Image of God in Man
The doctrine that man is made in God's image and likeness, situated in the rational soul. The six endowments of the image: (1) incorporeal and undivided soul, (2) eternal and immortal, (3) intellect/will/memory, (4) free will, (5) capacity for wisdom/virtue/grace/beatitude, (6) dominion over animals. This natural image is indelible and could not be lost through sin. Beyond the natural image, there is also a supernatural image in grace and justification.
Chapter I (The Six Days of Creation)
-
Verse 26: Let Us Make Man in Our Image and Likeness
— The twelve excellences of man: he is the first image of the Trinity, the end, compendium, bond, and link of the created world; man is a Microcosm and the Horizon of the universe.
"man is the first image of the uncreated world, that is, of the Most Holy Trinity, and the testimony of His infinite art and wisdom, and His most perfect work. Of the created world, however, man is the end, the compendium, the bond and link"
-
Verse 26: Let Us Make Man in Our Image and Likeness
— The image of God is situated in the mind of man, in his intellectual nature — through reason, mind, and intellect, man most reflects God above all other creatures.
"this image of God is situated in the mind of man, that is, in the fact that man occupies the highest rank of things, in which God and the angel stand, namely that man is of an intellectual nature and is a rational animal."
-
Verse 26: Let Us Make Man in Our Image and Likeness
— The six endowments: (1) incorporeal and undivided soul, (2) eternal and immortal, (3) intellect/will/memory, (4) free will, (5) capacity for wisdom/virtue/grace/beatitude, (6) dominion over animals.
"The first is that man's soul is incorporeal and undivided, as God Himself is: St. Augustine places the image of God in this. The second is that it is eternal and immortal: Origen places it in this. The third is that it is endowed with intellect, will, and memory: Damascene places it in this."
-
Verse 26: Let Us Make Man in Our Image and Likeness
— This natural image is indelible; it could not be lost through sin, being impressed intimately on nature itself. Against Flacius Illyricus.
"This image of God in man is therefore natural, and could not be lost through sin; for it is impressed intimately and indelibly on nature itself, so that it cannot be lost unless nature itself is also lost."
-
Verse 26: Let Us Make Man in Our Image and Likeness
— The supernatural image in grace and justification, by which man becomes a sharer in the divine nature; lost by sin, repaired by grace.
"there is also another image of God in man, namely a supernatural one, which is situated in grace and man's justification, by which he becomes a sharer in the divine nature"
-
Verse 26: Let Us Make Man in Our Image and Likeness
— The Hebrew tselem signifies a shadow: man in relation to God is merely a shadow or shadowy image, with a fleeting essence compared to God's solid and constant one.
""image" the Hebrew is tselem, which signifies a shadow, or a shadowing-forth of a thing. For the root tsalal signifies to cast a shadow"
-
Verse 26: Let Us Make Man in Our Image and Likeness
— In the body there shines forth a certain reflection of the image: the upright stature and face raised to heaven indicate a soul sprung from heavenly origin.
"in the body of man there is not properly the image of God, but nevertheless in it there shines forth in a certain way and glows, because the body of man is the image of the mind: for the upright stature and the face raised to heaven indicate a soul that rules the body, sprung from a heavenly origin"
-
Verse 26: Let Us Make Man in Our Image and Likeness
— Morally, God sealed man with His indelible image: man bears it as son to father (love), slave to master (fear), soldier to commander (fidelity), steward to lord (right use of creatures).
"God willed all things to be man's, but man to be God's, as His own special possession, and therefore He sealed him with the seal of His image -- and that a most tenacious and indelible one"
-
Verse 26: Let Us Make Man in Our Image and Likeness
— Image vs. likeness: many Fathers distinguish them (image = nature, likeness = virtues); through sin, likeness perishes but not the image.
"St. Basil, Homily 10 on the Hexameron: "Through the image impressed on my soul, I obtained the use of reason; but having become a Christian, I am made truly like God.""