Incarnation: Hinduism and Christianism

Concept of Incarnation

 Latin ‘caro’ – flesh

 In metaphysics – hylomorphism - matter and form | substance and accidence
 Substantial form takes in prime matter

Hinduism

 Word derived from Persian term ‘sindhu’ – refers to the inhabitants of the Indian continent.
 Not a particular but general philosophical system of thought in Indian Philosophy
 Stands for the collection of philosophical views that shares a connection to certain core Hindu religious
texts. (ex. Vedas)
 A body of all religious/philosophical beliefs in India
 Origin: Vedic tradition
o sacred texts – vedas
o rituals and many gods – religion
o Caste system – society

On Hindu Incarnation

 In general:
 Doctrine – about this world and the other world – a way of life
o What and how in this/other world
o Found in Vedas, Upanishads and other schools
o Most Indian religion holds a belief of Re: Incarnation
 The process of birth and rebirth
o From Brahman (ultimate true reality, first principle, all things derived, less intelligible, origin
and end of beings) transcendental unity of the world
o Into Antman (an entity of Brahman, true inner self, individual, mind, soul, spirit, persists after
death, consist of matter) the internal reality
o Atman leaves brahman, but can’t return easily.
o Must achieve moksha (liberation)
o Under the doctrine of Karma
 Karma – the one that determines the events in a person’s life
 Literally means ‘action’
o what one does/acts/choices in his past is the cause of his present life
o Likewise, what one does/acts/choices in his present, will have an effect in his next life.
 With karma, one repeatedly undergoes reincarnation/transmigration of souls
o Samsara – the cycle
o Until he becomes liberated from rebirth and imperfections – Moksha
 Moksha – spiritual liberated state from samsara
 o End goal of human life
o one realizes that the eternal core of the individual (atman) and the Absolute reality (brahman) are
one.
o breaks the cycle of samsara
 Metaphysics – hylomorphism
o Form is the same but matter frequently changes after deaths
 Substantial form – atman
 takes on Prime matter – body to possess
o Suppositum – that certain or specific or individual living being which has esse
(person/bird/acacia).
o Its nature is determined by virtue of its operation
 Accidents would depend on the substance that the atman possess
 man as human nature, animals as nature proper to it, etc.
o The participation of degree is said to be random – one can either be reincarnated as any living
being.
 Ways to reach Moksha according to some Schools
o Samkhya – attainment of knowledge about self and universe, deep awareness
o Yoga – to remove ignorance and false knowledge, detachment, meditation
o Vedanta – from other schools
 desire, longing for liberation
 discrimination, indifference, calmness of mind, temperance
 free from Maya – world illusions
o Buddhism – soul does not exist. it annihilates upon death. Moksha = nirvana, through
enlightenment (8 and 4)
o Jainism – purification of soul (3 jewels: correct view/knowledge/conduct)
o Sikhism – through god’s grace, by meditating and contemplating
 10 Avatars
o (1) The fish (Matsya). The Vedas were stolen from Brahma by a demon, so the gods sent a flood on the earth
to drown him and thus recover the holy scriptures. Vishnu took the form of a fish, predicted the coming deluge
to the saint Manu and saved him together with his family by leading his ship to safety.

(2) The tortoise (Kurma). During the deluge that destroyed the world the gods lost the cream of the milk
ocean (amrita), by which they renewed their youthfulness and avoided death. G0ods and demons together set
about producing amrita by churning the ocean of milk, using a mountain as churning stick and the incarnation
of Vishnu as a tortoise for the pivot on which to rest it. Their action was successful and the amrita recovered.

(3) The boar (Varaha). Brahma was forced to grant the boon of immortality to a demon that had performed
austerities. Under the cover of this boon, the demon persecuted both men and gods, stole the Vedas from
Brahma and dragged the earth under the ocean, down to his dark abode. However, the demon forgot to mention
the boar in his list of gods, men and animals to which he could be invulnerable, so Vishnu took the form of a
huge boar, descended into the ocean, killed the demon with his tusks, recovered the Vedas and released the
earth.

