This interview with his Eminence Metropolitan Hierotheos of Nafpaktos
and Agiou Vlasiou was published in the journal "Καθ' οδόν" by the
Community Youth of the Sacred Metropolis of Limassol, and as the reader
will see, the questions cover a large part of the Christology of
Christmas.
Question: The word Χριστούγεννα (Greek word for
"Christmas") means the birth of Christ. We would like you to tell us
what was the purpose of the birth of Christ and generally why did the
Word of God have to incarnate. Couldn't there have been another way for
the salvation of the human race?
Answer: As it is written throughout our
biblical-patristic tradition, the purpose of the Incarnation of the Word
of God is the theosis of humanity, which means that He who according to
His nature is God became man, that we may become gods according to
Grace. In one of his discourses, Athanasius the Great analyzes that God
sent the Prophets in the Old Testament to speak to His people, but
ultimately the issue was how man will be deified and how he will be
released from death.
