The Heavenly Origin of the Man Jesus and the Theophany in the Flesh

The Heavenly Origin of the Man Jesus and the Theophany in the Flesh

By: Evangelos D. Kepenes (May 21, 2026, 17:49)

A Biblical and Grammatical Approach Against Imposed Anthropocentric and Philosophical Interpretations 

The Gospel "Not According to Man"

In the Epistle to the Galatians (1:11-12), the Apostle Paul lays the foundation of the Christian faith, proclaiming: "But I make known to you, brethren, that the gospel which was preached by me is not according to man. For I neither received it from man, nor was I taught it, but it came through the revelation of Jesus Christ."

The apostolic teaching is not a product of Royal Ecumenical Councils, human wisdom, religion, or earthly flesh, but is the teaching of the holy Spirit "sent from heaven" (1 Pet. 1:12). The divine and supernatural origin of the Gospel is inextricably linked to the very nature and origin of the man Jesus Christ. Scripture clearly teaches that the man Jesus did not have His origin from the earth, but from heaven, being the living bread and the true manna (1 Cor. 15:47, John 6:51).

The "Genomenon" (Having Taken Place) of the Mission and the Historical Economy (Gal. 4:4)

In the passage of Galatians 4:4 ("God sent forth His Son, γενόμενον ἐκ γυναικός, γενόμενον ὑπό νόμον"), the theological emphasis is placed on the sovereign divine initiative through the verb "sent forth" [exapesteilen, Strong’s G1821]. Given that in the heavenly, spiritual realm there are no physical or geographical places, this "sending forth" does not constitute a local relocation, but rather the manifestation of God within time in human history.

To fully grasp this manifestation, one must analyze the key term "genomenon" (γενόμενον). In New Testament Greek, this is a participle of the deponent verb ginomai [Strong's G1096], which fundamentally means "to become," "to come into existence," or "to arise and appear in history." Grammatically, in this specific verse, it appears as a masculine accusative singular form, directly modifying "His Son" [ton huion, Strong's G5207]. However, according to the lexicographical definitions of ginomai, its core semantic value denotes "that which comes to pass, happens, or transitions into history." It points to an objective event that has actively taken place on the human stage.

This specific historical-event meaning of ginomai [Strong's G1096] is deeply woven into the fabric of New Testament syntax, where the verb consistently defines historical fulfillment and occurrences rather than biological generation. For instance, in Matthew 1:22, the phrase "Touto de holon gegonen" ("Now all this took place" / «τοῦτο δε ὅλον γέγονεν») uses the exact same root to announce the realization of prophecy as a concrete fact in human time. Similarly, in Luke 24:18, Cleopas uses the participle form to ask about "ta genomena"—"the things that have happened" («τα γενόμενα ἐν αὐτῇ»)—referring strictly to the historical events surrounding the crucifixion. In Acts 28:9, the phrase "toutou genomenou" is translated as "when this had taken place" / «τούτου δε γενομένου». In all these instances, the Holy Spirit utilizes the root of ginomai to anchor the narrative in absolute historical reality.

"Having Come to be of a Woman" (Genomenon ek gynaikos)

The Hebrew virgin Mary (Mariam) constitutes the holy vessel and the earthly conduit through whom "the blessed fruit of her womb" (Luke 1:42), the "man from heaven" (1 Cor. 15:47), and "her firstborn" (Luke 2:7) enters human history. It is concerning Him that it was written: "Let all the angels of God worship Him" (Heb. 1:6).

Within this historical economy, there is no concept of "borrowing" earthly flesh through ordinary human generation. The Cause of “that holy One which is to be born” (Luke 1:35) is explicitly non-biological. When Mariam asks, "How will this be?", the angel answers her: "The holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Highest will overshadow you; therefore, also, that holy One who is to be born will be called the Son of God."

It is crucial to note that the earliest and most authoritative critical Greek texts (such as the Nestle-Aland edition) omit the phrase "ek sou" ("of thee / out of you") in Luke 1:35, reading simply: "διό και το γεννώμενον ἅγιον κληθήσεται υἱός θεοῦ" ("therefore also the holy One to be born will be called the Son of God"). This structural omission underscores that the Divine Child is born ‘in her’ (μέσα σου), rather than originating biologically ‘from her’ (ἐξ αὐτής). This is firmly synchronized with the testimony of the Apostle Matthew in Matthew 1:20, where the precise location of the divine action is defined by the preposition en [Strong's G1722] (in / within): "το γαρ ἐν αὐτῇ γεννηθέν ἐκ πνεύματός ἐστιν ἁγίου" ("for that which is begotten IN her is of the holy Spirit", EMTV).

The term "gennethen" (γεννηθέν) [Strong's G1080] in Matthew 1:20 is the neuter singular aorist passive participle of the verb gennao [Strong's G1080]. While traditionally translated as "born," in this specific context of divine overshadowing, the lexicographical definition denotes "that which has been begotten / brought forth from a specific source." Matthew, therefore, refers to an already accomplished, divinely-initiated event—the holy One who is begotten in her—of which the holy Spirit is the exclusive source, cause, and guarantor. This reinforces that genomenon ek gynaikos is not a biological replication of myth, but a unique historical event caused directly by God.

