Zanchi on the Incarnation, Index & Table of Contents
Edited by David Attebury, January 2024. This is a compound work: I use a customized ChatGPT 4 to assist in the first translation draft, but check each line to the original and make changes.
2,866 words.
The Dedicatory Letter to Zanchi’s On The Incarnation (1593) is posted here
The index provides an overview of the main subjects covered in this book:
Book 1. Chapter 1.
Expounding on the Apostle's words to Philippians, chapter 2, verses 5, 6, 7. The Apostle's goal, page 1.
Indicates a twofold interpretation of the words, pages 2-3.
Divides the text into three parts, 4.
On verse 5. "Let this mind be in you," 5-6.
Whether this mind was in the Son of God, 7.
On verse 6. Christ is the divine and eternal hypostasis, consubstantial with the Father, 7-8.
Refutes heresies against the deity of Christ, such as those of Cerinthus and Ebion, 9.
Heresies of Servetus, Arius, Photinus, Carpocrates, 10.
Heresies of Sabellius, Praxeas, the Tritheists, Gentilis, 11.
Chapter 2.
μορφή (Form) and what it signifies, 12, 13, 18, 21.
Here it is the same as the nature of God with glory, 16.
To distinguish it from essence and nature, 17.
"Did not consider equality with God something to be grasped" and its meaning, 19.
These words of Paul should not be understood as referring to the incarnate Christ, 21.
Refutation of Erasmus, 21-22.
Interpretation of the Greeks, 23.
Views of Bullinger and Brentius, 25.
Views of the Latins and Calvin and Beza, 26-27.
On verse 7, or the 'emptying', 30.
The term 'to empty' refutes the Ubiquitists, 38.
How Christ became a 'servant', 39.
Assumed the form of a servant, 41.
Being made in the likeness of men, it signifies true humanity and hypostatic union, 43-45.
Known as a man in appearance, 46.
Chapter 3.
Collects the main points of doctrine from the text, 49.
Refutes heretics, including Samosatene, Arian, Patripassian, Nestorian, Eutychian, Apollinarian, Cerdo, Marcion, Valentinian, Anabaptist, Monothelites, 51-57.
The error of some Fathers, who thought that Christ did not feel the pain of the Passion, 58.
He emptied Himself, not by laying aside the form of God, but by concealing, not exercising His majesty, and by suffering, 61.
Book 2, Chapter 1.
He recounts heresies about the incarnation, primarily those of Nestorius and Eutyches, 64-66.
Schwenkfeldians, 68-71.
Acephali and Monophysites, 69.
Theopaschites, Severus, Armenians, Agnoetae, Aphthartodocetae, Tritheists, Monothelites, 70.
Melchior Hofmann, an Anabaptist, and Ubiquitarians, 71.
The cause of these errors: as if each nature has its own subsistence, 71.
Chapter 2.
What the Incarnation is, 73, 74, 76.
It is both substantial and personal, 81.
Mary as θεοτόκος, 83.
Concerning Christ, in what manner the natures and their properties and actions are really predicated, 84.
The purpose of the incarnation, 89.
Chapter 3. He proposes twelve questions, 91.
Question 1. Who assumed the form of a servant?
True God: specifically, the second person of the Trinity: not the first or the third. This is proven from the purpose of the incarnation, 92-94.
Why it was fitting for the Son to become incarnate, reasons, 95-96.
Why conceived by the Holy Spirit alone: yet not called the son of the Holy Spirit, 98-100.
Why not all three persons were incarnated at the same time, since the nature of God was incarnated, 101-103.
The person assumed the nature, not nature, properly speaking, the nature, 106.
Question 2. What did he assume?, 107.
The true body of Christ is affirmed, 108.
Objections from appearances are dispelled, 109.
From Romans 8, in the likeness of sinful flesh, 110.
He truly assumed flesh and a human soul, 111-112.
Why he is called the heavenly man, 112.
Flesh signifies the soul as well, 113.
Essential and natural properties, which ones, 113.
Deficiencies he assumed, 116.
Even of the mind, like ignorance, 119.
Emotions, pain, fear, wonder, anger, 120.
The difference between emotions in Christ and in us, 121.
Why he also assumed deficiencies, the cause, 122.
He did not assume a person but a nature, 124.
What persona and hypostasis mean, 125.
What nature means, 127.
12 arguments against Nestorius, 130-140.
The foundations and reasons of Nestorius, 141.
Another argument from Thomas, 147.
Ubiquitarians wrongly conclude that human nature is omnipresent: because the person of the Word subsists in it, 148.
