Advent Reading Group – “On the Incarnation” by St Athanasius

A reading group for Advent 2026 meeting to work through the classic text “On the Incarnation” by St Athanasius, examining the event & implications of the Incarnation through the eyes of this key Early Church figure.

St Athanasius (c. 295-373 AD) is intimately connected with the fourth century formation of the doctrine of the Trinity.  His writings speak powerfully of the full divinity of God made man in Christ, and the implications of this event for humanity.

His small book “On the Incarnation” is still seen today as a classic exposition on the topic, and is perhaps especially important for Western Christians, since it has a typically Eastern (Orthodox) focus on the salvific impact of the Incarnation.

In reading this text together the hope is that we will be able to see a familiar story from a new perspective and gain inspiration from one of the ancient classics of the Early Church.

If you’ve never read a text from the earliest centuries of the Church before, this is an excellent place to start!  Absolutely no previous knowledge of Church history or theology is assumed.

Meeting Series
We’ll meet on Tuesday nights (1st, 8th, 15th and 22nd December 2026) at 7pm and finish by 8:15pm.

The initial session on 1st December will provide an introduction to St Athanasius, his life & times, and the fourth century context in which he lived.  For each of the remaining three sessions the intention is that participants will read a third of the text in advance (about 25 pages of a typical paperback book each time). We’ll divide the text as follows:

• Dec 8th – Read sections 1-19 beforehand
• Dec 15th – Read sections 20-40 beforehand
• Dec 22nd – Read sections 41-57 beforehand

Please note that the sessions form a single coherent series – ideally participants will be able to attend all of them.

Preparation…
Having read the relevant sections in advance, each session will then provide an opportunity for us to come together and share something of the inspiration and/or wrestling we’ve encountered from that portion of the work in a reflective setting.

It will really help if, as you read, you could make a note of the exact section number and ideally copy out/ highlight/ bookmark the exact passage(s) which strike/ inspire/ perplex you and come prepared to read them out.

If you do find yourself wrestling with something as you read, someone else is almost certainly thinking exactly the same thing, so please do flag it for discussion.

One particular topic you might like to keep in mind before and during your reading is your own understanding of “soteriology” (salvation-ology).  In simple terms, what is the human problem, how does Christ save us/me, and into what are we/I saved?  Then as you read, compare your thoughts with the vision set out by Athanasius.

Which edition of the text?
Many editions of “On the Incarnation” by St Athanasius have been published over the years, and there are a bewildering array of options (and prices) available for the text!  The various editions should all be divided into the same sections, which makes it easier to reference.

But the group will run more smoothly (and participants will get the most from the text, trust me on this!) if using one of the following two editions:

The first suggestion (which has a slightly older translation made in the 1970’s, but which features a superb introduction by C.S. Lewis on the relevance of reading classic Early Church texts such as this one) is available from Sea Harp Press via Amazon UK for approx. £9 (Other retailers are available!).

An alternative (but seemingly difficult to get hold of in the UK) edition is the most recent one published by St Vladimir’s Seminary Press in 2011.  This features a more modern English translation made by a leading contemporary Patristic scholar (John Behr) and also has the Greek text on the facing page (in case you can read a little Greek). Please note if ordering via Amazon, this defaults to shipping from the US, so beware of the expected arrival date! If looking for this edition, you may find a new or secondhand copy cheaper from Abebooks.

Do I need any specific background for this Reading Group?
No knowledge of Church history or theology is assumed.

If you’re interested in some additional reading either before or after this Group, suggested texts on Athanasius and some extracts from his work can be found on this page of the website.

Any questions?
If you have any questions about this series of meetings, please get in touch.