Ben Chomp
Puritan Board Freshman
Early on in "On the Incarnation", Athanasius is reflecting on the human condition both as creatures and as sinners. He says of humans as creatures:
"By nature, of course, man is mortal, since he was made from nothing; but he bears also the Likeness of Him Who is, and if he preserves that Likeness through constant contemplation, then his nature is deprived of its power and he remains incorrupt."
Kindof intersting. I might be misunderstanding how Athanasius is using "nature", but he seems to be saying that mortality is part of human nature and it is only through communion with God that man is made immortal. When communion is broken due to sin, man reverts to his created nature which is to return to dust.
This might be behind some of the Eastern Orthodox conceptions of sin and death which unfortunately lack a legal dimension. What are your thoughts on this Athanasius quote? Is he right? Is he wrong? Is he somewhere in between?
"By nature, of course, man is mortal, since he was made from nothing; but he bears also the Likeness of Him Who is, and if he preserves that Likeness through constant contemplation, then his nature is deprived of its power and he remains incorrupt."
Kindof intersting. I might be misunderstanding how Athanasius is using "nature", but he seems to be saying that mortality is part of human nature and it is only through communion with God that man is made immortal. When communion is broken due to sin, man reverts to his created nature which is to return to dust.
This might be behind some of the Eastern Orthodox conceptions of sin and death which unfortunately lack a legal dimension. What are your thoughts on this Athanasius quote? Is he right? Is he wrong? Is he somewhere in between?