Part I, Chapter IV — Incarnation, Passion, and Death of the Son of God

78. Are there two natures in Jesus Christ?

In Jesus Christ there are two natures: the divine nature and the human nature.

79. Are there in Jesus Christ also two persons together with the two natures?

In Jesus Christ, with the two natures, there are not two persons, but only one — the divine Person of the Son of God.

80. How was Jesus Christ known to be the Son of God?

Jesus Christ was known to be the Son of God because God the Father proclaimed Him such at the Baptism and at the Transfiguration, saying, "This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased" (Matt. III. 17; Luke IX. 35); and because Jesus Himself declared the same in His earthly life.

81. Did Jesus Christ always exist?

Jesus Christ as God always existed; as man He began to be from the moment of the Incarnation.

82. From whom was Jesus Christ born?

Jesus Christ was born of Mary ever Virgin, who is therefore called and truly is the Mother of God.

83. Was Saint Joseph not the father of Jesus Christ?

Saint Joseph was not the true father of Jesus Christ, but His foster-father; that is, as the spouse of Mary and the guardian of Jesus, he was believed to be His father without actually being so.

84. Where was Jesus Christ born?

Jesus Christ was born in Bethlehem, in a stable, and was laid in a manger.

85. Why did Jesus Christ wish to be poor?

Jesus Christ wished to be poor in order to teach us to be humble and not to place our happiness in the riches, honors, and pleasures of the world.

86. What did Jesus Christ do in His earthly life?

Jesus Christ, in His earthly life, taught us by example and by word to live according to God, and confirmed His doctrine by miracles; finally, to blot out sin, reconcile us with God, and reopen heaven for us, He offered Himself in sacrifice on the Cross, "the one Mediator between God and men."

87. What is a miracle?

A miracle is a perceptible event, above all the forces and laws of nature, and therefore such that it can come only from God, the Master of nature.

88. By what miracles especially did Jesus Christ confirm His doctrine and prove that He is true God?

Jesus Christ confirmed His doctrine and proved that He is true God especially by restoring in an instant sight to the blind, hearing to the deaf, speech to the mute, health to every kind of sick person, and life to the dead; by commanding as Master over demons and the forces of nature; and above all by His Resurrection from death.

89. Did Jesus Christ die as God or as man?

Jesus Christ died as man, because as God He could neither suffer nor die.

90. What became of Jesus Christ after His death?

After His death, Jesus Christ descended in soul to Limbo, to the souls of the just who had died until then, to lead them with Him into heaven; then He rose, taking again His body which had been buried.

91. How long did the body of Jesus Christ remain in the tomb?

The body of Jesus Christ remained in the tomb three days, not whole, from the evening of Friday until the dawn of the day now called Easter Sunday.