Humanity is not an accident, 153.
Question 3. What nature did the Son of God assume?
Christ assumed a human nature free from sin, 154.
Mary was untouched by sin, 155.
How Christ was in Adam yet did not sin, 157.
Question 4. From which mother he was born?
Born in a new way, from the mother alone, why born, 161.
How he is Ἀπατωρ (fatherless), 162.
The sanctification of Mary, 163.
The arguments of Ambrose Catharini for Mary's purity from original sin are inept, 165.
Why born of a betrothed woman, 166.
On the virginity of Mary, 167.
Whether she vowed it, 168.
Question 5. From what material?
The soul of Christ was created: which argues against traducianism, 169.
Created in the womb of the Virgin: in the person of the λόγος (Word), and therefore most pure, 170.
The body of Christ was from the seed of David and Abraham., 171.
Why the genealogy of Christ is traced by the Evangelists up to Adam, 171.
The heresy of Valentinus, that Christ's flesh was from heaven, 173.
Question 6. About the time of the incarnation.
The last days, what they are, 174.
Discrepancy among chronologists, 175.
Why he assumed flesh neither earlier nor later, 177-180.
Question 7. About the order of assumption, 181.
The conception occurred with the Virgin's consent, 182.
Christ assumed for himself a soul and body simultaneously, but the soul immediately, 184.
Question 8. About the perfection of the animated body assumed, 188.
It was not formed gradually, 189.
There was a dual union in Christ, of the λόγος (Word) and human nature; of the soul and body, 191.
The union of soul and body is proven, 193
Question 9. On the mode of union, 194.
Comparison of the union of the three persons of the Deity and the two natures of Christ, 195.
The Apostles' explanation of the mode, 196.
The Fathers were forced to explain more accurately because of heretics, 199.
What union is and how many types there are, according to Nissenus, Bernard, Thomas, 199-200.
Nestorius' doctrine, that the union was made through indwelling, assistance, affection, dignity, grace, is refuted, 203.
The union was not made by conversion or mixture, against Apollinaris, Eutyches, Dioscorus, 208.
Six reasons of John of Damascus, 211.
The cause of the errors of Nestorius, Eutyches, Ubiquitarians, as if person and natures are the same, 215.
Distinguishing between the whole Christ and the whole of Christ, according to the Fathers, 216, 223.
Five other arguments against Eutyches, 216-217.
Objections of Eutyches, 220.
Similar to the human body and soul: and the natures of Christ, to what extent it is acceptable, 222.
How the person of Christ is said to be composite, 224.
On the adoration of the man Christ, 226.
On the dual will and operational ability of Christ against Macarius and the Monothelites, 232.
Ubiquitarians are Monothelites, 233.
John of Damascus' arguments against Monothelitism, 234-247.
Distinction of actions and properties does not divide the union, 240-244.
Will and energy are taken either for potentiality or for act, 244.
In Christ there is αὐτοθέλητον (self-will), 245.
And a human will besides the divine, 247.
Neither was there one will formed from the divine and human, 250.
Objections of the Monothelites, 254.
The Acephali are refuted, 256.
Two other false opinions about the union, 257.
Christ put on flesh, but not merely as a garment, 261-265.
The similarity of flesh and garment is explained, 262.
The union was not made in an accidental manner, 268.
Contrary objections are resolved, 270.
The error of Brentius, 272.
The true opinion about the mode of the union, 273.
To assume into the unity of the person what it signifies, 275.
Ἀτρεπτως (unchangeably), ἀδιάιρετως (indivisibly), ἀσύγχυτος (inconfusedly), οὐσίωδως (substantially) the union was made, 277-278.
This is proven from the passage Philippians 2, 280.
From other passages of Scripture about the incarnation, such as John 1, Hebrews 2, Colossians 2, 286.
How the whole fullness of the Deity dwells bodily in Christ, 293.
The passage Colossians 2 is explained from Greek commentaries, 295.
The statement of Oecumenius, to fill all things with flesh, does nothing for the Ubiquitarians, 296.
The Chalcedonian Creed proves this mode of union and refutes the Ubiquitarians, 297.
The testimony of Damascus, 300.
Αδιάστατως (without interval) what it signifies; against Chemnitz, 302.
The testimonies of Justin, 303.
The similarity of the union of the soul with the body is explained and adapted, 305.
To what extent it is dissimilar, 307.
The audacity of the Ubiquitarians, 308.
Another similarity of Justin, of the original light, the testimonies of Emperor Justinian, Boethius, Cassian, Gelasius, Vigilius, Fulgentius, Rusticus, Maxentius, the Roman Church, Lombard, and the scholastics, 310.
