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CreatedintheImageand

AccordingtotheLikenessofGod

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ImageandLikeness

ì  Imageisthepoten*alwehavewithinustobecome

likeourprototype

ì  Likenessistheresult,thepurpose,theideal

ì  afounda*onaldogmaoftheChurchthatALL

humanbeingscreatedso

ì  ImageimpliesbeingGod'schildren

ì  cf:ScripturalteachinginGal.3:26;1Jn3:1

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BiblicalFoundations

ThenGodsaid,“Letusmakehumankind

inourimage,accordingtoourlikeness;

andletthemhavedominionoverthefish

ofthesea,andoverthebirdsoftheair,

andovertheca<le,andoverallthewild

animalsoftheearth,andoverevery

creepingthingthatcreepsupontheearth.”

(Gen.1:26)

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ImageandLikeness

ì  a[nqrwpo" -ἀνω - θρώσκω 

ì  Thehumanpersonì  morethanjustfleshandblood

ì  aspecialcreaturewiththecommandmenttobecomelike

God

ì  thegrandeuryetfragilityofthehumanperson-compare

organicrela@onshipwithothercreatures

ì  Sw'ma and cw'ma

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GeneralMeaning

ì  AccordingtoStFathers,ageneralmeaningoftheterm"image"impliesthathumanbeingshavebeencreated

ì  byGod'sgrace(katav cavrin)

ì  byGod'sgoodpleasure(kat j eujdokivan)

ì  byGod'spower(katav duvnamin)

ì  byGod'senergies(kat j ejnevrgeian)

ì  byGod'swill(katav qevlhma)

ì  tobecomeeverythingGodisbynature,bygrace

ì  Humanperson-anepiphanyofGod

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Growingtowardslikeness

ì  Inrealityhumansinhasresultedinhumanbeingsrefusingtogrowtowardslikeness

ì  TheresultofthisisoutlinedinRom.1ì  Humanbeingscreatedtogivegloryandthanks

toGod-ej  vdovxasan kaiv eujcarivsthsan

ì  StPauloutlinestheresultwhenGodbecomesirrelevantinourlives

ì  CommunionwithGodislifeandsepara@onisdeath

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Specificmeaningof"image"

ì  NoconsensusintheFathersì  Fromalltheliteraturewecansafelyconcludethe

following:

ì  Imagecanreferto:ì  Ourcommunalbeing

ì  Imageasgrowth

ì  Imageasself-awareness

ì  ImageasFreedom

ì  Imagereferringtothewholeperson

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Image-Communal

ì  SincewearecreatedinGod'simagethisimpliesthatwearerela@onalbeings

ì  Rela@onalinthever@calandhorizontalsenseì  Etymologyofprovswpon betraysitsrela@onalcharacter

naturaera@onalisindividuasubstan@a(Boethius)

ì  Humanbeingscreatedtohavearela@onshipwithGodandwithfellowhumanbeings

ì  Descartessaid"cogitoergosum";wewouldsay"amoergosum"

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THEBEAUTYOFTHEPERSON

ì  Ho wbeau * fulanduniquehumanpersonsarein

 theirabsolu tedi fference to tall yas tonishing

al wa yssurprisingceaselessl ycap * va *ng

endlessl yspon taneouslo vingin freedom,

 there foreal wa ysdi fferen t.

 Wh yisi t tha t weareno w threa tenedb y the

o therno t wishing theec-s ta *cexperienceo f

beingas tonishedandsurprisedb y tha t whichis

di fferen tin theo ther?

 Wh yisi t tha t wecanno tlo ve t

heo ther

no tDESPI TE theirdi fferences

bu tBECAUSEo f thosedi fferences

Since we werecrea tedb yGodno tdi fferen t

 fromeacho therbu tdi fferen t foreacho ther

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Image-Growth

ì  Createdintheimageofgrowthalsomeanswehavethepoten*alforgrowth

ì  Thedynamicaspectofthehumanperson

expressedinthedis*nc*onmadebythetermsimageandlikeness

ì  FathersofthePatris*ctradi*onwhichdis*nguishare:

ì  Irenaeus,

ì  ClementofAlexandriaì  Origen

ì  StMaximustheConfessor

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Image-Growth

ì  “HumanreceivedthehonouroftheimageattheirfirstcreaIon,butthefullperfecIonofGod’slikenesswillbeconferreduponthemonlyattheconsummaIonofallthings”

ì  "everyintelligentnatureisintheimageofGod,butonlythegoodandthewiseareinhislikeness".

ì  Adam"wasbutsmall,forhewasachild;anditwas

necessarythatheshouldgrowandsocometohis perfecIon." 

