Athnasius, On the incarnation - Essay Example

…………… Commentary: Athnasius, On the incarnation This article seems to be written more to refute the philosophy of the incarnation’s ideals than to describe the incarnation’s doctrine. God made the world from the pre-existent matter. Man started worshipping idols instead of the true Creator. God sent men from His side to spread truth and awareness among the men about Him. God wants man to be closer to soul rather than worshipping his body. The article discusses factors that make man deviate from the truth.

A very interesting aspect of this article is the difference it highlights between soul and body and the potential consequences an individual’s association to one or the other can have on his/her life as well as afterlife. The author declares that God wants man to remain closer to his soul but man chooses otherwise and considers his body more important. “With their souls directed towards the body, in, by, and for itself, the body is now the very point of human separation from God” (p. 28).

Another very interesting thing about this article is the description of Antony near the point of his death; “He lost none of his teeth – they simply had been worn to the gums because of the old man’s great age” (p. 43). The description speaks of vitality of Anton that is an insignia of anticipation of the resurrectional incorruptibility. The victory of the body is a clear indication of the defeat of the devil since the devil conquers and contemplates his evil machinations using flesh, blood, and body.