Thomas Aquinas, 315.
Question 10. On the hypostatic union, 321.
By which names it has been expressed by the Fathers: namely, Crasis (mixture), mixtionis (mixing), copulationis (joining), oeconomia (economy), incarnationis (incarnation), corporationis (embodiment), aduentus (coming), perichoreseos (interpenetration), communionis (communion), 322-325.
Its definition and explanation, 326.
Question 11. What followed the union, 332.
Opposite things to be predicated of Christ, 333.
Names of the person and natures, 334.
Of the man, not of the humanity to be said as proper to God, 337.
What is the grace of union, 341.
Chemnitz and the Book of Concord define the communication of idioms not badly, 347.
In what they err, 348.
Enriched or deified human nature, in what manner and with which gifts, 351.
What are supernatural aspects, 353.
Habitual grace and the gifts of the Spirit given to Christ, 354.
Scriptural passages, in Isaiah 11: "The Spirit of the LORD shall rest upon him," etc., are explained, 355.
Luke 2: "The child grew," etc., 336.
How he progressed, 357.
The statements of the Fathers cannot be taken as real communication of divine properties, 359.
Whether there was faith or hope in the soul of Christ, 360.
Whether there was charity, 362.
About the triple knowledge of the soul of Christ, 362.
Whether the uncreated wisdom sees God, 364.
Whether it sees the entire essence of God, 366.
Whether it sees everything in God, 367.
Whether the soul of Christ has equal wisdom to the λόγος. Reasons why not, 371.
It is not properly omniscient, 372.
The objection of the Ubiquitarians, 373.
Whether through infused knowledge he knew everything, 373.
Whether infused knowledge surpassed that of angels, 375.
Why it is called habitual knowledge, 376.
The habitual knowledge of Christ is manifold, 377.
What is the acquired knowledge of the soul of Christ, 378.
Whether it progressed, or learned from angels, 379.
Whether he learned anything from humans, 380.
He knew everything pertaining to the perfection of the human intellect, 381.
About the power of Christ's humanity, 382.
What power and omnipotence mean, 383.
Christ as man, to what extent he is omnipotent, 384.
Testimonies of Lombard, 385.
Arguments of Thomas Aquinas, 387.
His response to that statement, "All power is given unto me," 390.
How great is the power of the soul of Christ, 391.
How habitual grace differs from the grace of union, 393.
Testimonies of the Fathers on this, 393.
The analogy of the iron made hot, for the soul and body, 394.
By this union, Christ became the perfect Mediator, 399.
The office of the Mediator, 401.
Christ as the only head of the Church, 402.
About the actions of Christ, 405.
What are apotelemata (results/effects), 405.
In one agent, there are two principles of actions, 407.
John of Damascus’ arguments against the Monothelites, 408.
What is energia (energy/activity), 409.
Differences of actions, 411.
Apotelemata are of three kinds, 412.
The soul is the principal agent, 413.
Miracles were of the divine nature, not human, 414, 416.
Reasons for the dual actions of Christ, 418.
Exception 1, for Apollinaris, 421.
The incarnate Christ still operates with the Father, 423.
Exception 2, of the Monophysites, 425.
The plurality of actions does not imply multiple persons, 426.
The analogy of the heated sword against the Ubiquitarians, 429.
Other arguments for the plurality of actions in Christ, 432.
The cause of the Monothelite error, 437.
Their arguments, 441.
Theandric actions, what they are and why they are so called, 444.
How the actions of one nature are common to the other nature, 448-455.
The words of Leo: Each nature acts in communion with the other: correctly explained against the Ubiquitarians, 457.
Christ is the natural Son, as both God and man, 462.
Mary is θεοτόκος (God-bearer), 464.
The efficacy of Christ's blood, whence it comes, 465.
Question 12. About the real, as they call it, communication, 466.
What communication is, and in what ways it occurs, 467.
Properties whether essential, natural, or personal, 472.
To whom the idioms are communicated, not to the person, but to the nature, 473.
The true state of the controversy, 475.
Ubiquitarians concede points from which they are refuted, 477.
They are Monothelites, 480.
They contradict themselves shamefully, 480.
Real communication is overturned, First Argument: Because it is not handed down in Scripture, 483.
By what statements they strive to confirm it. Ubiquitarians, 484.
Examining them, such as John 1: The Word became flesh, 485.
The hypostatic union does not imply such communion, 488.
John 17: Glorify me with the glory, etc., 490.
Augustine's interpretation, 492.
Cyril's interpretation, Glorify means to make glory known, 495.