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Image-Selfawareness

ì  CreatedintheimageofGodimplieswedonotactoutofins*nctbutcanthink.

ì  Responsibilitytogivecrea*onavoice

ì  Includesthewholeperson:StIrenaeus

ì  "BythehandsoftheFather,thatis,bytheSonandtheSpirit,

thehumanpersonwascreatedinthelikenessofGod.The

 personwassocreated,notjustapartoftheperson.Nowsoul

andspiritarecertainlyapartoftheperson,buttheyarenot

thepersonassuch.Forthecompletepersonconsistsinthe

comminglingandunionofthesoulthatreceivesthespirit[or

breath]oftheFather,togetherwiththeflesh[orphysical

nature]thatisfashionedaccordingtoGod'simage." ì  AgainsttheHeresies5,6,1.

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Image-includingthebody

ì  NiketasChoniatesì  §"The term human being is applied not to the soul

alone or to the body alone, but to both of themtogether;andsoitiswithreferencetobothtogether

thatGodissaidtohavecreatedthehumanpersoninhisimage."

ì  Prosopopeiai,PG150:1361C

ì  CarlJungì  "Spirit is the living body seen from within, and the

bodytheoutermanifestaIonofthelivingspirit–thetwobeingreallyone.”

ì  ModernManinSearchofaSoul,(London:RoutledgeArkPaperbacks,1984),253.

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Image-freedom

ì  Imagereflectedinourfreedom

ì  StCyrilofAlexandria

ì  "Humanbeingswerecreatedinthebeginningwithcontrolover

theirowndecisions,andwerefreetodirecttheirwillastheychose.FortheywereformedinGod'simage,andGodisfree."

ì  GlafyeraonGenesis,1,4.PG69:24C.

ì  StMaximustheConfessor

ì  "ifthehumanpersoniscreatedintheimageoftheblessedandsuperessenIalGodhead,then–sincetheGodheadisfreebynature–thissignifiesthatasGod'simagethehumanpersonalsoisfreebynature."

ì  DisputewithPyrrhus,PG91:304C.

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Image-freedom

The Macarian Homilies (4th century) pointout:

ì  §  "Heaven, sun, moon and earth have no free

wi ll, but you are in the image and likeness ofGod;andthismeansthat,justasGodisHisownmaster and can do what He wishes and, if Hewishes, He can send the righteous to hell andsinnerstotheKingdom,butHedoesnotchoose

todothis…so,inlikemanner,youalsoareyourownmasterand,ifyouchoose,youcandestroyyourself ."

ì  Homilies,15,23.

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Responsibility

ì  Namingtheanimalsì  Gen.2:19–20:“SooutofthegroundtheLORDGodformedevery

animalofthefieldandeverybirdoftheair,andbroughtthemtothe

mantoseewhathewouldcallthem;andwhateverthemancalled

everylivingcreature,thatwasitsname.Themangavenamestoall

cale,andtothebirdsoftheair,andtoeveryanimalofthefield;but

forthemantherewasnotfoundahelperashispartner.”

ì  BetrayshighestesteemthatGodhastowardshumanity

ì  Nomenisomen

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ì  Mul@plyingupontheearthì  Gen.1:28Godblessedthem,andGodsaid

tothem,“Befruiulandmul*ply,andfilltheearthandsubdue[κατακυριεύσατε]it;andhavedominionoverthefishofthesea

andoverthebirdsoftheairandovereverylivingthingthatmovesupontheearth.”

ì  Notunderstoodintermsofconqueringì  Cf:rela@onshipbetweenhusbandandwife

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TheParadoxoftheHumanPerson

ì  earthly,yetheavenly….Midwaybetweenmajestyandlowliness…both

spiritandflesh (StGregorytheTheologian)

ì  “Forthisisthesafestwaytoprotectthegoodthingsyouenjoy;byrealizing

howmuchyourCreatorhashonouredyouaboveallothercreatures,Hedid

notmaketheheavensinHisimage,northemoon,northesun,northe

beautyofthestars,noranythingelsewhichsurpassesallunderstanding.

YoualoneareaniconofEternalBeauty,andifyoulookatHim,youwill

becomewhatHeis,imita*ngHimWhoshineswithinyou,whosegloryis

reflectedinyourpurity.Nothinginallcrea*oncanequalyourgrandeur.All

theheavenscanfitinthepalmofGod'shand...andthoughHeissogreat...

youcanwhollyembraceHim.Hedwellswithinyou...Hepervadesyour

en*rebeing”(StGregoryofNyssa)