Word And Flesh

Ἐν ἀρχῇ ἦν ὁ λόγος...καὶ ὁ λόγος σὰρξ ἐγένετο. Τὸ γὰρ, ἦν, ἐπὶ τῆς θεότητος αὐτοῦ αναφέρεται· τὸ δὲ, σὰρξ ἐγένετο, ἐπὶ τοῦ σώματος. Ὁ Λόγος σὰρξ ἐγένετο, οὐκ εἰς σάρκα ἀναλυθεὶς, ἀλλὰ σάρκα φορέσας· ὡς δ' ἂν εἴποι τις· Ὁ δεῖνα γέγονε γὲρων, οὐκ ἐξ ἀρχῆς γεννηθείς· ἤ, Ὁ στρατιώτης βετεράνος ἐγένετο, οὐ πρότερον τοιοῦτος ὤμοἶος γέγονεν. Ἰωάννης, Ἐγενόμην, φησὶν, ἐν τῇ νήσῳ τῇ Πάτμῳ, ἐν τῇ ἡμέρᾳ Κυριακῇ· οὐχ ὅτι ἐκεῖ γέγονεν, ἤ γεγένηται· ἀλλ' εἶπεν, Ἐγενόμην ἐν Πάτμῳ, ἀντὶ τοῦ, Παρεγενόμην. Οὕτως ὁ Λόγος εἰς σάρακα παραγέγονεν, ὡς λέλεκται· Ὁ Λόγος σὰρξ ἐγένετο.. Ἅγιος Ἀθανάσιος, Περὶ Πιστωες Λογος Ὁ Μειζων Source: Migne PG 26.1264d-1265a

In the beginning was the Word...and the word was made flesh 1 For the 'was' here refers to His Divinity, and then the 'was made flesh' to his body. The Word became flesh not by being dissolved into flesh, but bearing flesh, as if we might say of someone: 'Oh, he has become old,' when there was not such a thing before , or 'The soldier has become a veteran,' when there was not such a quality before it was brought to be. John says, 'I was on the isle of Patmos on the day of the Lord,' 2 not that he was fashioned there or born there, but he says, 'I was on Patmos,' as if he said, 'I came to'. Thus the Word came to the flesh, and so it is said, 'the Word was made flesh'. Saint Athanasius, The Greater Sermon on the Reason of Faith 1 Jn 1.1, 1.14 2 Apoc 1.9