Incarnation

{{short description|Deity or divine being in human/animal form on Earth}}
{{redirect|Incarnations}}
{{Further|Epic cycles of incarnations}}
'''Incarnation''' literally means ''embodied in flesh'' or ''taking on flesh''. It is  the [[Conception (biology)|conception]] and the embodiment of a deity or spirit in some earthly form<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |title=Definition of Incarnation |url=https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/incarnation |access-date=2022-05-28 |website=www.merriam-webster.com |language=en}}</ref> or an [[Anthropomorphism|anthropomorphic]] form of a god.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Cambridge Dictionary: Incarnation |url=https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/incarnation |website=Cambridge Dictionary |publisher=Cambridge University Press}}</ref> It is used to mean a [[god]], [[deity]], or Divine Being in human or animal form on Earth. The proper noun, Incarnation, refers to the [[Christology|union of divinity with humanity]] in [[Jesus|Jesus Christ]].<ref name=":0" />

==Abrahamic religions==
{{main|God in Abrahamic religions}}

===Christianity===
[[File:Meister von Daphni 002.jpg|thumb|upright|[[Christ Pantocrator]], God incarnate in the [[Christianity|Christian faith]], shown in a mosaic from [[Daphni Monastery|Daphni]], [[Greece]], ca. 1080–1100.]]
{{main|Incarnation (Christianity)|}}
The incarnation of [[Christ]] (or Incarnation) is the central Christian doctrine that God became flesh, assumed a human nature, and became a man in the form of [[Jesus]], the [[Son of God]] and the second person of the [[Trinity]]. This foundational Christian position holds that the divine nature of the Son of God was perfectly united with human nature in one divine Person, [[Jesus]], making him both truly God and truly human. The theological term for this is [[hypostatic union]]: the second person of the Trinity, [[God the Son]], became flesh when he was miraculously conceived in the womb of the [[Mary (mother of Jesus)|Virgin Mary]].<ref>{{cite encyclopedia|url=https://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/284611/Incarnation|title=Incarnation|encyclopedia=Encyclopædia Britannica}}</ref> Biblical passages traditionally referenced in connection with the doctrine of the Incarnation include {{Bibleverse|John|3:1-21}}, {{bibleverse||Colossians|2:9}}, and {{Bibleverse|Philippians|2:7-8}}.

===Islam===
{{See also|Allah|God in Islam|Kalam|Tawhid|Tanzih}}
[[Islam]] completely rejects the doctrine of the incarnation (Mu'jassimā<ref>[[Muhammad Abu Zahra]], ''İslâm’da Siyâsî ve İ’tikadî Mezhepler Tarihi, [[History]] of [[Madhhab]]s in [[Islam]],'' pp: 257 - 259, [[:tr:Ethem Ruhi Fığlalı|Fığlalı, Ethem Ruhi]] and Osman Eskicioğlu translation to Turkish, Yağmur, İstanbul, 1970.</ref> / ''(Tajseem)'' Tajsīm) of God in any form, as the concept is defined as ''[[Shirk (Islam)|shirk]]''. In Islam, God is one and "neither begets nor is begotten".<ref>Quran, (112:1-4).</ref>