(4) The man-lion (Narasinha). A demon had obtained the boon of invulnerability through asceticism from the
attacks of men, beasts and gods. He had the assurance from Brahma that he could not be killed either day or
night, inside or outside his house. This demon grew very powerful, forbade the worship of all gods and
 substituted it with worship for himself. Vishnu took the form of half-man, half-lion (neither man nor beast) and
tore the demon into pieces in the evening (neither in the day nor in the night) in the doorway of his palace
(neither inside nor outside it).

(5) The dwarf (Vamana). The king Bali had gained too much power by his sacrifices, so the gods were in
danger of losing their heavenly position to him. Therefore Vishnu was incarnated as a dwarf and asked the
king for the gift of three paces of land. Once they were accepted, the dwarf suddenly grew to an enormous size
and covered all the earth and the heavens by his paces and Bali was left to dwell in hell.

(6) Parasurama (Rama with the ax). The warrior caste (kshatriya) was exercising tyranny over all men,
especially over the Brahmins, so the priestly caste was endangered. Vishnu came to earth as Parasurama and
exterminated the whole kshatriya caste with his ax.

While he was still on earth, the next avatar (Ramachandra) came and the two had to struggle. Ramachandra
defeated Parasurama in a trial of strength and broke his bow. (Both the Ramayana and
the Mahabharata recollect this episode. In the Mahabharata Parasurama is knocked senseless by
Ramachandra.)

(7) Ramachandra (Rama) is the hero of the Ramayana epic. The demon Ravana had practiced austerities in
order to propitiate Brahma, who had granted him immunity from being killed by gods, gandharvas and
demons. Under this protection, Ravana persecuted gods and men. Vishnu took the human form of prince
Rama, for Ravana was too proud to ask for immunity from men. Many adventures followed in Rama's trip to
save his wife Sita, who was kidnapped by the demon and taken to the Lanka Island. Rama raised an army of
monkeys and bears led by the monkey-god Hanuman and a great battle was fought in front of the gates of the
city. Rama used a magic weapon infused by the power of many gods, killed Ravana and rescued his wife.

(8) Krishna. The objective of Vishnu's incarnation as Krishna was to kill the demon Kamsa, who had become
a tyrannical king. He killed children and banned the worship of Vishnu. Krishna's mission had three phases:
childhood, youth and middle age. During childhood he performed many feats of strength, killing all demons
sent against him by Kamsa. In his youth, Krishna had many amorous adventures with married cowgirls. At
last, in his middle-age, he killed Kamsa and took part in the Bharata war (the most famous episode is the one
recollected in the Bhagavad Gita). His mission accomplished, Krishna retreated into the forest in meditation. A
hunter mistook his foot for a deer and shot it, thus piercing Krishna's one vulnerable spot and mortally
wounding him.

(9) Buddha. The demons had stolen the sacrificial potions of the gods and performed asceticism, so the gods
could not conquer them. Vishnu incarnated as a man of delusion in order to propagate false ideas and lead
them astray from their old faith. Buddha preached that there is no creator, that the three major gods (Brahma,
Vishnu and Shiva) were just ordinary mortals, that there is no dharma, that death is total annihilation, there is
no heaven or hell and sacrifices are of no value. Obviously, Buddha as avatar of Vishnu has no historical
foundation. He was a kind of devil's advocate who managed to weaken the opponents of the gods. The demons
became Buddhists, abandoned the Vedas and consequently were killed by the gods. This story was first
presented in the Vishnu Purana (5th century AD) and is obviously an attempt to subordinate Buddhism to
Hinduism.

(10) Kalki. The last avatar, who is still to come, puts an end to the degenerated earth, accomplishing the final
destruction of the wicked and preparing the way for the renewal of creation and the resurgence of virtue in the
next mahayuga.

Christian Concept of Incarnation

  “The Word [God the Son] became flesh [incarnate] and dwelt among us” (John 1: 14).
 Aquinas treatise on Christ
 1st part – metaphysics on hypostatic union
 2nd part – motives and effects
 3rd part – some heresies
Metaphysics

 Christ is both God and man.

