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The Image of God

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  30 August 2024

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Extract

Here beginneth a sermon of Saint Austin how a man is made to the image and likeness of God his maker, of naught. How great is the dignity of man's making it is known, that not by word alone of God's bidding, man is made of naught, as other works of six days, but in counsel of the Holy Trinity and work of God's majesty, that he should know of the honour of his first making, how much he owed to his maker. The which his maker gave to him so great privilege of dignity anon in his making, that by so much he should love more brenningly his maker, by how much he understood himself made of him more wonderly. He saith: ‘make we man to our image and likeness', not for this thing only, that by counsel of the Holy Trinity man is so made of the excellence of his maker, but that the maker of all things, of nought, made man of nought to his image and likeness, which thing he gave to none other creatures. Which image is to be beholden diligently by nobleness of the inner man, that is the soul.

Type
Research Article
Information
Life of the Spirit , Volume 6 , Issue 61 , July 1951 , pp. 27 - 29
Copyright
Copyright © 1951 Provincial Council of the English Province of the Order of Preachers

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References

1 Viget, causeth to flourish.

2 major.

3 This short piece is found in a mid-fifteenth-century MS, All Souls XXIV (fol. 3 5 sqq), a collection of treatises attributed to St Augustine, but all apocryphal. The latin is printed at the end of the Basle, 1569 ed. col. 1179, as ‘De creatione primi hominis and is also found in part among the pseudo-Ambrosian pieces, Migne P.L. 17, Col. 1015, ‘De dignitate conditionis humanae, where the editors state that it is a composite work with reminiscences from Alcuin, St Augustine's ‘De spiritu et Anima and Paulinus Aquilensis's ‘De Salutaribus Documentis which also appears in this MS. as ‘Augustine's book to an Earl.-C.K.

4 Powers, faculties.

5 no but, except.

6 divortia criminum.

7 adorned.

8 frequenting, practising.

9 shame, dishonour