THE INCARNATION IN PRUDENTIUS
Aurelius
Prudentius Clemens lived in the Roman Empire in the late fourth century, dying
probably in 405 A.D. Prudentius was a Christian poet who regarded the pagan
literature of Rome not as something to be rejected, but as “part of the
inheritance into which Christian Rome enters.”[1]
While many Christians separated themselves from reading Virgil and the
classical Roman poets, Prudentius sought to mimic their vocabulary and style in
his own Christian poetry. He wrote his poems with an eye toward the
intelligentsia of his day. The “upper crust” of Roman society was the slowest
to convert to Christianity, even after Theodosius I decreed Nicene Christianity
the official religion of the Roman Empire in 380 A.D. In his poems Prudentius
seeks to teach the Christian faith using a style that the educated aristocracy
of the empire would find appealing.
I
turn our attention to Prudentius because Christmas approaches. Christmas
celebrates the incarnation of God the Son for our salvation. Prudentius wrote
several beautiful things about the incarnation of the Word of God. His ancient
words can teach us much to day about the nature of Christ’s incarnation and
also its benefits for those who believe.
In
Prudentius’ most famous work, the Psychomachia
(“Fight for Mansoul” in English), Prudentius depicts the life of the Christian
as a constant battle between heavenly virtue and hellish vice. All of the
virtues and vices are personified so that they can bear swords and shields and
armor. During the melee Chastity pierces the throat of Lust with her sword,
slaying him. In her victory speech, Chastity
compares
her victory over lust to Judith’s victory over the lustful Holofernes (found in
the apocryphal book of Judith). She then attributes her victory over Lust to
the incarnation of our Lord. She says triumphantly:
Well,
since a virgin immaculate has borne a child, hast thou any claim remaining –
since a virgin bore a child, since the day when mans’ body lost its primeval
nature, and power from on high created a new flesh, and a woman unwedded
conceived the God Christ, who is man in virtue to his mortal mother but God
long with the Father? From that day all flesh is divine, since it conceived Him
and takes on the nature of God by a covenant partnership. For the Word made
flesh has not ceased to be what it was before, that is, the Word, by attaching
to itself the experience of the flesh; its majesty is not lowered by the
experience of the flesh; but raises wretched men to nobler things. He remains
what He ever was, though beginning to be what He was not; but we are no longer
what we were, now that we are raised at our birth to a better condition. He has
given to me, yet still remained for Himself; neither has God lessened what is
his by taking on what is ours, but by giving his nature to ours He has lifted
us to the height of his heavenly gifts.[2]
What
does this mean? By taking up our human nature into the Godhead, Christ has
elevated human nature. He purifies the flesh by assuming our human flesh. Mankind is no longer in servitude to the
lusts of the flesh, avarice, ambition, pride, wealth, etc. Since our fall into
sin the human flesh has been set against God’s Word and will. The flesh can
only sin. Our flesh desires to sin.
But
the Triune God values our nature so much that He assumes it in the incarnation,
purifying it and restoring humanity to its pre-Fall existence.
This
purification is apprehended by faith. This is what Prudentius means when he
writes, “From that day all flesh is divine, since it conceived Him and takes on
the nature of God by a covenant partnership.” Faith tethers us to Jesus so that
we receive all His blessings. Holy Baptism unites us with Christ’s death and
resurrection in a mystical way so that our sinful flesh has already died and
been buried in in the baptismal font. This is from Romans 6:6 where St. Paul writes that, “our old man was crucified
with Him, that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no
longer be slaves of sin.” By faith in God’s promises given in Holy Baptism, we,
like lady Chastity, are able to conquer our carnal desires, whatever they might
be for us individually.
Christ assumes our nature and purifies it by
faith, forgiving our sins, and washing us clean from the stain of our sins. As
Prudentius writes, “He remains what He ever was, though beginning to
be what He was not; but we are no longer what we were, now that we are raised
at our birth to a better condition.” That better condition is the purity we
possess now by faith, the purity of having all our sins forgiven whenever we
repent and believe Christ’s promises made to us in Baptism.
Not only is our fleshly condition better by
faith, but we look forward to the day when we will share in His nature
entirely, being spotless and without blemish, being pure and He is pure. Now we
possess this all by faith. On the Last Day we will possess that purity by
sight.
This is also a great aid to the Christian as we
fight our individual temptations. God the Son has wrapped Himself in our
flesh. As Prudentius puts it, the Word
has had “the experience of the flesh.” Christ knows our weakness. He even tells
Peter, “The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.” (Matthew 26:41)
The author of Hebrews writes beautifully:
For we do not
have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all
points tempted as we are, yet without sin. Let us therefore come boldly to the
throne of grace, so that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of
need. (Hebrews 4:15-16)
Since God the Son has assumed our human nature
and experienced it He speaks tenderly to His baptized faithful who struggle
against the sinful flesh. He reminds us in Matthew 11:29, “I am gentle and
lowly in heart.” So we approach our Father in prayer all the more readily for
our High Priest and Advocate with the Father understands our frailty of our
nature, for He has borne it Himself, and still bears it, though now Christ’s
flesh is glorified as it will be for all eternity.
By His incarnation, Christ Jesus raises us to
nobler things in this life. By assuming our flesh in the womb of the Virgin
Mary and being born as all men are born, Christ elevates our human flesh to
what it was originally intended to be: His pure creation meant for His service
and praise. As you gather around the manger this year, ponder the great gift of
which Prudentius, and the whole church, sings: the gift of God assuming our
flesh to purify us by the forgiveness of sins by faith in the incarnate Word. A
blessed Christmas to you. Amen.