The double glorification of Christ, 495.
Colossians 2: In him dwells all the fullness of the Deity bodily, 497.
The analogy of heated iron, 500.
Colossians 2: In whom are hid all the treasures of wisdom, etc., 502.
Matthew 28: All power is given unto me, 506.
2 Corinthians 10: The weapons of our warfare are powerful, 512.
Certain grace of union given to Christ, some habitual, 515.
John 5: He gave him authority to execute judgment, because he is the Son of Man, 518.
Passages about the anointing of Christ, 520.
John 5: And I work with the Father likewise, 524.
John 5: about the resurrection of the dead, 527.
The life proper to God was not communicated to the flesh of Christ, 530.
In Christ, life is manifold, 532.
Life-giving attributed to both natures, but in different respects, 536.
John 6: He who eats my flesh has life, 540.
1 John 1: The blood of Jesus Christ cleanses us from sins, 542.
Matthew 9: So that you may know that the Son of Man has authority to forgive sins, 544.
Passages about the exaltation of Christ, such as sitting at the right hand, 546.
The opinion of Chemnitz, 546.
This sitting has nothing to do with ubiquity, 549.
What sitting means, explained from Hebrews 1 and other passages, 553.
John of Damascus’ opinion on the sitting, 558.
The false conclusions of the Ubiquitarians are shown, 560.
The inconsistency of Chemnitz and others, 563.
The glory of Christ on Mount Tabor, what kind, 567.
Passages about the vision of God and Christ, like John 14: He who sees me, sees the Father, 568.
About the adoration of the man Christ, 571.
The Second Argument against the Ubiquitarians: from the testimonies of the Fathers, 576.
Chemnitz wrongly cites 32 Fathers in his favor, 578.
His aim, errors, deceptions, 582-587.
Predications about Christ, proper or improper, 589.
Communion is union, not real communication, 592.
Leo's testimony proves it, 594.
Whether all things given to Christ in time were given to his humanity, 597.
The sayings of the Sixth Synod, and Justin, Cyril, Athanasius, Sophronius against the Ubiquitarians, 606.
Ubiquitarians wrongly cite the Sixth Synod, and its Fathers, Athanasius, Euphemius, Sophronius, 609.
Also, the Seventh Synod, 612.
Also Justin, 613.
About Christ's entry with closed doors, 618, 671, 716, 724, 729, 743.
Tertullian, 620.
Origen, 621.
About the analogy of heated iron, 624.
Basil's opinion on this, and why he used it, 630.
John of Damascus’ opinion on this analogy, 638.
Athanasius and Cyril's views on the same, 640.
The sayings of Eusebius of Caesarea, 647.
Regarding the deification of man, 652, 694.
Athanasius against Arius, and elsewhere, condemns the Ubiquitarians; does not support them, 656, 663.
Eustathius, 668.
Hippolytus, 669.
Amphilochius, Cyprian, Amphilochius, 670-671.
Christ in John 17, Hilary, on glory, 674.
Emisa, Didymus, Gregory of Nyssa, 689.
Basil, 691.
Gregory of Nazianzus, 693.
Epiphanius, 698.
He opposes the Ubiquitarians, 709.
The heresy of the Ubiquitarians as unmerited, 710.
Ambrose is an enemy of Ubiquity, 710.
Jerome, 716.
Augustine, 719.
Chrysostom, and Theophylact, 725, 729.
Oecumenius and Art, 727.
Cyril is opposed to the Ubiquitarians and is explained, 730.
Theodoret, Paul of Emisa, 766-768.
Primasius, 776.
Leo the Great, 778.
Cassiodorus, Vigilius, 786-787.
Nicephorus, Sedulius, 788.
Severianus, Golden Chain, 788.
Gregory, unknown authors, 789.
Damasus the Great, 789.
Bernard, 790.
The Third Argument is thoroughly examined. 791.
Real communication conflicts with the Scriptures. Proven with many testimonies, about the union, 819.
About the properties of natures, 822.
About actions, 821.
About the passion, 821.
The Fourth Argument from the consensus of the Fathers against real communication, 828.
Proofs from the Sixth Synod, 828,
Justin, Tertullian, Origen, Basil, Cyril, 829.
Eusebius, Athanasius, 830.
Ambrose, 834.
Cyril, 834.
Leo, Theodoret, 837, 844, 838.
Vigilius, 842.
John of Damascus, Fulgentius, 855, 862.
Ignatius, Irenaeus, 863.
Clement of Alexandria, Severianus, Eustathius, 864.
Epiphanius, 865.