===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>

===Druze faith===
{{See also|Druze#Beliefs}}
[[Hamza ibn Ali ibn Ahmad]] is considered the founder of the [[Druze faith]] and the primary author of the Druze manuscripts,<ref>{{cite book |editor1-last=Hendrix |editor1-first=Scott |editor2-last=Okeja |editor2-first=Uchenna |title=The World's Greatest Religious Leaders: How Religious Figures Helped Shape World History [2 volumes] |date=2018 |publisher=ABC-CLIO |isbn=978-1440841385 |page=11}}</ref> he proclaimed that God had become human and taken the form of man, [[al-Hakim bi-Amr Allah]].<ref name="Aga">{{cite book|title=The Aga Khans|author=Willi Frischauer|year=1970|publisher=Bodley Head|page=?}} (''Which page?'')</ref><ref name="Poonawala">{{cite journal|title=Review - The Fatimids and Their Traditions of Learning|author=Ismail K. Poonawala|journal=Journal of the American Oriental Society|volume=119|issue=3|page=542|doi=10.2307/605981|jstor=605981}}</ref><ref>Minorities in the Middle East: A History of Struggle and Self-expression - Page 95 by Mordechai Nisan</ref><ref>The Druze in the Middle East: Their Faith, Leadership, Identity and Status - Page 41 by Nissim Dana</ref><ref>Encyclopaedic Survey of Islamic Culture - Page 94 by Mohamed Taher</ref><ref>{{cite journal | last = Bryer | first = David R. W. | title = The Origins of the Druze Religion | journal = [[Der Islam]] | year = 1975 | volume = 52 | issue = 1 | pages = 52–65 | doi = 10.1515/islm.1975.52.1.47 | s2cid = 201807131 | url = https://doi.org/10.1515/islm.1975.52.1.47 | issn = 1613-0928 | ref = {{harvid|Bryer|1975a}} }}</ref> [[al-Hakim bi-Amr Allah]] is an important figure in the [[Druze]] faith whose eponymous founder [[ad-Darazi]] proclaimed him as the incarnation of God in 1018.<ref name="Aga"/><ref name="Poonawala"/><ref>{{cite book|title=The Princeton Encyclopedia of Islamic Political Thought|last1=Zaman|first1=Muhammad Qasim |last2=Stewart|first2=Devin J. |last3=Mirza|first3=Mahan |last4=Kadi|first4=Wadad|last5=Crone|first5=Patricia |last6=Gerhard |first6=Bowering|last7= Hefner|first7=Robert W.|last8= Fahmy|first8=Khaled|last9=Kuran|first9=Timur |year= 2013| isbn=9780691134840| pages =139–140|publisher=Princeton University Press|quote=}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|title=The Origins of the Druze Religion: An Edition of Ḥamza's Writings and an Analysis of His Doctrine|first=David |last=R. W. Bryer|year= 1979| isbn= 9780030525964| page =239|publisher=University of Oxford Press|quote=}}</ref>

==Baháʼí Faith==
{{further|God in the Baháʼí Faith}}
In the [[Baháʼí Faith]], God is not seen to be incarnated into this world and is not seen to be part of creation as he cannot be divided and does not descend to the condition of his creatures.<ref name="saq">{{cite book |author = `Abdu'l-Bahá |author-link = `Abdu'l-Bahá |year = 1981 |title = Some Answered Questions |publisher = Baháʼí Publishing Trust |location = Wilmette, Illinois, USA |isbn = 0-87743-190-6 |url = http://reference.bahai.org/en/t/ab/SAQ/saq-53.html.iso8859-1#gr5 | pages = 202–203 |orig-year = 1904-06 }}</ref> The [[Manifestation of God (Baháʼí Faith)|Manifestations of God]] are also not seen as incarnations of God but are instead understood to be like perfect mirrors reflecting the attributes of God onto the [[materialism|material world]].<ref name="manifestation">{{cite journal |first=Juan |last=Cole |title=The Concept of Manifestation in the Baháʼí Writings |year=1982 |journal=[[Baháʼí studies#Journals|Études Baháʼí Studies]] |volume=monograph 9 |pages=1–38 |url=http://bahai-library.com/cole_concept_manifestation |location=[[Ottawa]] |publisher=Canadian Association for Studies on the Baháʼí Faith |access-date=2020-10-11 |via=Bahá'í Library Online}}</ref><ref name="hatcher118">{{cite book |author = Hatcher, W.S. |author2=Martin, J.D. |year = 1998 |title = The Baháʼí Faith: The Emerging Global Religion |publisher = Harper & Row |location = San Francisco |isbn = 0-87743-264-3 | page = 118}}</ref>

