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To the image of God and to the likeness

OF THE SAME GREGORY OF NYSSA, CONCERNING WHAT IS MEANT BY, "ACCORDING TO THE IMAGE OF GOD AND ACCORDING TO THE LIKENESS."

Those who wish to perceive without error the God-created beauty of their own face, cannot otherwise behold their own image and the character of their face than through some very clean mirror, in which, drawing near their own image of their countenance, in it and through it they see clearly within a certain imitative character according to their own image and likeness. Therefore, we too, as if in a mirror, gazing at the divine ray of the intelligible sun, from there let us clearly learn the reflection and the form and the image of what is according to the image and likeness of our nature. For the constitution of man is, as it seems to me, something awesome and difficult to interpret, imaging many hidden mysteries of God in itself. And just as the nature of the eye easily perceives things outside itself, but cannot perceive what it is like itself; so to every eye of human thought the principle of our creation has become difficult to contemplate and hard to comprehend.

For when the Creator had completed the simple and most intelligible world of invisible powers, after which also this material and visible world, composed of four elements, then He says, "Let us make man in our image and likeness," and He makes a living being, like some mixed world akin to the two worlds, composed of an incorporeal and immortal and incorruptible soul, and of a material and visible four-element body. When this was done, Scripture says again that "And God made man, in the image of God he made him"; and by God it means the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Many and various opinions on this matter have been expressed by commentators. For some have said that man's capacity to rule and exercise authority is what is according to the image and likeness of God, others the intelligible and invisible nature of the soul. Others, the incorruptible and sinless state, when Adam was created 44.1329; others have said it is a prophecy concerning baptism.

Last of all, as to one born out of due time, it appeared to me also to say something on this matter; and it is worthwhile to first of all investigate this: why ever did God not rather name the intelligible and immaterial, and celestial, and God-like angels as being in his image and likeness? For they also possess the capacity to rule and exercise authority over all the earth, and over man himself, or rather, more than man. Likewise also the incorruptible, and the immaterial, and the invisible, and the pure, and all other praises one might say concerning Adam, exist exceedingly in the intelligible and heavenly choirs of incorporeal beings. Therefore, the "according to the image" of man hints at something deeper for us than the things proposed. For man does not possess one image and likeness of God, but also a second, and a third, imaging as in a mirror and in a typical, not a natural, sketch, the mystery of the tri-hypostatic Godhead; and not only this, but also clearly prefiguring the incarnation of the one of the Holy Trinity, God the Word. And perhaps the soul alone is in the image of the Godhead, but the composite of our soul and body is in the likeness of the incarnation of the Word.

But rather let us run back to the very beginning of the account, seeking from there first, as from some very deep spring, why not in the likeness of the other rational beings, that is, of the angels, or again in equality with the ensouled animals

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Ad imaginem dei et ad similitudinem

ΤΟΥ ΑΥΤΟΥ ΓΡΗΓΟΡΙΟΥ ΝΥΣΣΗΣ ΠΕΡΙ ΤΟΥ, ΤΙ ΕΣΤΙ ΤΟ, ΚΑΤ' ΕΙΚΟΝΑ ΘΕΟΥ ΚΑΙ ΚΑΘ' ΟΜΟΙΩΣΙΝ.

Οἱ τὴν ἑαυτῶν ἀπλανῶς τοῦ προσώπου θεόκτιστον ὡραιότητα κατανοεῖν

βουλόμενοι, οὐκ ἄλλως πως τὴν οἰκείαν εἰκόνα καὶ τοῦ προσώπου τὸν χαρακτῆρα ἐνοπτρίζεσθαι δύνανται ἀλλ' ἢ διά τινος καθαρωτά του ἐσόπτρου, ἐν ᾧ τὴν οἰκείαν τῆς ὄψεως εἰκόνα προσεγγίζοντες, ἐν αὐτῷ καὶ δι' αὐτοῦ ὁρῶσι τρανῶς ἔνδον ἀντίμιμόν τινα χαρακτῆρα κατ' εἰκόνα καὶ καθ' ὁμοίωσιν ἑαυτῶν. Οὐκοῦν καὶ ἡμεῖς ὥσπερ ἐν ἐσόπτρῳ τινὶ πρὸς τὴν θείαν ἀκτῖνα τοῦ νοεροῦ ἡλίου ἀτενίσαντες, ἐκεῖθεν ἐναργῶς τὸ ἀποσκίασμα καὶ τὴν μορφὴν καὶ τὴν εἰκόνα τοῦ κατ' εἰκόνα καὶ καθ' ὁμοίωσιν τῆς ἡμετέρας καταμάθωμεν φύσεως. Ἔστι γὰρ, ἔστιν, ὡς ἐμοί γε δοκεῖ, ἡ τοῦ ἀνθρώπου κατασκευὴ φοβερά τις καὶ δυσερμήνευτος, καὶ πολλὰ καὶ ἀπόκρυφα ἐν αὐτῇ μυστήρια Θεοῦ ἐξεικονίζουσα. Καὶ ὥσπερ ἡ τοῦ ὀφθαλμοῦ φύσις τὰ μὲν ἐκτὸς ἑαυτῆς εὐχερῶς κατανοεῖ, ἑαυτὴν δὲ κατανοῆσαι ὁποῖά ἐστιν οὐ δύναται· οὕτω παντὶ ὀφθαλμῷ ἀνθρωπίνης διανοίας δυσθεώρητος καὶ δυσκατάληπτος ὁ τῆς ἡμετέρας δημιουργίας λόγος καθέστηκε.

