kenkosis, kenotic 1. According to Christian belief, Jesus Christ's act of partly giving up his divine status in order to become a man, as recorded in the Bible (Philippians 2:6-7). 2. Late 19th century: from Greek kenōsis, 'an emptying'; from heauton ekenōse, 'emptied himself'. In Christian theology, Kenosis is the concept of the 'self-...