Original Research
Imago et similitudo Dei: op soek na die betekenis van die mens as beeld en gelykenis van God vanuit ’n Christelikfilosofiese hoek
Koers - Bulletin for Christian Scholarship/Bulletin vir Christelike Wetenskap | Vol 73, No 2 | a160 |
DOI: https://doi.org/10.4102/koers.v73i2.160
| © 2008 B.J. van der Walt
| This work is licensed under CC Attribution 4.0
Submitted: 27 July 2008 | Published: 27 July 2008
Submitted: 27 July 2008 | Published: 27 July 2008
About the author(s)
B.J. van der Walt, Skool vir Filosofie, Potchefstroomkampus, Noordwes-Universiteit, South AfricaFull Text:
PDF (168KB)Abstract
Imago et similitudo Dei: the meaning of humans being God’s image and likeness investigated from a Christianphilosophical perspective
This investigation is an effort to determine the meaning of the Biblical revelation that human beings were created in the image and likeness of God and to do so from a Christian-philosophical perspective. The following steps are taken: The introduction is a reminder that one’s view of reality (ontology) and of being human (anthropology) is decisive in terms of how one will understand the meaning of “imago Dei”. It is illustrated, firstly in the older essentialistic (or ontological) viewpoints, which explained the image of God in man analogically, in other words as similarity and difference between the divine and human natures. Next, it is indicated that the more recent relational viewpoints on the image of God also cannot really indicate its full richness. The next section provides an exposition of how a few reformational philosophers understood this mysterious Biblical expression about the human being. It is indicated how their viewpoint about human beings can solve many misconceptions connected with the “imago et similitudo Dei” and also open new, wider perspectives. The concluding part will summarise the results of the investigation.
This investigation is an effort to determine the meaning of the Biblical revelation that human beings were created in the image and likeness of God and to do so from a Christian-philosophical perspective. The following steps are taken: The introduction is a reminder that one’s view of reality (ontology) and of being human (anthropology) is decisive in terms of how one will understand the meaning of “imago Dei”. It is illustrated, firstly in the older essentialistic (or ontological) viewpoints, which explained the image of God in man analogically, in other words as similarity and difference between the divine and human natures. Next, it is indicated that the more recent relational viewpoints on the image of God also cannot really indicate its full richness. The next section provides an exposition of how a few reformational philosophers understood this mysterious Biblical expression about the human being. It is indicated how their viewpoint about human beings can solve many misconceptions connected with the “imago et similitudo Dei” and also open new, wider perspectives. The concluding part will summarise the results of the investigation.
Keywords
Anthropology; Image Of God; Likeness Of God; Ontology; Religion
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