Absolutely central to the way in which the Fathers understand the nature of humanity is the notion that human beings are created in the image and likeness of God. This is drawn from Genesis of the Old Testament. This thought is central not only to the Fathers’ understanding of human nature, but also to their theology as a whole. While the foundation of this doctrine of the image is found in Genesis, the rest of the Old Testament little is made of this idea. There is no mention of the doctrine of the image until the Wisdom literature, where we read that God ‘made humankind an image of his own self’, or eternity, and that God ‘made them according to his image’. Wisdom itself is said to be ‘an image of his goodness.”

In the New Testament we are told that man is ‘the image and glory of God’, but it is Christ, too, who is said to be the image of God. Language of the image is used of our relationship to Christ: we are to be ‘conformed to the image of his Son’. Paul says that “we all, reflecting with unveiled face the glory of the Lord, are being changed into the same image from glory to glory.” He also speaks of our being “clothed with the new man who is being renewed in knowledge according to the image of him who created him”.

The notion that humankind was created according to the image of God found an enormous resonance in the hearts and minds of the Fathers. There are probably several reasons for this.

First of all, the importance of the doctrine of creation. We are what we are, because God created us. He created us out of nothing; everything that we are is from God. Then, as many of the Fathers remark, there seems to be something special about the creation of humankind; for the rest of creation, God simply said, let something happen – ‘Let there be light’ – but in the case of hu-mankind, God seems to consider his creation by saying: ‘Let us make hu-mankind’. And then humankind came into existence. There seems some spe-cial act of deliberation about the crea-tion of humankind. Not only that, the human is made ‘according to God’s image and according to His like-ness.’

It is critical, I believe, that we think about the fact that we believe that God has made us in His image and given us the potential to grow in His likeness.