(c) Explain, from either Catholic Christianity and Judaism or two Christian traditions, beliefs about the Incarnation. [8] Flashcards
Christians believe that Jesus was God incarnate, fully human and fully
God.
This is important to Christians because it means God, in Jesus, has
experienced what suffering is like and human beings can be comforted by
this in their own suffering
It is also important because it shows how much God loves human beings,
because the Son willingly gave up his equality with God and became a
human being
Christians believe that human suffering will be overcome by God’s power,
just like Jesus was raised again from the dead.
© WJEC CBAC Ltd. 13
For other approaches, candidates could include some or all of the following,
but other relevant points should be credited:
Jews would not accept the idea that any human being could be God – so
they do not believe Jesus was God incarnate.
They would view the worship Christians give to Jesus as a breach of the
first commandment.
The Incarnation also requires belief in the Trinity, which Jews would also
reject because they consider that it means belief in three Gods, which is
fundamentally opposed to Jewish monotheism
Relevant reference to sources mentioned in the specification could include:
Nicene Creed; John 1:1-18; Philippians 2:5-11; John Paul II, Salvifici
Doloris 13 & 23
The Shema, Deuteronomy 6:4-9; The Ten Commandments, Exodus 20:1-15
