THE SYRIAN ORTHODOX CHURCH OF ANTIOCH

The Syrian Orthodox Church

By H.H. MOR IGNATIUS YACOUB III (1980+)

ITS DOCTRINE CONCERNING THE DIVINE MYSTERIES OF INCARNATION AND REDEMPTION

The Syrian Orthodox Church’s belief in the Divine Mystery of incarnation is as follows: -

THE UNIQUE SON AND WORD OF GOD, WHO IS THE SECOND PERSON IN THE HOLY TRINITY, DESCENDED FROM HEAVEN TO THE WOMB OF VIRGIN MARY AND WAS INCARNATE AND MADE MAN OF HER BY THE HOLY SPIRIT AND BORN FROM HER AFTER NINE MONTHS IN AN UNDESCRIBABLE WAY, WHILE SHE REMAINED VIRGIN DURING THE TIME OF BRINGING FORTH AND AFTER THAT ALSO. IT MAINTAINS ALSO THAT THE UNION OF GODHEAD WITH MANHOOD WAS AFFECTED AT THE FIRST MOMENT WHEN THE VIRGIN CONCEIVED HIM IN HER WOMB. THAT IS, NEITHER GODHEAD WAS IN EXISTENCE IN THE WOMB BEFORE THE EXISTENCE OF THE MANHOOD IN IT, NOR THE MANHOOD WAS IN EXISTENCE THERE BEFORE GODHEAD. AS A RESULT OF THIS FIRM AND INSEPARABLE UNION THE CHURCH MAINTAINS THAT THE INCARNATE WORD OF GOD HAS ONE PERSON OF TWO, AND ONE COMPOUND NATURE WITHOUT CONFUSION OR MIXTURE OR CHANGE. SINCE THIS CHILD IS REAL GOD AND REAL AND PERFECT MAN HIS MOTHER WAS THEOTOKOS OR GOD-BEARER.

In maintaining these teachings the Church rejected the heretics, who denied the reality of His Manhood, or regarded as untenable the possibility of the union of God who is good with matter which is evil (According to them), and those who said that His body was from heaven, or that His Manhood was without the human and rational soul and that Godhead filled its place and was mixed with manhood, or that the Incarnation took place by matrimony, or that the person born from St. Mary was merely a man, who was later on justified by his deeds and became worthy of the reception of Godhead in him.

As for the divine Mystery of Redemption, the Church believed as follows: -

THE INCARNATE SON AND WORD OF GOD WAS REALLY CRUCIFIED AND HE SUFFERED AND DIED IN MANHOOD BY THE SEPARATION OF HIS SOUL FROM HIS BODY AND HE WAS BIRED IN THE TOMB, WHEREAS HIS GODHEAD WAS SEPARATED NEITHER FROM HIS SOUL NOR FROM HIS BODY, WHILE HE WAS ON THE CROSS OR IN THE TOMB. THE SUFFERINGS DID NOT TOUCH HIS GODHEAD. ON THE THIRD DAY, HE ROSE FROM THE DEAD.

The Church in maintaining these facts, rejected the heretics who maintained that this happened by fancy. That is, He pretended to be suffering whereas He did not really suffer, or another one like him suffered, or His Godhead was separated from His Manhood , hence it suffered together the crucifixion and death.

WEB MASTERS

File created: 25/02/97 7:15:00 PM
File last modified: 26-Apr-2008 8:07 PM

(syrianorthodoxchurch@orthodox.com)