Ante-Nicene Fathers/Volume IV/Origen/Origen Against Celsus/Book VI/Chapter LXIII

Chapter LXIII.

Celsus, not observing the difference between &#8220;after the image of God&#8221; and &#8220;God&#8217;s image,&#8221; next asserts that the &#8220;first-born of every creature&#8221; is the image of God,&#8212;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;&#8212;and further, not observing to which of the characteristics of humanity the expression &#8220;after the image of God&#8221; belongs, and that it consists in a nature which never had nor longer has &#8220;the old man with his deeds,&#8221; being called &#8220;after the image of Him who created it,&#8221; from its not possessing these qualities,&#8212;he maintains:&#160; &#8220;Neither did He make man His image; for God is not such an one, nor like any other species of (visible) being.&#8221;&#160; Is it possible to suppose that the element which is &#8220;after the image of God&#8221; should exist in the inferior part&#8212;I mean the body&#8212;of a compound being like man, because Celsus has explained that to be made after the image of God?&#160; For if that which is &#8220;after the image of God&#8221; be in the body only, the better part, the soul, has been deprived of that which is &#8220;after His image,&#8221; and this (distinction) exists in the corruptible body,&#8212;an assertion which is made by none of us.&#160; But if that which is &#8220;after the image of God&#8221; 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 &#8220;after God&#8217;s image,&#8221; the better part, may be in the soul; while the inferior part, and that which &#8220;is according to the body,&#8221; may be in the body,&#8212;an assertion, again, which is made by none of us.&#160; It remains, therefore, that that which is &#8220;after the image of God&#8221; must be understood to be in our &#8220;inner man,&#8221; which is also renewed, and whose nature it is to be &#8220;after the image of Him who created it,&#8221; when a man becomes &#8220;perfect,&#8221; as &#8220;our Father in heaven is perfect,&#8221; and hears the command, &#8220;Be ye holy, for I the your God am holy,&#8221; and learning the precept, &#8220;Be ye followers of God,&#8221; receives into his virtuous soul the traits of God&#8217;s image.&#160; 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.