==Buddhism==
{{see also|Rebirth (Buddhism)}}
Buddhism is a [[nontheistic religion]]: it denies the concept of a [[creator deity]] or any incarnation of a creator deity. However, Buddhism does teach the [[Rebirth (Buddhism)|rebirth]] doctrine and asserts that living beings are reborn, endlessly, [[reincarnation|reincarnating]] as [[Deva (Buddhism)|devas]] (gods), demi-gods, human beings, animals, hungry ghosts or hellish beings,<ref>{{Citation | last =Trainor | first =Kevin | year =2004 | title =Buddhism: The Illustrated Guide | publisher =Oxford University Press | isbn =978-0-19-517398-7 | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=_PrloTKuAjwC|pages=61–64}}</ref> in a cycle of ''[[Saṃsāra (Buddhism)|samsara]]'' that stops only for those who reach [[Nirvana (Buddhism)|nirvana]] (''nibbana'').<ref name="Harvey2012p46">{{cite book|author=Peter Harvey|title=An Introduction to Buddhism: Teachings, History and Practices|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=u0sg9LV_rEgC|year=2012|publisher=Cambridge University Press|isbn=978-0-521-85942-4|pages=32–33, 38–39, 46–49}}</ref><ref name="buswelllopezp708">{{cite book|author1=Robert E. Buswell Jr.|author2=Donald S. Lopez Jr.|title=The Princeton Dictionary of Buddhism|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=DXN2AAAAQBAJ|year=2013|publisher=Princeton University Press|isbn=978-1-4008-4805-8|pages=708–709}}</ref><ref name="Craig1998">{{cite book|author=Edward Craig|title=Routledge Encyclopedia of Philosophy|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=8FWa85vgoTQC|year=1998|publisher=Routledge|isbn=978-0-415-18715-2|page=402}}</ref>

In [[Tibetan Buddhism]], an enlightened spiritual teacher ([[lama]]) is believed to reincarnate, and is called a ''[[tulku]]''. According to Tulku Thond, there are three main types of tulkus.  They are the emanations of buddhas, the manifestations of highly accomplished adepts, and rebirths of highly virtuous teachers or spiritual friends.  There are also authentic secondary types, which include unrecognized tulkus, blessed tulkus, and tulkus fallen from the path.<ref name="TThondup_Incarnation">Tulku Thondup (2011) Incarnation: The History and Mysticism of the Tulku Tradition of Tibet. Boston: Shambhala.</ref>

==Hinduism==
{{main|Avatar}}
[[File:Avatars.jpg|thumb|upright|Ten incarnations of [[Vishnu]] ([[Matsya]], [[Kurma]], [[Varaha]], [[Vamana]], [[Krishna]], [[Kalki]], [[Buddha]], [[Parshurama]], [[Rama]] & [[Narasimha]]). Painting from [[Jaipur]], now at the [[Victoria and Albert Museum]]]]
In [[Hinduism]], incarnation refers to its rebirth doctrine, and in its theistic traditions to ''[[avatar]]''.<ref name=kimctap192>{{cite book|first=M. Thomas|last=Thangaraj|editor-first=Sebastian C. H.|editor-last= Kim|editor-link=Sebastian Kim |chapter=Religious Pluralism, Dialogue and Asian Christian Responses| title=Christian Theology in Asia |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=hXh3iq94MWIC |year=2008|publisher=Cambridge University Press |isbn=978-1-139-47206-7 |pages=169–176 }}</ref> Avatar literally means "descent, alight, to make one's appearance",<ref name=monierwilliamsavatar/> and refers to the embodiment of the essence of a superhuman being or a deity in another form.{{Sfn|Sheth|2002|p=98}} The word also implies "to overcome, to remove, to bring down, to cross something".<ref name=monierwilliamsavatar>{{cite book|author=Monier Monier-Williams|title=A Sanskrit-English Dictionary|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=_3NWAAAAcAAJ&pg=PA90|year=1923|publisher=Oxford University Press|page=90}}</ref> In Hindu traditions, the "crossing or coming down" is symbolism, states Daniel Bassuk, of the divine descent from "eternity into the temporal realm, from unconditioned to the conditioned, from infinitude to finitude".<ref name="Bassuk1987p3"/> An avatar, states Justin Edwards Abbott, is a ''[[Saguna brahman|saguna]]'' (with form, attributes) embodiment of the ''[[nirguna Brahman]] or [[Ātman (Hinduism)|Atman]] (soul).<ref>{{cite book|author=Justin Edwards Abbott |title=Life of Tukaram: Translation from Mahipati's Bhaktalilamrita |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=E-UmxAoX2wYC|year=1980|publisher=Motilal Banarsidass |isbn=978-81-208-0170-7|pages=335–336 }}</ref>

