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The doctrine of the Incarnation of Christ is central to the traditional Christian faith as held by the Catholic Church , the Eastern Orthodox Church , and all Protestants . Briefly, it is the belief that the Second Person of the Christian Godhead , also known as the Son or the '' Logos '' (Word), "became flesh" when he was miraculously conceived in the womb of The Virgin Mary . In the Incarnation, the divine nature of the Son was perfectly united with human nature in one divine Person. This person, Jesus Christ, was both Truly God And Truly Man . The incarnation is commemorated and celebrated each year at the Feast Of The Incarnation , also known as Annunciation. Importance of the doctrine In the early Christian era there was considerable disagreement regarding the nature of Christ's incarnation. Christians believed that He was the Son Of God . The exact nature of his Sonship, however, was contested. Eventually, the doctrine of Christ being fully God and fully Man simultaneously grew to become the dominant doctrine of the Catholic Church, and all competing beliefs were labeled Heresies . The most well known of these are Gnosticism , which stated that Jesus was a divine being that took on human appearance but not flesh, Arianism which held that Christ was a created being, similar in concept to an Angel , and Nestorianism , which held that the Son of God, and the man, Jesus, shared the same body but retained two separate personhoods. The final definitions of the incarnation and the nature of Jesus were made by the early Church at the Council Of Ephesus , the Council Of Chalcedon and the First Council Of Nicaea . These councils declared that Jesus was both fully God, begotten from the Father; and fully man, taking His flesh and human nature from the Virgin Mary . These two natures, human and divine, were Hypostatically united into the one personhood of Jesus Christ. The significance of the Incarnation has been extensively written-upon throughout Christian history, and is the subject of countless Hymn s and Prayer s. For instance, the ''Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom '', as used by Orthodox and Byzantine Catholics, includes the "Hymn to the Only Begotten Son": :O only begotten Son and Word of God, :Who, being immortal, :deigned for our salvation :to become incarnate :of the holy Theotokos and ever-virgin Mary, :and became man without change; :You were also crucified, :O Christ our God, :and by death have trampled Death, :being One of the Holy Trinity, :glorified with the Father and the Holy Spirit— :Save us! The Athanasian Creed contains what may be considered a comprehensive definition of the Incarnation. SEE ALSO EXTERNAL LINKS
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