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the soteriology of saint athanasius of alexandria the conformation of ...

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228 JOHN R. MEYER<br />

order to re-establish our original friendship with Him. The Holy<br />

Spirit entered Jesus Christ when our human nature was<br />

hypostatically united to <strong>the</strong> divine Word: «<strong>the</strong> spirit that man had<br />

once he had fallen is created anew (avctveuaou), it [<strong>the</strong> Holy Spirit]<br />

came to <strong>the</strong> creature when <strong>the</strong> Word became flesh» 84 .<br />

God fulfilled <strong>the</strong> divine design <strong>of</strong> salvation in Jesus Christ,<br />

making a new man from <strong>the</strong> two Adams, our original human<br />

nature and that wounded by original sin. In <strong>the</strong> beginning,<br />

Adam's nature was adorned with God's grace and several preternatural<br />

gifts, but after <strong>the</strong> Fall it was deprived <strong>of</strong> divine life. In<br />

Christ, <strong>the</strong> two states or conditions <strong>of</strong> human nature were fused<br />

by being joined to <strong>the</strong> Word <strong>of</strong> God. Thus, all <strong>of</strong> mankind<br />

received a re-founding and a perfecting <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> original order <strong>of</strong><br />

grace. Our human nature was re-united with <strong>the</strong> Word in Christ,<br />

and each individual's «re-creation» consists in re-union with <strong>the</strong><br />

Word. The Spirit <strong>of</strong> God transformed Jesus into <strong>the</strong> Anointed<br />

One, <strong>the</strong> Christ: «and yet he who gives <strong>the</strong> Spirit, <strong>the</strong> same is<br />

said also to be made, that is, to be made among us Lord because<br />

<strong>of</strong> his manhood, while giving <strong>the</strong> Spirit because he is God's<br />

Word» 85 . The Holy Spirit brings about a new creation in<br />

Christ's human nature, re-creating <strong>the</strong> nous <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> soul, <strong>the</strong> organ<br />

<strong>of</strong> union with God 86 .<br />

b) Man's participation in <strong>the</strong> Spirit<br />

Athanasius affirms that <strong>the</strong> measure <strong>of</strong> a man's sanctity is in<br />

direct relation to <strong>the</strong> intensity <strong>of</strong> his active participation in <strong>the</strong><br />

divine Spirit <strong>of</strong> God. The more fully one partakes <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> Spirit,<br />

<strong>the</strong> more holy he becomes:<br />

«Creatures arise from nothing, <strong>the</strong>y have come to exist<br />

because, «in <strong>the</strong> beginning, God created heaven and earth»<br />

(Gen. 1, 1) and all that is found to be contained in it.<br />

However, <strong>the</strong> Holy Spirit is [comes] from God, and given<br />

that no one knows <strong>the</strong> intimacy <strong>of</strong> a man except his own<br />

spirit; <strong>the</strong> same is true <strong>of</strong> God. We have not received <strong>the</strong><br />

spirit <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> world, but <strong>the</strong> Spirit <strong>of</strong> God (cf. / Cor. 2,<br />

11-12)» .<br />

87

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