Συντελέσας γὰρ ὁ Κτίστης τὸν ἁπλοῦν καὶ νοερώτατον τῶν ἀορά των δυνάμεων κόσμον, μεθ' ὃν καὶ τὸν ὑλικὸν τοῦτον καὶ ὁρώμενον, τὸν ἐκ τεσσάρων στοιχείων συγκείμενον, τότε φησὶ, Ποιήσωμεν ἄνθρωπον κατ' εἰκόνα ἡμετέραν καὶ καθ' ὁμοίωσιν, καὶ ποιεῖ ζῶον, ὥσπερ τινὰ μικτὸν κόσμον συγγενῆ τῶν δύο κόσμων, ἐξ ἀσωμάτου καὶ ἀθανάτου καὶ ἀφθάρτου ψυχῆς, καὶ ἐξ ὑλικοῦ καὶ ὁρωμένου τετραστοίχου σώματος συγκείμενον. Οὗτινος γενομένου πάλιν φησὶν ἡ Γραφὴ, ὅτι Καὶ ἐποίησεν ὁ Θεὸς τὸν ἄνθρωπον, κατ' εἰ κόνα Θεοῦ ἐποίησεν αὐτόν· Θεὸν καὶ λέγει τὸν Πατέρα καὶ τὸν Υἱὸν καὶ τὸ ἅγιον Πνεῦμα. Πολλαὶ μὲν οὖν καὶ διάφοροι γνῶμαι περὶ τούτου τοῖς ἐξηγηταῖς ἐῤῥήθησαν. Οἱ μὲν γὰρ τὸ ἀρχικὸν καὶ ἐξουσιαστικὸν τοῦ ἀνθρώπου τὸ κατ' εἰκόνα Θεοῦ καὶ ὁμοίωσιν εἶπον, ἕτεροι δὲ τὸ νοερὸν καὶ ἀόρατον τῆς ψυχῆς. Ἄλλοι τὸ ἄφθαρτον καὶ ἀναμάρτητον, ὅτε γέγονεν ὁ 44.1329 Ἀδάμ· ἕτεροι προφητείαν αὐτὸ εἰρήκασι περὶ τοῦ βαπτίσματος.

Ἔσχατον δὲ πάντων ὡσπερεὶ τῷ ἐκτρώματι ὤφθη κἀμοὶ ἔνια περὶ τούτου εἰπεῖν· καὶ πρῶτόν γε πάν των ἐκεῖνο ζητῆσαι ἄξιον, τὸ, τί δήποτε μὴ μᾶλλον τοὺς νοεροὺς καὶ ἀΰλους, καὶ οὐρανίους, καὶ πλησιοθέους ἀγγέλους ὠνόμασεν ὁ Θεὸς κατ' εἰκόνα καὶ καθ' ὁμοίωσιν αὐτοῦ; Καὶ γὰρ καὶ τὸ ἀρχικὸν καὶ ἐξουσιαστικὸν πάσης τῆς γῆς, καὶ αὐτοῦ τοῦ ἀνθρώ που αὐτοὶ ἔχουσι, μᾶλλον δὲ ὑπὲρ τὸν ἄνθρωπον. Ὁμοίως καὶ τὸ ἄφθαρτον, καὶ τὸ ἄϋλον, καὶ τὸ ἀόρα τον, καὶ τὸ καθαρὸν, καὶ πάντα ὅσα ἄλλα ἐγκώμια περὶ τοῦ Ἀδὰμ εἴποις, ὑπερβαλλόντως εἰσὶν ἐν τοῖς νοεροῖς καὶ οὐρανίοις τῶν ἀσωμάτων χοροῖς. Οὐκοῦν τι βαθύτερον ἡμῖν τῶν προκειμένων τὸ κατ' εἰκόνα τοῦ ἀνθρώπου αἰνίττεται. Οὐ γὰρ μίαν τινὰ εἰκόνα καὶ ὁμοίωσιν Θεοῦ ὁ ἄνθρωπος κέκτηται, ἀλλὰ καὶ δευτέραν, καὶ τρίτην ἐξεικονίζων ὥσπερ ἐν ἐσόπτρῳ τινὶ καὶ σκιαγραφίᾳ τυπικῇ, οὐ φυσικῇ, τῆς τρισυποστάτου Θεότητος τὸ μυστήριον· οὐ μόνον δὲ, ἀλλὰ καὶ τὴν ἐνανθρώπησιν τοῦ ἑνὸς τῆς ἁγίας Τριάδος Θεοῦ Λόγου σαφῶς προγράφων. Καὶ τάχα κατ' εἰκόνα μέν ἐστι γυμνὴ ἡ ψυχὴ τῆς Θεότητος, καθ' ὁμοίωσιν δὲ τῆς τοῦ Λόγου σαρκώσεως τὸ σύνθετον τῆς ἡμῶν ψυχῆς καὶ τοῦ σώματος.

Μᾶλλον δὲ ἐπ' αὐτὴν τὴν ἀρχὴν τοῦ λόγου ἀναδράμωμεν, ἐκεῖθεν ὥσπερ ἔκ τι νος βαθυτάτης πηγῆς πρῶτον ζητοῦντες τὸ, τί δή ποτε μὴ καθ' ὁμοιότητα τῶν λοιπῶν λογικῶν, ἤγουν τῶν ἀγγέλων, ἢ πάλιν κατ' ἰσότητα τῶν ἐμψύχων ζώων