incarnation

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incarnation

incarnation the assumption of human form by a god, an idea common in religion. In early times the idea was expressed in the belief that certain living men, often kings or priests, were divine incarnations. India and Egypt were especially rich in forms of incarnation in men as well as in beasts. Incarnation is found in various phases of Greek religion, in which the human body of a god was a disguise or a temporary means of communication. Among western cultures the most widely accepted belief in incarnation is in that of Jesus , held by Christians to be God in the flesh, partaking wholly both of divinity and of humanity, except in so far as human beings have a propensity to sin. This is the accepted understanding of the biblical "The Word was made flesh." See avatara .

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incarnate

The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology | 1996 | | Â© The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology 1996, originally published by Oxford University Press 1996. (Hide copyright information) Copyright

incarnate embodied in flesh XIV; flesh-coloured XVI. — ecclL. incarnātus, pp. of incarnārī be made flesh, f. IN-1 + carō, carn- flesh; see CARNAL, -ATE2.
So incarnation embodiment in flesh XIII (concr. XVIII); †flesh-colour XV. — (O)F. — ecclL.

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T. F. HOAD. "incarnate." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology. 1996. Encyclopedia.com. 22 Nov. 2009 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

T. F. HOAD. "incarnate." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology. 1996. Encyclopedia.com. (November 22, 2009). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O27-incarnate.html

T. F. HOAD. "incarnate." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology. 1996. Retrieved November 22, 2009 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O27-incarnate.html

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	Marie de l'Incarnation: entre mere et fils: le dialogue des vocations. Magazine article from: Études d'histoire religieuse; 1/1/2001

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