Chapter LXIII.

Celsus, not observing the difference between “after the image of God” and “God’s image,” next asserts that the “first-born of every creature” is the image of God,—the very word and truth, and also the very wisdom, being the image of His goodness, while man has been created after the image of God; moreover, that every man whose head is Christ is the image and glory of God;—and further, not observing to which of the characteristics of humanity the expression “after the image of God” belongs, and that it consists in a nature which never had nor longer has “the old man with his deeds,” being called “after the image of Him who created it,” from its not possessing these qualities,—he maintains:  “Neither did He make man His image; for God is not such an one, nor like any other species of (visible) being.”  Is it possible to suppose that the element which is “after the image of God” should exist in the inferior part—I mean the body—of a compound being like man, because Celsus has explained that to be made after the image of God?  For if that which is “after the image of God” be in the body only, the better part, the soul, has been deprived of that which is “after His image,” and this (distinction) exists in the corruptible body,—an assertion which is made by none of us.  But if that which is “after the image of God” be in both together, then God must necessarily be a compound being, and consist, as it were, of soul and body, in order that the element which is “after God’s image,” the better part, may be in the soul; while the inferior part, and that which “is according to the body,” may be in the body,—an assertion, again, which is made by none of us.  It remains, therefore, that that which is “after the image of God” must be understood to be in our “inner man,” which is also renewed, and whose nature it is to be “after the image of Him who created it,” when a man becomes “perfect,” as “our Father in heaven is perfect,” and hears the command, “Be ye holy, for I the Lord your God am holy,”1533    Lev. xi. 44. and learning the precept, “Be ye followers of God,”1534    Cf. Eph. v. 1 (μιμηταί). receives into his virtuous soul the traits of God’s image.  The body, moreover, of him who possesses such a soul is a temple of God; and in the soul God dwells, because it has been made after His image.1535    The words as they stand in the text are probably corrupt:  we have adopted in the translation the emendation of Guietus:  ἔτι και ναός ἐστι τοῦ Θεοῦ το σῶμα τοῦ τοιαύτην ἔχοντος ψυχὴν, καὶ ἐν τῇ ψυχῇ διὰ τὸ κατ᾽ εἰκόνα, τὸν Θεόν.

Εἶτά φησιν ὁ Κέλσος, μὴ ἐνιδὼν τῇ διαφορᾷ τοῦ "κατ' εἰκόνα θεοῦ" καὶ "τῆς εἰκόνος αὐτοῦ", ὅτι "εἰκὼν" μὲν "τοῦ θεοῦ" ὁ "πρωτότοκος πάσης κτίσεώς" ἐστιν ὁ αὐτολόγος καὶ ἡ αὐτοαλήθεια ἔτι δὲ καὶ ἡ αὐτοσοφία, "εἰκὼν" οὖσα "τῆς ἀγαθότητος αὐτοῦ", "κατ' εἰκόνα" δὲ τοῦ "θεοῦ" ὁ ἄνθρωπος πεποίηται, ἔτι δὲ καὶ ὅτι πᾶς ἀνήρ, οὗ "Χριστός ἐστι κεφαλή", "εἰκὼν καὶ δόξα θεοῦ" ὑπάρχει· ἀλλ' οὐδ' ἐπιστήσας, ἐν τίνι τῶν τοῦ ἀνθρώπου τὸ "κατ' εἰκόνα" τοῦ "θεοῦ" χαρακτηρίζεται, καὶ ὅτι ἐν τῇ ἢ μὴ ἐσχηκυίᾳ ἢ μηκέτι ἐχούσῃ ψυχῇ "τὸν παλαιὸν ἄνθρωπον σὺν ταῖς πράξεσιν αὐτοῦ", ἐκ τοῦ μὴ ἔχειν ταῦτα χρηματιζούσῃ "κατ' εἰκόνα" τοῦ κτίσαντος, φησὶ τό· Οὐδ' ἄνθρωπον ἐποίησεν εἰκόνα αὐτοῦ· οὐ γὰρ τοιόσδε ὁ θεὸς οὔτ' ἄλλῳ εἴδει οὐδενὶ ὅμοιος. Οἷον δ' ἐστὶ τοῦ συνθέ του ἀνθρώπου τῷ χείρονι μέρει, λέγω δὲ τῷ σώματι, νομίζειν ἐνυπάρχειν τὸ "κατ' εἰκόνα" τοῦ "θεοῦ", ὡς δ' ὁ Κέλσος ἐξείληφεν, αὐτὸ εἶναι τὸ "κατ' εἰκόνα" αὐτοῦ; Εἰ γὰρ τὸ "κατ' εἰκόνα" τοῦ "θεοῦ" ἐν τῷ σώματί ἐστι μόνῳ, ἐστέρηται τὸ κρεῖττον, ἡ ψυχή, τοῦ "κατ' εἰκόνα" καὶ ἔστιν ἐν τῷ φθαρτῷ σώματι, ὅπερ οὐδεὶς ἡμῶν λέγει. Εἰ δ' ἐστὶν ἐν τῷ συναμφοτέρῳ τὸ "κατ' εἰκόνα" τοῦ "θεοῦ", ἀνάγκη σύνθετον εἶναι τὸν θεὸν καὶ οἱονεὶ συνεστῶτα καὶ αὐτὸν ἐκ ψυχῆς καὶ σώματος, ἵνα τὸ μὲν "κατ' εἰκόνα" τὸ κρεῖττον ᾖ ἐν τῇ ψυχῇ, τὸ δ' ἔλαττον καὶ κατὰ τὸ σῶμα ἐν τῷ σώματι, ὅπερ οὐδεὶς ἡμῶν φησι. Λείπεται δὴ τὸ "κατ' εἰκόνα" τοῦ "θεοῦ" ἐν τῷ καθ' ἡμᾶς λεγομένῳ ἔσω ἀνθρώπῳ καὶ ἀνακαινουμένῳ καὶ πεφυκότι γίνεσθαι "κατ' εἰκόνα τοῦ κτίσαντος" νοεῖσθαι, ὅτε γίνεταί τις "τέλειος", "ὡς ὁ πατὴρ ὁ οὐράνιος τέλειός ἐστι", καὶ ἀκούει ὅτι "Ἅγιοι ἔσεσθε, ὅτι ἐγὼ ἅγιος κύριος ὁ θεὸς ὑμῶν", καὶ μανθάνων τὸ "Μιμηταὶ τοῦ θεοῦ γίνεσθε" ἀναλαμβάνει εἰς τὴν ἑαυτοῦ ἐνάρετον ψυχὴν τοὺς χαρακτῆρας τοῦ θεοῦ· ὅτε καὶ "ναός" ἐστι τοῦ ἐν τῷ "κατ' εἰκόνα" ἀνειληφότος τοῦ θεοῦ τὰ τοῦ θεοῦ "τὸ σῶμα", τοῦ τοιαύτην ἔχοντος ψυχὴν καὶ ἐν τῇ ψυχῇ διὰ τὸ "κατ' εἰκόνα" τὸν θεόν.