Neither the [[Vedas]] nor the [[Mukhya Upanishads|Principal Upanishads]] ever mentions the word ''avatar'' as a noun.<ref name="Bassuk1987p3">{{cite book|author=Daniel E Bassuk |title=Incarnation in Hinduism and Christianity: The Myth of the God-Man |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=k3iwCwAAQBAJ |year=1987|publisher=Palgrave Macmillan |isbn=978-1-349-08642-9 |pages=2–4}}</ref> The verb roots and form, such as ''avatarana'', do appear in ancient post-Vedic Hindu texts, but as "action of descending", but not as an incarnated person (avatara).{{Sfn|Paul Hacker|1978|pp=415-417}} The related verb ''avatarana'' is, states [[Paul Hacker (Indologist)|Paul Hacker]], used with double meaning, one as action of the divine descending, another as "laying down the burden of man" suffering from the forces of evil.{{Sfn|Paul Hacker|1978|pp=415-417}}

The term is most commonly found in the context of the Hindu god [[Vishnu]].<ref name=monierwilliamsavatar/><ref name=jameslochtefeldavatar/> The earliest mention of Vishnu manifested in a human form to empower the good and fight against evil, uses other terms such as the word ''sambhavāmi'' in verse 4.6 and the word ''tanu'' in verse 9.11 of the [[Bhagavad Gita]],{{Sfn|Sheth|2002|pp=98-99}} as well as other words such as ''akriti'' and ''rupa'' elsewhere.{{Sfn|Paul Hacker|1978|pp=405-409}} It is in [[Middle Ages|medieval era]] texts, those composed after the sixth century CE, that the noun version of avatar appears, where it means embodiment of a deity.{{Sfn|Paul Hacker|1978|pp=424, also 405-409, 414-417}} The incarnation idea proliferates thereafter, in the [[Purana|Puranic]] stories for many deities, and with ideas such as ''ansha-avatar'' or partial embodiments.{{Sfn|Sheth|2002|pp=98-99}}<ref name=jameslochtefeldavatar>James Lochtefeld (2002), "Avatar" in The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Hinduism, Vol. 1: A-M, Rosen Publishing, {{ISBN|0-8239-2287-1}}, pages 72-73</ref>

While avatars of other deities such as [[Ganesha]] and [[Shiva]] are also mentioned in medieval Hindu texts, this is minor and occasional.<ref>James Lochtefeld (2002), "Shiva" in The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Hinduism, Vol. 2: N-Z, Rosen Publishing, {{ISBN|0-8239-2287-1}}, page 635</ref> The incarnation doctrine is one of the important differences between Vaishnavism and Shaivism traditions of Hinduism.<ref name=laiengavatar>{{cite book|author=Lai Ah Eng |title=Religious Diversity in Singapore |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=9MmNaNebFD8C |year=2008|publisher=Institute of Southeast Asian Studies, Singapore|isbn=978-981-230-754-5|pages=221 }}</ref><ref name=ryanjonesavatar>{{cite book|author1=Constance Jones |author2=James D. Ryan |title=Encyclopedia of Hinduism |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=OgMmceadQ3gC |year=2006|publisher=Infobase |isbn=978-0-8160-7564-5 |pages=474 }}</ref>

===Avatar versus incarnation===
The translation of avatar as "incarnation" has been questioned by Christian theologians, who state that an incarnation is in flesh and imperfect, while avatar is mythical and perfect.{{Sfn|Sheth|2002|pp=107-109}}<ref name="Matchett">{{cite book|last=Matchett|first=Freda|title=Krishna, Lord or Avatara?: the relationship between Krishna and Vishnu|publisher=9780700712816|year=2001|page=4|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=1oqTYiPeAxMC&pg=PA4 | isbn=978-0-7007-1281-6}}</ref> The theological concept of Christ as an [[Incarnation (Christianity)#Nicene creed|Incarnation]] into the womb of the Virgin Mary and by work of the Holy Spirit God, as found in [[Christology]], presents the Christian concept of incarnation. This, state Oduyoye and Vroom, is different from the Hindu concept of avatar because avatars in Hinduism are unreal and is similar to [[Docetism]].<ref>Mercy Amba Oduyoye, H. M. Vroom, ''One gospel&nbsp;– many cultures: case studies and reflections on cross-cultural theology'', Rodopi, 2003, {{ISBN|978-90-420-0897-7}}, p. 111.</ref> Sheth disagrees and states that this claim is an incorrect understanding of the Hindu concept of avatar.{{Sfn|Sheth|2002|p=108}}{{NoteTag|Buddha, a real person, is included as an avatar of Vishnu in many Hindu texts.{{Sfn|Sheth|2002|p=99}}}} Avatars are true embodiments of spiritual perfection, one driven by noble goals, in Hindu traditions such as [[Vaishnavism]].{{Sfn|Sheth|2002|p=108}}

