us with our sense of duty and obligation, making us obey the laws of both man and God. In order to be good and receive grace from god, good works do have to be done. God Himself provides the inclination to do good in the hearts of man. God judges all, whether they are good or bad; good deeds are rewarded with grace, while bad deeds are punished.
Augustine explains that the purpose of this treatise is to respond to those who argue for free will over the guidance of God. Valentinus, Augustine’s brother, has many in his congregation who have doubts, and thusly Augustine writes this to help explain his points further. He explains that the Scriptures offer man “a free choice of will.” He did so divinely, and the reason for that is because, without free will, there is no true following of God. The teachings of God would be useless to us if we were mere puppets for him. He then reveals that free will is also what compels people to do bad things; people cannot blame God for their inaction and thus provide an excuse for their behavior.
He later explains that the will carries with it the desire to fulfill God’s commands, and therefore it still shows a man to be free. However, they know that, in order to be happy, they must follow the teachings of God. Chapter 5 shows that, while sinning without knowing it does not excuse that behavior, it is far worse to sin while still recognizing what you are doing. In later chapters, Augustine discusses the requirement of having a combination of grace and free will in order to succeed in life. Waiting until marriage to have sex is one of God’s commandments, and is a gift in and of itself. Grace can be proven through prayer, especially as temptation nears. The merits of man are not what provide grace; it is doled out regardless of good or bad intentions. The apostle Paul is an example of someone who received grace, as his good merits from keeping the faith end up saving him. This faith that he kept was kept through mercy, something that God gives out freely. If one has faith, but does not perform good works, they do not get saved – they must take an active part in their community and their Christian family. God has many talents, including being able to change the wills of people in order to bring them to salvation, and he can remove a hard heart and make it better. He can exert his influence on the human will if he so chooses.
Aquinas, Summa Theologica 1.1 Sacred Doctrine
In Aquinas’ Summa Theologica 1.1 Treatise on Sacred Doctrine, there are ten articles that are debated regarding the sacred Doctrine – these address lingering questions about whether or not they should be expanded, etc. The first, asking whether they need further doctrine, argues that since man shouldn’t look for what is “above reason.” However, Aquinas posits that man’s salvation is dependent on receiving the knowledge that god has, besides philosophy. Second, he asks whether or not sacred doctrine should be considered a science, to which he replies that it is (a single science in fact). Aquinas equates it to a higher science beyond arithmetic and biology, stating that the practitioner learns from the practices and principles that God bestows upon us, much as in science. At the same time, it is not just a practical science; it is also a speculative science. Both are required to cover the full spectrum of the human experience.
According to Aquinas, the sacred doctrine surpasses all other sciences due to the fact that it is part speculative and part practical, usurping all others which are just one. The doctrine carries wisdom beyond that of man in an absolute sense, due to God being its creator. This science deals with God, and it does not argue to prove the principles behind it, since there is no barometer to gauge this highest level of science. The Holy Scripture must be allowed to use metaphors, as that is a means to communicate lessons to the people, and the words must be allowed to have many meanings, because that is the only way to bring forth the full significance of His words.
Anselm, Cur Deus Homo
In St. Anselm’s book Cur Deus Homo, he presents a doctrine of faith that considers the thoughts of unbelievers and infidels. Christians need a reason to have faith, and a reason to show others why they should as well. Added clarification is needed in order to further explain the principles of Christianity to them. It is important to understand what is believed; this is a difficult task, as many who listen to things they do not agree with will just blame the speaker and not the content.
According to Anselm, infidels believe that believers are simple minded and dull to believe that Jesus was an immaculate birth who endured terrible things in order to die for our sins. However, that simply makes His story all the more miraculous, as it tells of human redemption and the possibility for salvation through Him. This is not enough for infidels, however, as these things are not decisive to them. Only God could have brought about the redemption of man, even though people would find it more believable that a regular man could have died for our sins and not the Son of God.
Infidels find incredible fault in the teachings of God, especially the belief that He died to redeem us. They do not think there is something wrong with them that has to be redeemed, and therefore these actions were unnecessary, What’s more, they do not think that the devil could bind God in a game for the souls of man; if God were to exist, he would be all-powerful and not allow His subjects to be ensnared by the devil. What’s more, they do not believe that Jesus even died, as even as a man he would not have been resurrected. Jesus did not die because he was forced to but because he chose to, even though he suffered at the hands of Man. Such is the way of a Father and Son performing these actions in order to glorify God.
Sin is a matter of occasions when God is not given his due by man; all God wants of us is to act according to his will, and when we do not do that, we do not render him his due, leading to sin. Some may argue that God should be compassionate and not punish for the committing of sins, but God should not let things go by without being punished, as people need to be held accountable for their actions, even by God. In order to absolve man for these sins, Christ needed to pay His life in blood, despite the fact that some felt it was unnecessary.
Eventually, Anselm discusses the extent of God’s compassion, and his capacity for forgiveness. The devil can never be reconciled, and as a result, God must be able to be reconciled with in order to achieve happiness and grace. No matter how much one has sinned, if you put yourself before God and earnestly ask for his forgiveness, he will grant it.
Devotional Reflection
The Cur Deus Homo text, of all the available readings, spoke to me very dramatically. In my own life and teachings, I have come across many people who do not believe – “infidels” in this book, but I simply refer to them as “nonbelievers.” I am perpetually in a state of debate with them over the existence and validity of God. These individuals (good friends of mine) perpetually have the same arguments as to whether or not God exists, and they ask me to explain the varying plot holes and inconsistencies in the Bible. They also question the simplicity of the faith, and how strange it must be to believe so blindly (in their eyes) in what could be a fictional bogeyman designed to tell people what not to do two thousand years ago.
This text, with its message aimed squarely at nonbelievers, has been very enlightening to me. The investigations that Anselm and Boso undertake as part of this treatise read like many of my interactions with my non-Christian friends. The simpler and more matter-of-fact discussions that take place regarding all aspects of Christianity have really helped me come to terms with my own faith and learn how to better defend it in public. While I am not at the level where I can make converts, I can at least get my nonbeliever acquaintances to understand that there is a perfectly valid reason for believing in God.
The arguments that they have, particularly towards the subjectively preposterous notion of a virgin birth, are always very intriguing to me, because I do not know exactly how to reply in a way that satisfies them. Due to my faith, I do understand and believe that the virgin birth occurred, and that it was further proof that the Son of God had come to Earth. However, with the help of Anselm’s work, I can articulate this faith and this reasoning much more clearly, to the point where I can at least get them to understand my position.
These thoughts have also helped me in my own faith. I would not be remiss to point out that I, like many, have had crises of faith. I did ask these very same questions, and some of the questions still linger in my head, because I have no answers. Cur Deus Homo is able to provide me with some semblance of understanding, and an acknowledgement that it is okay to feel these things and have these reservations – it only strengthens my resolve when I realize the truth of God’s gift to the world.
The greatest thing I realized is that, for infidels and unbelievers, no amount of evidence or rhetorical convincing will actually sway them. The answers that Anselm and myself give them will not be decisive enough, and they must merely take them into consideration. The decision has to come from their hearts and their minds, and they must completely give themselves over to God. Only then can a true conversion in the eyes of the Lord take place.