This non-biological, divinely-initiated historical entry is further solidified by the broader Johannine and Pauline theology. In John 1:14, the Evangelist utilizes the exact same root verb to declare: "και ὁ Λόγος σάρξ ἐγένετο" ("And the Word became flesh") [egeneto, Strong's G1096]. John explicitly precedes this by severing the manifestation of God from any human or biological impulse, stating it was not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man (John 1:13). Similarly, the author of Hebrews underscores this sovereign preparation of the historical vessel in Hebrews 10:5, quoting: "σῶμα δε κατηρτίσω μοι" ("but a body You have prepared for Me"). The human frame of Christ was not the product of ordinary biological generation, but a specifically "prepared" and fashioned instrument designed by God to break into the space-time continuum.

"Having Come Under the Law" (Genomenon hypo nomon)

"This second clause sets the precise boundaries of His historical and dispensational (Law – Grace) mission, as well as its specific geographical manifestation on earth. "Christ enters history under the specific status and jurisdiction of the Mosaic Law [nomon, Strong's G3551], not to be subjugated by it, but to fulfill it completely so that Grace may reign: "For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes" (Rom. 10:4).

"Therefore, the double use of this participle focuses objectively on the historical event itself—His entry into the world and His mission—and not on a common biological process that mimics the Myth of Uranus and Gaia; a myth which the Neoplatonically-influenced Fathers deliberately exploited in order to introduce and reproduce the philosophical doctrine of the 'restoration of nature' (apokatastasis). By doing so, they sidelined the authentic apostolic teaching that instead proclaims regeneration (palingenesia) and the radical replacement of the corruptible and mortal: 'We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed' [allagesometha, 1 Cor. 15:51]."

Conventional English translations such as "born" or "made" fall short here; they reduce the term to a purely biological or manufacturing process. In contrast, Strong's G1096 (ginomai), as corroborated by its broader New Testament usage, validates that genomenon underscores the objective, historical reality of the Divine Economy breaking into human time—an actual "coming upon the stage" of human history. His "becoming under the law" is the definitive historical turning point that transitions humanity from the era of legal condemnation to the era of historical redemption.

Legal Result versus Biological Process (Rom. 1:3)

Jesus' connection to earthly reality and the prophecies regarding the royal lineage of David is correctly interpreted through the Jewish legal framework. In Romans 1:3 ("who was made of the seed of David according to the flesh"), Jesus' status as the "Son of David" does not arise from a biological process, but from a legal result.

According to Jewish law, the legal father fully transferred the rights of the genealogical line and the throne. From the moment Joseph (a legal descendant of David) accepted and named the child (Matt. 1:25), Jesus was fully entitled to the title of "Son of David" and the Messiah, fulfilling the prophecy: "He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Highest; and the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David" (Luke 1:32, Acts 2:30).

This is the reason why the Gospels record the genealogy of Joseph. The "man from heaven" is legally integrated into earthly history, without altering the heavenly and spiritual origin of His flesh. After all, Jesus did not refer to an earthly kingdom, but to a heavenly one (John 8:36).

"God Was Manifested in the Flesh" (1 Tim. 3:16 & Col. 1:15)

This approach restores the biblical truth against the traditional dogmatism concerning a "pre-existent Son." If Jesus were the manifestation of a pre-existent second person / hypostasis, then He would be the radiance of that intermediary hypostasis. However, Scripture overturns this view, focusing directly on the Father:

1 Timothy 3:16: The text explicitly proclaims: "And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness: God was manifested in the flesh." The Only God Himself (the Father) is the One who is manifested in His entirety in history, with the heavenly body of Jesus: "For in Him dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily" (Col. 2:9).

Bodily (Somatikos): This adverb does not describe a mere coexistence of two different natures or hypostases, where one supposedly indwells the other. On the contrary, it denotes the unique way in which the invisible Father became visible to humanity. The body of Jesus does not originate from corruptible, earthly matter, but constitutes a heavenly flesh, a divine form that was supernaturally gestated.

This non-material but heavenly reality is powerfully confirmed in the First Epistle of John (1:1), which states: "That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled, concerning the Word of life." This handling and seeing did not concern a common man, but Divine Life itself manifested bodily, since the declaration that "God was manifested" is absolutely identical with the realization that "the life was manifested."

Thus, there is no separation between God and His appearance; the very body of the Son is the perfect, incorruptible, and living "image of the invisible God." For this reason, Scripture fully affirms that "he who has seen Me has seen the Father," making the tangible body of Christ the very visible presence of the one and indivisible deity in the world. After all, death was not conquered by a dust-formed or mortal nature of Jesus, but by Life itself.

Conclusion: "The Word Became Flesh"

The New Testament avoids the later philosophical terms "incarnation" (ensarkosis) or "inhumanation" (enanthropese) and insists on the formulation: "And the Word became flesh" (John 1:14). The man Jesus Christ, who defines Himself as "the Life / the Resurrection / the Truth" (1 Cor. 15:45, John 11:25, 14:6), did not have an imaginary or incorporeal human form (Phil. 2:7)—a fact that definitively rejects Docetism—but possessed a real, spiritual, and heavenly body. His words are "spirit and life" (John 6:63). Jesus Christ is the full, authentic, and visible self-manifestation of the invisible God the Father in the world, making faith and the Gospel absolutely theocentric and compatible with the authentic apostolic teaching.

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