==Serer religion==
The [[Serer religion]] of [[West Africa]] rejects any notions of incarnation or manifestation of the supreme deity ''[[Roog (Serer deity)|Roog]]'' (also called Koox in the [[Cangin languages|Cangin]] language). However, the [[reincarnation]] (''ciiɗ'')<ref name=faye>Faye, Louis Diène, ''Mort et Naissance Le Monde Sereer'', Les Nouvelles Edition Africaines (1983), pp 9-10, {{ISBN|2-7236-0868-9}}</ref> of the [[reincarnation#Serer religion|ancient Serer saints and ancestral spirits]], called ''[[Pangool]]'', is a well-held principle in Serer religion. These Pangool (singular : ''Fangool'') act as intermediaries between the living world and the divine. When the Serers speak of incarnation, it is these ''Pangool'' they refer to, who are themselves holy by virtue of their intercession with the divine.<ref name=faye/><ref name="Religio">{{in lang|fr}} [[Issa Laye Thiaw|Thaiw, Issa Laye]], « La religiosité des Seereer, avant et pendant leur islamisation », in ''Éthiopiques, no. 54, volume 7, 2e semestre 1991 [http://ethiopiques.refer.sn/spip.php?article1248] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190925133630/http://ethiopiques.refer.sn/spip.php?article1248|date=2019-09-25}}''</ref><ref>[[Henry Gravrand|Gravrand, Henry]], ''La civilisation sereer, Cosaan:  les origines'', vol.1, Nouvelles Editions africaines (1983), p 33, {{ISBN|2-7236-0877-8}}</ref>

== See also ==
* [[Arahitogami]]
* [[Kumari (goddess)]]
* [[List of people who have been considered deities]]
* [[Theophany]]

== Notes ==
{{NoteFoot}}

==References==
{{Reflist}}

===Bibliography===
* [[Alain Daniélou|Daniélou, Alain]] (1991) [1964]. ''[https://archive.org/details/mythsgodsofindia00dani The myths and gods of India]''. Inner Traditions, Vermont, USA. {{ISBN|0-89281-354-7}}. pp.&nbsp;164–187.
* {{Cite journal | last1 = Coleman | first1 = T. | doi = 10.1093/obo/9780195399318-0009 | title = Avatāra | journal= Oxford Bibliographies Online: Hinduism| year = 2011 | postscript = . Short introduction and bibliography of sources about ''Avatāra'' (subscription required). }}
* {{cite book|last=Matchett|first=Freda|title=Krishna, Lord or Avatara?: the relationship between Krishna and Vishnu| isbn =978-0700712816 |year=2001| url=https://books.google.com/books?id=1oqTYiPeAxMC  | publisher=Routledge}}
* {{Cite book|title=Zur Entwicklung der Avataralehre | author= Paul Hacker| language=de| editor= Lambert Schmithausen| publisher=Otto Harrassowitz |year=1978| isbn=978-3447048606}}
* {{cite journal|doi=10.1353/pew.2002.0005|last=Sheth|first=Noel| year= 2002| title=Hindu Avatāra and Christian Incarnation: A Comparison| journal=Philosophy East and West| publisher=[[University of Hawai'i Press]]| volume=52| issue=1 (January)|pages=98–125 |jstor = 1400135 |s2cid=170278631}}

== External links ==
* {{cite IEP |url-id=incarnat |title=Incarnation}}

{{wiktionary|incarnation|incarnate}}
{{Wikiquote}}{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Religious belief and doctrine]]
[[Category:Conceptions of God]]