Incarnation

===Judaism===
{{main|God in Judaism}}
{{see also|Chabad-Lubavitch related controversies}}
According to many modern scholars, the [[Hebrew Bible|Biblical]] and [[Talmud]]ic view of God was anthropomorphic. God could sometimes appear in bodily form.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Brand |first1=Ezra |title=Some Notes on the Anthropomorphization of God in the Talmud |url=https://www.ezrabrand.com/p/some-notes-on-anthropomorphization}}</ref> The [[Babylonian Talmud]] contains stories of earthly appearances of God, [[Elijah]], [[Satan]], and [[demon]]s.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Brand |first1=Ezra |title="He appeared to him as a [X]": Talmudic Stories of Incarnations of God, Eliyahu, Satan, and Demons |url=https://www.ezrabrand.com/p/he-appeared-to-him-as-a-x-talmudic |website=www.ezrabrand.com/ |access-date=10 January 2024}}</ref>

Since the time of [[Maimonides]], mainstream [[Judaism]] has mostly rejected any possibility of an incarnation of God in any form.<ref>L. Jacobs 1973 ''A Jewish Theology'' p. 24.  N.Y.: Berman House</ref>

However, some modern-day [[Hasidism|Hasidim]] believe in a somewhat similar concept. [[Menachem Mendel Schneerson]], a prominent [[Hasidism|Hasidic]] leader, said that the ''[[Rebbe]]'' is God's essence itself put into the body of a ''[[tzadik]]''.<ref>''Likkutei Sichos'', Vol. 2, pp. 510-511.</ref>