EMMANUEL!

 A YOUNG MAN IN THE CROWD ASKED BISHOP SHEEN, WHO WAS PREACHING  HOW DID JONAH GET INTO THAT WHALE, BISHOP SHEEN ANSWERED " WHEN I GET TO HEAVEN I' LL ASK HIM. THE YOUNG MAN REPLY'S, WHAT IF HE IS NOT THERE; THEN YOU CAN ASK HIM.
 IN THE FOOTHILL REGION OF MOUNT HERMON, JESUS ONCE ASKED HIS DISCIPLES, "WHO DO MEN SAY THAT I AM?"  THEY TOLD HIM THAT MOST PEOPLE ASSOCIATED HIM WITH THE PROPHETS OF ISRAEL. WHEN HE PRESSED THEM FURTHER, " AND HOW ABOUT YOU. WHO DO YOU SAY THAT I AM? PETER RESPONDED, " YOU ARE THE MESSIAH, THE SON OF THE LIVING GOD." MEN HAVE GIVEN A THOUSAND ANSWERS TO JESUS QUESTION. SOME HAVE SAID, " HE IS AN USUAL JEWISH RABBI PREACHING
 "A KINGDOM OF LOVE. " OTHERS ANSWER, "NO HE IS A SOCIAL REVOLUTIONARY WHOSE PRIMARY PURPOSE IS THE OVERTHROW OF ROME'S TYRANNICAL RULE . "STILL OTHERS CLAIM, " HE IS A MISGUIDED DREAMER WHO LOOKED FOR GOD TO STEP INTO HISTORY AND ESTABLISH JUSTICE ON EARTH."
 WHATEVER THE VIEWS OF MEN, THE CHURCH THROUGH CENTURIES. HAS CONFESSED WITH PETER: "JESUS IS THE MESSIAH, THE SON OF THE LIVING GOD. HE IS MORE THAN A SUBJECT FOR CHRISTIAN STUDY: HE IS THE OBJECT OF CHRISTIAN DEVOTION.. THEOLOGIANS CALL THIS MYSTERY THE INCARNATION, "THE ENFLESHMENT" OF GOD. HYMN WRITERS EXTOL THE MERITS OF "EMMANUEL", MEANING " GOD WITH US."
DURING THE IMPERIAL AGE OF THE CHURCH, WHEN EMPERORS PRESSED THE PASTORS FOR CREEDAL STATEMENTS ACCURATELY EXPRESSING THE CHRISTIAN FAITH, THE CHURCH CAME TO SPEAK OF THE GOD-MAN. IN 451 A GENERAL COUNCIL AT CHALCEDON , NOT FAR FROM CONSTANTINOPLE, AFFIRMED THAT JESUS CHRIST  WAS COMPLETE IN GODHEAD AND COMPLETE IN MANHOOD., TRULY GOD TRULY MAN,... IN TWO NATURES, WITHOUT CONFUSION, WITHOUT CHANGE, WITHOUT DIVISION OR WITHOUT SEPARATION... COMING TOGETHER TO FORM ONE PERSON.".
MOST ROMAN CATHOLIC, EASTERN ORTHODOX AND PROTESTANT CHRISTIANS, TO THIS DAY, CONSIDER THAT STATEMENT ORTHODOX BELIEF. SOME CHRISTIANS IN EGYPT AND SYRIA AND INDIA DO NOT. THE REASON FOR THEIR DISAGREEMENT
 LIE IN THE FIFTH-CENTURY ATTEMPTS TO SPEAK CLEARLY ABOUT THE EVENT. HOW DID THE CLASSIC DOCUMENT OF THE INCARNATION COME TO BE FORMULATED?
WHAT DOES IT MEAN. "THE WORD BECAME FLESH."
WE CALL THIS AREA OF THEOLOGY " CHRISTOLOGY BECAUSE IT RAISES THE QUESTION, "WHO WAS JESUS CHRIST"  WHAT WAS THE RELATION OF THE DIVINE LIFE AND THE HUMAN LIFE. IN THIS UNIQUE PERSON, THE CHRISTIAN SAVIOR? THE VERY EXISTENCE OF THIS QUESTION IN THE LIFE OF THE CHURCH IS PROFOUNDLY SIGNIFICANT. SO FAR AS I KNOW, ISLAM HAS NO MOHAMMEDOLOGY AND BUUDDHISM HAS NO BUDDHOLOGY. THE DEBATE IN THE HISTORY OF CHRISTIANITY IS A MONUMENT TO THE UNIQUENESS OF THE ONE CHRISTIANS CALL THE SON OF GOD. THE IMPERIAL AGE DID NOT CREATE THE QUESTION OF THE INCARNATION; IT SIMPLY DEBATED IT. THE MYSTERY OF THE GOD-MAN WAS CENTRAL TO CHRISTIAN WORSHIP LONG BEFORE IT BECAME CENTRAL TO CHRISTIAN THINKING.  "A DEEP INSTINCT," J.S. WHALE ONCE TOLD THE UNDERGRADUATES AT CAMBRIDGE UNIVERSITY HAS ALWAYS TOLD THE CHURCH THAT OUR THAT OUR SAFEST ELOQUENCE CONCERNING THE MYSTERY OF CHRIST IS IN OUR PRAISE. A LIVING CHURCH IS A WORSHIPING, SINGING CHURCH; NOT A SCHOOL OF PEOPLE HOLDING ALL THE CORRECT DOCTRINES" WHALE MEANT THAT THE MOST TREASURED HYMNS OF THE CHURCH HAVE ALWAYS TREATED CHRIST AS THE OBJECT OF WORSHIP. WE FIND THE BEATING HEART OF CHRISTIAN EXPERIENCE NOT IN THE  CHURCH'S CREED BUT IN ITS MUSIC. A MAJOR TASK REMAINS FOR DEVOUT SCHOLARSHIP, HOWEVER, BECAUSE GOD IN FLESH IS MORE THAN CHRISTIAN SENTIMENT, HE IS CHRISTIAN REALITY. THE APOSTLES SPOKE OF THE "IMAGE OF THE INVISIBLE GOD." " THE WORD MADE FLESH;"  AND THE LAMB SLAIN FROM THE FOUNDATION OF THE WORLD." SECOND AND THIRD CENTURY BELIEVERS REJECTED EBIONISM AND GNOSTICISM  BECAUSE THEY WERE SO CLEARLY DISTORTIONS OF THIS TRUTH. DEBATES. THE FOURTH AND FIFTH CENTURY DEBATES ABOUT THE MEANING OF THE INCARNATION WERE NOT AIMED AT AN "EXPLANATION" OF CHRIST. IT IS NO SURPRISE, HOWEVER,  THAT THE HUMAN MIND REVOLTS  AGAINST THESE CREEDS FROM NICEA AND CHALCEDON. AS A RESULT WE HAVE THE IMMATURE AND ROMANTIC DEVOTIONS TO" THE SIMPLE JESUS, THE SPIRITUAL GENIUS JESUS, THE FALLING SPARROW. THESE WILL NOT SERVE THE FAITH BECAUSE THE CHRISTIAN IDEA FROM THE BEGINNING BELIEVED THAT IN JESUS CHRIST EARTH AND HEAVEN MEET, BOT MAN AND GOD. LATER CHRISTIANS DEVELOPED THIS MYSTICAL IDEA. ONE OF THE CAPPADOCIAN FATHERS, GREGORY OF NYSSA, TAUGHT THAT IN CHRIST THE LOGOS- THE ONE DIVINE PERSON. THE WORD LODGED   IN THE MAN JESUS AS IN THE TEMPLE.