Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • noun The relinquishment of some of the attributes of God by Jesus in becoming man and suffering death.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • noun In theology, the self-limitation and self-renunciation of the Son of God in the incarnation.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • noun Christianity Christ's voluntary divestment of his divine powers.

Etymologies

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition

[Late Greek kenōsis, from Greek, an emptying, from kenoun, to empty, from kenos, empty.]

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

From Ancient Greek κένωσις ("emptying"), from κενόειν ("to empty") (with reference to Philippians 2.vii, "But he emptied himself, taking the form of a slave, becoming as human beings are" – New Jerusalem Version).

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Examples

  • Philippians 2:7-8 The concept of self-emptying, known in Christian history by the Greek name kenosis, is common to many of the world's religions.

    Rev. Dr. Paul Bradley: Step Four: Letting Go to Let in God's Light and Love Rev. Dr. Paul Bradley 2012

  • Philippians 2:7-8 The concept of self-emptying, known in Christian history by the Greek name kenosis, is common to many of the world's religions.

    Rev. Dr. Paul Bradley: Step Four: Letting Go to Let in God's Light and Love Rev. Dr. Paul Bradley 2012

  • The concept of kenosis is usually applied to the incarnation of Christ.

    Combinatorial Dependencies 2007

  • In some theistic monism thought the principal of kenosis is in play where God is self-limiting with respect to life.

    Courting the Theists 2005

  • Philippians 2:7-8 The concept of self-emptying, known in Christian history by the Greek name kenosis, is common to many of the world's religions.

    The Full Feed from HuffingtonPost.com Rev. Dr. Paul Bradley 2012

  • If we take care to see this, if we are canny enough to attend to it and faithful enough to lean into it, then the particular ache of that waking can initiate a response that the Greeks were wont to call kenosis -- an emptying.

    Scott Cairns: Moments That Wake Us Up 2010

  • If we take care to see this, if we are canny enough to attend to it and faithful enough to lean into it, then the particular ache of that waking can initiate a response that the Greeks were wont to call kenosis -- an emptying.

    Scott Cairns: Moments That Wake Us Up 2010

  • Chapter 11 is the last in part 3, and applies the notion of kenosis to creation.

    Archive 2009-05-01 James F. McGrath 2009

  • Chapter 11 is the last in part 3, and applies the notion of kenosis to creation.

    Adventures in the Spirit: Part Three James F. McGrath 2009

  • This is combined with the notion of kenosis from the Christian tradition, i.e. the idea that God emptied himself in the incarnation, taking a humble human form with all the implied limitations.

    Archive 2007-11-01 James F. McGrath 2007

Comments

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  • The relinquishment of the form of God by Jesus in becoming man.

    May 12, 2008

  • Sort of like ketosis the relinquishment of carbs.

    May 12, 2008