Home › Glossary › Letter I

Incarnation

World Religion
Pronunciation

Understanding ARPABET Pronunciation

Want to hear it? Click the Listen button to hear the browser speak the word using text-to-speech!

The pronunciation guide uses the ARPABET phonetic system—the same system used in speech recognition and text-to-speech applications.

Vowel Examples:
AE1 = cat, bat
EH1 = bed, head
IY1 = see, me
OW1 = go, boat
UW1 = boot, do
Stress Numbers:
0 = no stress (unstressed)
1 = primary stress (loud)
2 = secondary stress (medium)
Example:
AH0 TH IY1 N AH0
= a-THEE-na (Athena)

The stressed syllable (marked with 1) is pronounced louder and clearer than others.

Quick Definition

The belief that a deity has taken on human flesh, most centrally in Christianity regarding Jesus Christ, but also in other traditions like Hinduism (avatars).

Detailed Definition
The Incarnation is the ultimate symbol of the divine meeting the human, the spiritual inhabiting the material. In poetry, this doctrine sanctifies the physical world, suggesting that God can be found in the human face, in flesh, and in history. It provides a basis for celebrating the body and earthly life as vessels of the sacred. The poet can explore the paradox of the infinite contained in the finite, the word made flesh, and the intimate, personal nature of God's love.
Example
Example in poetry:
In Christian poetry, Incarnation is God in flesh: “Word became flesh—dwelt among us, full of grace”; In Hindu verse, Krishna is divine Incarnation: “Blue-skinned boy—God playing flute in Vrindavan”; In contemporary poetry, Incarnation is embodiment: “Every body—Incarnation of spirit, worthy of reverence”; Poets extend Incarnation to nature: “River, tree, stone—Incarnations of the sacred.”
Additional Notes
Incarnation affirms the divine entering flesh—central to Christianity (John 1:14), but also seen in Hindu avatars (Krishna, Rama); it sanctifies material existence; poets celebrate incarnation through sensory detail—smell of hay, touch of skin—making the infinite intimate and affirming embodiment as sacred.
Also Known As
Avatar Theophany Avatara
Skip to main content