1 That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we looked upon and have touched with our hands, concerning the word of life— 2 the life was made manifest, and we have seen it, and testify to it and proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and was made manifest to us— 3 that which we have seen and heard we proclaim also to you, so that you too may have fellowship with us; and indeed our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son Jesus Christ. 4 And we are writing these things so that our joy may be complete.
He grew up in the labyrinthine streets of Alexandria, Egypt. His name is Athanasius. Small and dark complected, he would, later in life, be called the “Black Dwarf.” His mind was keen, exceptionally sharp. He turned that mind to the question of his day: How could God truly be said to be a human being? Many denied it could be so. They said that God could not do that and still be God!
It was a different time when these questions mattered differently, it was the first part of the 4th century AD. It is hard to imagine, but there were riots in the streets of Alexandria over this issue. At the ripe old age of 21 years, Athanasius wrote a little book as part of this contest in ancient Alexandria. You can look it up on the internet today. It is called, “On the Incarnation.” The Christian who has a few minutes in this season of the incarnation might find it a good read. There is a translation with a wonderful preface by C. S. Lewis who found this little book to be transformative for his own faith. Here is a link: http://www.onthewing.org/user/Athanasius%20-%20On%20the%20Incarnation.pdf
We have too often turned this season into a superficial season of cookies, candy canes, and well decorated homes. I am not opposed to cookies and candy and decorations. But there is something more, something which carries far more significance than this. That something is that God was saving the world, including you and me, through the body of Jesus of Nazareth, God’s only begotten Son. As Athanasius admits, it is a mystery which defies our comprehension, but which demands our assent. For by the Incarnation did God save us all. Today is the festival of St. John, the disciple of our Lord and the author of the second Gospel. In his first letter, John tells us of touching Jesus.
Athanasius read those words and understood what that meant long ago. This was worth contending for. If you don’t feel up to reading his little book, turn to the Nicene Creed. Athanasius is not the author of that creed, but he was the driving force behind much of its formulation. He was at the council of Nicaea when the second article on Christ was written. His friends who survived him had a hand in writing the third article of that creed about 60 years later. If you recite this creed, you are listening to Athanasius as you do so.