On the Incarnation: The Good News of Jesus for the Renewal of the World

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On the Incarnation

Meletians – A group that broke away from the church of Alexandria over the issue of how to respond to lapsed Christians who desired to return to the church. The Meletians opposed Athanasius when he first became bishop of Alexandria. MonasticMovement, The – The patristics-era phenomenon of many Christians radically devoting themselves to Christ through a simple life of prayer and discipline. Some of these monks sought this alone, while others formed communities around their common pursuit. See Greg Peters, The Story of Monasticism: Retrieving an Ancient Tradition for Contemporary Spirituality (Grand Rapids: Baker Academic, 2015). Psalms of Ascent – Psalms 120–134 (119–133 in the Septuagint) are a group of fifteen psalms known as the Psalms of Ascent, or the Gradual Psalms. Serapion of Thmuis (AD 300-360) – A disciple of Antony and companion of Athanasius. Athanasius wrote Serapion three letters about the Holy Spirit. See Athanasius, “Letters to Serapion on the Holy Spirit.” Thebans – People from the city of Thebes, the ancient capital of Upper Egypt. Virgins – Single Christian women who decided to devote themselves fully to pursuing Christ. Watching – The ancient practice that consists of an individual rising in the middle of the night to spend time in focused prayer. The tradition is rooted in Luke’s account of Jesus praying during the night (Luke 6:12–13).