 God as man: Suffers from Defects
o particular defects - hungers, thirst, pain, death. but not things that impede his divinity (example:
full knowledge)
o He has whatever man have – did not sin, but suffers from penalties of sin
 God – the fully perfect being assumed humanity. How to explain?
 Guidelines – Communication of Idioms/Properties
 Properties of human nature cannot be attributed directly to divine nature (Vice Versa) – generally
speaking.
 Divine nature can be attributed to a concrete subject even if it derived from human nature –
particular individual.
 Meaning...
 1 person/hypostasis/suppositum (Christ the concrete subject) of 2 natures (human and divine) – man
and God (natures) are pointed to 1 divine person.
 the one person of Jesus can exhibit attributes of divinity (omnipresence, all-knowing, etc.,) and at
the same time exhibit attributes of humanity (eating, walking, learning, growing, etc.)
 1S = 2S1 ^ 2S2 - Godhead and manhood are hypostatically united in Christ
 Example:
 God suffered. God – divine nature, points to a concrete subject, the person of the Word. Concrete
subject subsists in a human nature (pain/sorrow). Therefore, God suffered.
 God died. God – points to a concrete subject, the divine person who possessed divine nature
(immortal), also subsists in a human nature (death). Therefore, God died.
 Dogma of the Divine Maternity: Mary gave birth to a divine person, subsisting a divine & human
nature. Mary is the mother of God.
 John 17:5, “Now, Father, glorify Me together with Yourself, with the glory which I had with You
before the world was.” – the person (Jesus) claims to have divine attribute/nature of pre-existence

 Definition of Terms: Suppositum, Person, and Nature/Essence (page 96).

 Suppositum – primary substance. Distinct from everything else
 Person – suppositum with rational nature (Man) or intellectual nature (God). Of itself and by itself
(subsistence).
 Nature/Essence – no distinction but whole. Communicable (hand in hand)
 Medieval Problem – like Nestorianism heresy, person and nature are one and the same: Christ has 2
persons (God and Man).
 We can tell the distinction between the divine persons, but divine essence/nature are identical.
 Syho – human nature, all men human nature. But he is different person.
 In Christ
  There is 1 who (concrete subject or hypostasis or divine person)
 and 2 whats (divine nature and human nature in which the CS/H/DP subsists)
 2 distinct and complete natures – subsists and unified - in 1 H/DP
 How can the union of 2 opposite natures happened? Logically Impossible, Contradiction?
 No. It did happen hence logically possible
 A mystical union, beyond human comprehension – taken with faith.
Aquinas’ way to illustrate Incarnation: Analogies
Spoken word analogy – in the first place nothing is more like the word of God than the unvoiced word that is
conceived in man’s heart. The word conceived in the heart is unknown to all except to the one who conceives it.
known by others when a voice gives utterance to it.
The word of God – known by the Father alone. But when clothed with flesh as word is clothed with voice, then
he was first made manifested known. Then conversed with men

 Shawarma – no one knew this thought unless I clothed it in flesh (voiced)

 No one knew the 2nd person of the trinity until it was made flesh

Written word analogy – although voiced word is known through hearing, not seen/touch. But when written,
both seen/touch. The word of God became visible/tangible when He was written on our flesh. Man, united to
God’s word, unity of person is called the word of God.

 Shawarma – can know, but can’t experienced/touched.

 Word of God became visible/tangible when he was written in our flesh.

