Chapter 28 — The error of Photinus about the Incarnation

Some, through abuse of the words of the Scriptures, have conceived false notions about the divine and human natures of our Lord Jesus Christ.

For instance, Ebion and Cerinthus (and Paul of Samosata and Photinus after them) said that Christ was a mere man. They ascribed divinity to him not as though he were God by nature but because by his deeds he had merited to surpass others in his share of divine glory, as we stated above. (Ch. 4.)

Now this view, in addition to what we have already said about it, destroys the mystery of the Incarnation.

In this view, God would not have taken flesh, and become man, but fleshly man would have become God. Consequently, there would have been no truth in the sentence of John: The Word became flesh (John 1:14), but rather should he have said that flesh was made the Word.

In like manner, the Son of God would not have come down and emptied himself, but man would have been raised and glorified, so that the Apostle could not say truly: Who, though he was in the form of God . . . emptied himself, taking the form of a servant (Phil 2:6–7); and it would have been only the man that was raised to divine glory, of which it is said: Therefore God has highly exalted him (Phil 2:9).

Nor would our Lord’s words be true: I have come down from heaven (John 6:38), but only his words: I am ascending to my Father (John 20:17). And yet Scripture unites these two statements where our Lord says: No one has ascended into heaven but he who descended from heaven, the Son of man who is in heaven (John 3:13); and: He who descended is he who also ascended far above all the heavens (Eph 4:10).

Again, in this case, it could not be said that the Son was sent by the Father, nor that he came out from the Father in order to come into the world, but only that he went to the Father. And yet he unites both together: I am going to him who sent me (John 16:5); and: I came from the Father and have come into the world; again, I am leaving the world and going to the Father (John 16:28). Both of these bear witness to the human and divine natures.