Motives of Incarnation

 Why did God become human? what is the point?

o Is it fitting for God to become incarnate? Of course not.
o Albigensian – material/matter leads to suffering, principle of privation – evil. God cannot take a
body.
o Islamic – incarnation is not in keeping with God’s transcendence/divine sovereignty over His
creation. Wrong idea. Christ is only a great prophet
 Thomistic Response
o Because of God’s goodness – trait of God, it is proper to goodness to communicate itself
o God created us by giving us being – an expression of His goodness
o Offers us the grace of participation in divine life – expression of goodness
o Fittingly, God can become incarnate – way of communicating His goodness, expression of love
to Humanity.
 Is it necessary for God to incarnate to save us? Is there any other way for salvation?
o God could save without the means of incarnation. Incarnation if the most fitting, expressed way
to communicate grace and salvation to Humanity.
o Most fitting – most effective/good/beautiful/wise
 In faith, Incarnation – an act of God, seeking to understand the wisdom of God why He did it?
 Does 2 main things: Response of Faith
 Unites/leads to good
o intellectually – know who God is through incarnation. Spoke in human words, lived among us
 o Hope – strengthened, seeing God’s commitment to us, willed to become Human
o Inspires us to love – showed us intense love, suffered human death for our sake
o Provides us model – on how to live in holiness, through imitation
o Unity – union with God, He became human so we could understand that we can be united with
Him by grace.
o Allows us to see His mysteries.
 Withdraw from evil
o free us from idolatry – better able to distinguish
o Appease God - by offering Himself as a Sacrifice
o Remedy to human presumption – we cannot save ourselves through anything that we can come
up with. He showed us the reality that only Him (mercy) can we be saved.
o Cures our pride – He was born of poverty and died in humiliation.
o Work of atonement – right order of justice. Restored the sinful humanity

Some Heresies: Refuted by the Nicene Creed and Biblical Passages

 Origen – Christ was born to save men and demons. Matthew 25:41
o “Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you cursed, into the eternal fire prepared
for the devil and his angels.
o “For us men and for our salvation…”
 Plotinus – Christ was a mere man, doing will of God, merited the Son of God.”
o “He came down from heaven”
o Mere man cannot come down from heaven.
 Manichaean – good and evil spirits, each has own operations. Evil is from matter. This God should not
come in flesh really but apparently.
o Unbecoming for a teacher to have false – apparent flesh
o “And he took flesh”
 Ebion – Christ was born from sexual intercourse.
o Angel: “That conceived of Mary is by the Holy Spirit”
o “By the power of the Holy Spirit”
 Valentinus – a gnostic, the Holy Spirit fashioned the heavenly body, placed in the virgin’s womb. His
body passed through the Virgin as through a channel.
o Mary’s cooperation was reduced.
o 1 Timothy 3:16 – When the fullness of time came, God sent His son made of a woman”
o Conceived by the Holy Spirit and Born of the Virgin Mary.
 Arius - Christ as the word of God, had no soul/mind but the Godhead in control.
o Christ said “my soul is troubled, sorrowful”
o And became man – composed of body and soul.
 Eutyches – Divine/human nature mixed together, formed 1 nature that is neither pure divine nor human
but something new.
o -IF that’s the case, Christ would not be a man “. And became man”
 Nestorian – the Son of God was united to man solely by indwelling.
o Then we would not be a man but IN a man. Driver in a car
 o “But as it is, you are seeking to kill Me, a man who has told you the truth, which I heard from
God; is Abraham did not do.” Jn 8:40.
 Apollinarian – Christ, the divine Word, had replaced human soul
o He is endowed with human nature (rational – discursive reasoning/mediate knowledge) CCC 468
o Lk 2:52 – increase in wisdom and stature and in favor with God and man
o Eventually acquires full knowledge (divine nature). Still enjoys human nature

Special Question:
In incarnation, why was there only once in Christian but multiple in Hinduism?
- difference of incarnation purposes:
- Christian, original sin and universal salvation
- Hinduism, concerns a particular sin to save

Sources:
Lumen de Lumine
Thomas Aquinas, Summa Theologiae
Llorin and Tumampil’s Repot
Tino and Tayoto’s Report
Alba and Valeza’s Report
YouTube Videos:

 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jqn32tu8MpA
 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5LTV_ItNkYs
 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SAOCwRMrjzE

Richard Cross, The Metaphysics of The Incarnation

The Apostle’s Creed
CCC
https://carm.org/doctrine-and-theology/communicatio-idiomatum-the-communication-of-properties/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moksha
https://www.comparativereligion.com/avatars.html